Ministry of Health and Welfare Launches Special Audit into 4.6 Billion Won Embezzlement by NHIS Employees

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 25th that it will conduct a special audit of the National Health Insurance Service, where a large-scale embezzlement incident recently occurred.

The Ministry stated on the 25th that a joint audit team composed of related departments including the Audit Division, Insurance Policy Division, and Information Technology Officer, led by Auditor Kim Chung-hwan, has been dispatched to the Service's site to carry out a special audit for two weeks from today until October 7.

The Ministry explained, "Considering the seriousness of this embezzlement case, we will thoroughly investigate through the special audit to leave no suspicion," and added, "We will focus on inspecting the current status and issues of health insurance financial management and the operation of the medical benefit payment system to prepare improvement measures." It also stated, "We will promptly proceed with follow-up actions such as strict handling of those involved and improvement of the IT system through the audit."

The National Health Insurance Service confirmed on the 22nd that employee A, responsible for bond management in the Financial Management Office, embezzled an estimated 4.6 billion KRW, immediately reported the case to the police for criminal prosecution, and disclosed it to the media on the 23rd. It is reported that A is currently staying overseas.