Improper claims for overtime pay and travel allowances, along with personal use of public funds, were found at 68 of 110 liaison offices that South Korean local governments operate to coordinate with the National Assembly and central ministries. The amount improperly spent or received totaled 273.1 million won (about $197,000).
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said on Sept. 29 that it identified such cases involving 125 officials at 68 offices after reviewing 2025 budget spending at all 110 liaison offices.
According to the commission, 37 liaison officers at 28 offices collected a combined 122.95 million won by falsely logging their departure times and through similar methods, even though there was little evidence they had actually worked overtime. Some officers returned to their offices late after dinner or drinking and then logged their departure times. Others, taking advantage of the fact that they worked from official residences without separate offices, filled out handwritten logs up to the monthly cap of 57 hours.
Nineteen officers at 15 offices improperly received a combined 10.12 million won in travel allowances. One officer received 600,000 won a month without supporting documentation, totaling 7.24 million won over a year. Liaison officers at other local governments claimed allowances by treating their commutes from home as business trips.
Public vehicles were also used for personal purposes. A liaison officer for one county left the Seoul workplace without authorization during working hours and used a public vehicle to visit golf courses in Chuncheon, Gangwon State, and Ganghwa, Gyeonggi Province, on 12 occasions. In other cases, officers used public vehicles like personal cars to commute from home on weekends.
The commission also found cases in which housing rent was paid without justification to officers already living in the greater Seoul area. Three local governments paid a combined 42 million won in housing costs to fixed-term local liaison officers who were living in the capital region when they were hired. Improper spending on housing subsidies totaled 79.2 million won.
In other cases, officers used business expense accounts for meals with acquaintances or split payments at the same restaurant to stay under approval limits. One officer traveled to Daejeon every Friday for meals with acquaintances, spending 1.25 million won on six occasions. In another region, 3.21 million won was split across eight payments at the same restaurant.
The commission plans to ask the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the local governments involved to recover the improperly spent funds and discipline those responsible. Noting that attendance and budget oversight is weak because liaison officers work away from their home offices, the commission said it would also draw up measures to strengthen management.
