More than 140,000 cases of fraudulently claiming various government subsidies and benefits were uncovered last year. Public funds decided for recovery due to fraudulent receipt totaled 129.6 billion won, marking the largest amount on record.
The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission announced on the 7th the results of the "2025 public finance recovery system implementation inspection," conducted on 311 institutions, including central government agencies, local governments, and metropolitan and provincial offices of education.
There were a total of 141,781 cases of fraudulent receipt uncovered last year. Accordingly, 129.6 billion won was decided for recovery, and additional monetary sanctions imposed on fraudulent recipients and institutions were tallied at 50 billion won.
The amount decided for recovery increased 24% from 104.2 billion won the previous year. Additional monetary sanctions also rose 74% from 28.8 billion won. The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said this was the largest scale since the Public Finance Recovery Act took effect in 2020.
The methods of fraudulent receipt were also varied. Cases were found in which people received agricultural direct payments by pretending to have farmed their land even though they did not actually cultivate it. There were also cases in which people received single-parent family benefits while hiding a marriage or common-law relationship.
There were cases in which people refueled vehicles that were not eligible and received fuel subsidies, or continued to receive subsidies even after closing a business. There were also cases in which people received the national work-study scholarship by pretending to have worked without actually working.
Cases were also uncovered in which people falsified attendance records or training implementation status to receive employment stability incentives.
By category, the largest amount decided for recovery was 29 billion won from livelihood benefits. Subsidies in the industry, small and medium-sized business, and energy sectors followed at 22.9 billion won, and housing benefits reached 10.3 billion won.
Under the Public Finance Recovery Act, if subsidies or grants are received by submitting false documents or by fraudulent means, the illicit gains can be recovered. It is also possible to impose additional monetary sanctions of up to five times the fraudulent gains or to disclose the fact of fraudulent receipt.
An official at the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) said, "Fraudulent receipt of public finance payments seriously undermines the fairness of society," adding, "We will work to manage it strictly to ensure transparency in public finance."