South Korean Police Refer 46 to Prosecutors Over Inflated Travel Budgets; Council Members Cleared

Jeonju, South Korea – Police have forwarded 46 people to prosecutors in connection with allegations of inflating overseas trip budgets for local councils in the Jeonbuk region. The investigation, however, has drawn criticism for excluding local council members themselves from the charges.

The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency announced on June 8 that 46 out of 61 individuals booked on charges including breach of trust and fraud were sent to the prosecution without detention. The remaining 15 were not sent to prosecutors. Among those forwarded, 31 are public officials and 15 are employees of travel agencies.

These individuals are accused of inflating expenses by tens to hundreds of thousands of won per person for overseas trips. The National Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had previously announced the results of a check on overseas trips by 243 local councils nationwide in 2024. In Jeonbuk, 11 provincial and local councils, including the Jeonbuk Provincial Council and those in Jeonju, Gunsan, Iksan, and Gimje, had their budget waste suspicions confirmed and were referred for investigation.

Civic groups in the Jeonbuk region had previously urged thorough investigations, stating, "It should not result in lower-ranking public officials taking responsibility while the actual beneficiaries, the local council members, escape." The final investigation results have failed to alleviate these concerns, with police stating that while many council members were investigated, charges could not be proven due to a lack of evidence of collusion.