Board of Audit and Inspection: "Veterans Affairs Office Improperly Paid Veterans Benefits to Serious Offenders"

Board of Audit and Inspection Announces Regular Audit Results of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs... Issues Raised Regarding Registration of Vietnam War Veterans

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Board of Audit and Inspection revealed that there are issues in the management of veterans by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, such as individuals convicted of serious crimes receiving veterans' benefits.

The Board of Audit and Inspection announced on the 21st the results of a regular audit focusing on the appropriateness of registration and support for veterans and budget execution by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs performs registration and post-management duties for veterans under the "Act on the Honorable Treatment and Support of Persons, etc. of Distinguished Services to the State" and related laws.

According to the Act on Honorable Treatment of Persons of Distinguished Services to the State, individuals sentenced to imprisonment for one year or more for serious crimes such as murder and robbery are excluded from the application of veterans-related laws and all compensations must be stopped. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs' regulations stipulate that when registering veterans, criminal records must be checked and court rulings reviewed to determine whether to exclude application of the law.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out, "The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs registered 15 applicants as veterans without verifying court rulings despite receiving notifications of serious crimes from the relevant police stations, and improperly paid about 2.1 billion KRW in veterans' benefits by the end of 2020."

Furthermore, the Board of Audit and Inspection criticized, "Although it is necessary to check criminal records prior to veterans' registration, from 2012 to 2019, only criminal records within the past year were requested." The Board explained, "Due to administrative errors, 161 individuals convicted of serious crimes?145 registered before the conviction and 16 convicted after registration?improperly received about 9.1 billion KRW in veterans' benefits."

The Board of Audit and Inspection instructed the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to take appropriate measures such as excluding the application of the law for 183 improperly registered veterans.

Meanwhile, the Board of Audit and Inspection also pointed out issues in the Ministry's registration of Vietnam War veterans.

The Board stated, "The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs arbitrarily judged 5 applicants as veterans despite being unable to verify their participation in the war based solely on registration documents and without requesting confirmation from the Ministry of National Defense," and pointed out that "about 138 million KRW was improperly paid as Vietnam War honor allowances."

The Board of Audit and Inspection urged the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to strictly manage registration duties to prevent registering individuals who did not participate in the Vietnam War as veterans.