Oriental medicine association to file suit against player blaming oriental medicine for doping

The Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM) has strongly protested against a professional sports player’s drug use issue.

The association announced on Wednesday that it plans to file a criminal suit against Kwak Yu-hwa, a 22-year-old professional volleyball player of the Heungguk Life Pink Spiders. It aims to eradicate a chronic malady among professional players blaming oriental medicine when they fail a drug test (by using prohibited drugs to enhance their performance during games). After having been suspended for six games by the Korea Volleyball Federation due to testing positive for drugs on Tuesday, Kwak made an excuse, saying, “I had taken only oriental medicine provided by my mother’s friend. I never knew it contained prohibited substances.”

“Phendimetrazine and phenmetrazin (which were found from Kwak’s sample) are substances that can never be found in oriental medicine prescribed by oriental doctors,” said the association in a press release on the same day. The association plans to request for investigation on the volleyball player and the person who provided the drug on charges of violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and the Narcotic Control Act.

“The two substances are psychotropic drugs, mainly used as an appetite suppressant in the western medicine. Because of this, the two drugs are categorized as narcotics which requires precise prescription," said Kim Ji-ho, the association`s spokesperson. "Based on our legal team’s review, it is possible for us to make Kwak and the medicine provider take legal responsibilities, if Kwak’s argument is true as reported.” The spokesperson emphasized that numerous academic studies have confirmed that the oriental medicine treatment are helpful in enhancement of sports players’ health, prevention of injury and treatment.

kini@donga.com