DAEGU -- A person was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding people of more than 200 million won ($179,000) by promising to buy them protective face masks at a cheap price, among other things, a local court said Wednesday.

The Daegu District Court, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, convicted the 48-year-old of fraud, saying the defendant used the money to repay personal debts and cover entertainment expenses.

"Stern punishment is required as there are serious concerns the defendant will repeat the crime, given the person's past criminal record," the court said.

The defendant's crimes mostly took place during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic when there was a shortage of face masks in the country.

In February of last year, shortly after COVID-19 broke out in the country, the defendant took more than 109 million won from a victim in return for a false promise to supply protective masks from the country's biggest mask producer.

Around that time, the 48-year-old also borrowed some 84 million won from another victim, saying the money would be used to start a mask export business.

Two other victims were stripped of 5.2 million won and 6 million won, respectively, after falling for a promise to invest in a mask business or supply masks at a cheap price. (Yonhap)