Gangdong-gu, Victimized by Employee Embezzlement, Establishes Principles for Opening Ordinary Deposit Accounts and Standards for Operation and Management

[Seoul District News] Gangdong-gu Revises Autonomous Regulations for Transparent Accounting Management, Establishes Standards for Opening and Managing Ordinary Deposit Accounts ... Seongbuk-gu University Students Receive Commendation for Producing Voice Phishing Prevention Videos and Card News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Soo-hee) has established principles for opening ordinary deposit accounts and standards for their operation and management to ensure transparent accounting management.

On April 1, following the newly established "Provisions on the Opening and Management of Accounts" in the directive on local government accounting management, the district revised its local regulations and added new articles to strengthen the management of ordinary deposit accounts, which are difficult to restrict deposits and withdrawals, and to secure transparency in the management of local government funds.

With this revision, Article 28 and Appendix 6 of the Seoul Gangdong-gu Accounting Management Regulations were newly established. The district expects more thorough accounting management as detailed standards for the opening, operation, and inspection of ordinary deposit accounts have been set.

The main amendments restrict the opening of ordinary deposit accounts to cases where it is unavoidable for business operation purposes. Even when opening accounts, the principle of opening one account per purpose is applied, and the account name must include the managing department and the name of the task.

Additionally, ordinary deposit accounts must be operated only for their designated purposes. When a project ends or the account is no longer needed, the account must be closed immediately. In particular, transaction details and deposit balance certificates must be issued at least once a month, and reported to the department head, strengthening operational inspections compared to other local governments.

Furthermore, in consultation with the district treasury, if a single deposit or withdrawal exceeds 10 million KRW, a notification message will be sent to the department head.

Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, "Compared to public fund deposit accounts operated only through the district treasury, ordinary deposit accounts require more thorough management. We will do our best to manage and supervise so that the newly established management standards for ordinary deposit accounts are strictly implemented."

University students in Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) have rolled up their sleeves to prevent voice phishing damage to residents.

They voluntarily participated in securing the local community’s economic safety net by producing videos and card news (image-cut news) focusing on frequently occurring cases of financial fraud.

In response, Seongbuk-gu and the Seongbuk Police Station awarded certificates of commendation and appreciation to the students on the 16th.

Kim Min-seong (Kookmin University), who received the award that day, said, "I was well aware that many university students suffer damage from voice phishing, and recently I learned that many university students are also involved as cash collectors. I participated in producing the video with a sincere hope that not only ordinary people but also university students like me would no longer suffer damage during these difficult times."

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, "The crime prevention activities involving Seongbuk-gu Office, Seongbuk Police Station, and university students (Kookmin University, Hansung University, Sungshin Women’s University) are a representative excellent case of public-academic-government cooperation. As phishing-related fraud methods continue to evolve, it is meaningful that local university students have stepped up. We will actively cooperate and respond with the Seongbuk Police Station to prevent damage by utilizing the students’ promotional materials."

The Seongbuk Police Station once again urged that if damage is suspected, people should immediately call the National Police Agency or the Financial Supervisory Service to prevent further harm.

To prevent increasingly sophisticated financial fraud damage, Seongbuk-gu signed a business agreement last year with the Seongbuk Police Station, Seongbuk District Council, and local financial institutions (Saemaeul Geumgo, Nonghyup), and took proactive measures such as enacting ordinances.