Audit finds court administration paid top judges 1.3 billion won in unauthorized allowances

South Korea’s National Court Administration paid Supreme Court justices monthly cash incentives without a legal basis, according to a regular audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection. The payments continued from 2022 through September 2025 and totaled 1.299 billion won.

The administration paid its chief justice for judicial administration an average of more than 3 million won a month. Other justices received an average of more than 2 million won monthly. Each justice also received an additional 500,000 to 1.5 million won in January and August.

The cash payments came on top of monthly special-duty expenses of 5.12 million won for each justice. Government budget guidelines prohibit regular monthly payments without a statutory basis, the audit found.

The audit also highlighted spending and procurement practices within the court administration. It stored backup computers equivalent to 32.8% of its authorized staff, after purchasing what auditors described as an excessive number of work computers. The administration also bought more than 100 million won worth of wine for events over five years.