Govt. pays out most for whistleblowers in 2023

Deputy Chairman Jeong Seung-yoon of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission speaks in a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul on Dec. 7. (Yonhap)

The state anti-corruption agency on Tuesday announced that it recorded the highest ever amount in rewards provided to those who reported corrupt officials or companies in 2023.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said it disbursed some 4.243 billion won ($3.273 million) as rewards to whistleblowers whose reports led directly to recovery or increase in public institution revenue in 2023, marking a 40 percent increase from the previous year.

This annual figure represents the highest amount ever recorded, according to the anti-corruption agency.

In total, the agency disbursed some 5.7 billion won in rewards and other compensation for both whistleblowers and those who gave tip-offs this year.

The Korean government recovered 55.8 billion won this year through reports made by whistleblowers, according to the agency.

This year, a whistleblower who had worked at an illegally established medical institution received a reward of 170 million won for reporting the institution to the anti-corruption agency.

In South Korea, only doctors are allowed to set up medical institutions. However, some people borrow a doctor's license to set illegal medical institutions. These illegal establishments cause a host of connected problems -- such as threats to public health, breakdown of the medical order and health insurance fraud -- since they usually only focus on maximizing profits.

Thanks to the whistleblower report, the government was able to claw back medical care benefits of 3.28 billion won that the institution had unfairly received, the agency said.

The agency also provided a reward of 93 million won to a whistleblower who reported corruption against a company that fraudulently received employment maintenance subsidies by pretending that its employees were on leave during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will further strengthen the level of compensation for whistleblowers so that they can be rewarded as much as they contribute to society,” said the anti-corruption agency's Deputy Chairman Jeong Seung-yoon.

By Lee Jaeeun(jenn@heraldcorp.com)