[Voice112]③ Securing Budget for Integrated Report Response Center... Accelerating Establishment

Stage 1 Budget of 1 Billion Won for Center... Call Center System Construction
Over 100 Million Won Secured for Stage 2 Integrated Platform ISP

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo and Sehee Jang] The police have secured the full initial budget for the establishment of the "Integrated Reporting and Response Center for Telecommunications Financial Fraud." This center is an integrated system that can handle telecommunications financial fraud cases such as voice phishing and messenger phishing in a one-stop manner, from reporting to response. It is expected to accelerate the government's prevention and investigation efforts against voice phishing crimes.

According to the police on the 12th, the National Police Agency has secured the entire 1 billion KRW budget for the first phase of the Integrated Reporting and Response Center for Telecommunications Financial Fraud, reflected in the "2023 Government Budget Plan." Last year, the National Police Agency decided to install the center in the 202 Security Unit building of the Seoul Police Agency in Hyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and included remodeling costs for the building in this year's budget plan. The secured budget is detailed as 751 million KRW for establishing the consultation and reporting call center, 169 million KRW for physical remodeling and setup costs of the call center, and 74 million KRW for operational maintenance expenses.

Previously, the government faced criticism for the lack of an integrated inter-agency response system to voice phishing, whose damages have been increasing year by year. In response, it decided to create a related organization under the National Police Agency to unify reporting and consultation channels. In April last year, a preparatory team for the center was formed, led by the head of the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency, and in August of the same year, a Prime Minister’s directive regarding the center’s establishment was promulgated. According to the directive, the center chief is at the superintendent level, and advisors are appointed by the National Police Agency chief from Grade 4 officials belonging to the Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The National Police Agency is continuing discussions with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regarding the establishment of the organization and the calculation of necessary personnel. According to the discussions so far, the Integrated Reporting and Response Center for Telecommunications Financial Fraud will have three teams: the Financial Response Team, the Fraud Response Team, and the Telecommunications Response Team, with specialized personnel deployed from each institution. Police officers will be assigned the largest number of personnel considering the nature and functions of the work, while general staff such as counselors will be dispatched from related agencies including the Financial Supervisory Service and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). A National Police Agency official stated, "We are continuing to review the methods for personnel recruitment."

The National Police Agency is promoting the establishment of the integrated reporting and response center in two phases. Phase 1, which integrates reporting and consultation channels via phone number 112 and the Financial Supervisory Service’s "Voice Phishing Guardian" online platform, is planned to be completed by June this year. The secured 1 billion KRW budget is also for the construction and operation of Phase 1 of the center, and the National Police Agency is currently proceeding with contracts for system development. A police official said, "Once Phase 1 of the center is completed, the reporting and consultation channels for voice phishing and other telecommunications financial fraud will be unified, greatly reducing public inconvenience."

Phase 2 of the center focuses on strengthening the response system by building an integrated platform for data analysis and sharing. The National Police Agency has already secured 114 million KRW in the Information Strategy Plan (ISP) budget for the construction of the Phase 2 integrated platform. They plan to soon begin establishing the ISP to include approximately 3 billion KRW for the integrated platform construction in next year’s budget plan.

Since last year, the National Police Agency has designated voice phishing and other telecommunications financial fraud as one of the "7 Major Malicious Frauds" and has been working to eradicate them. The integrated reporting and response center, launching this year, is regarded as an institutional measure to eliminate these malicious frauds. After the directive for the center’s establishment was promulgated last year, Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun stated, "We will ensure practical effects," and pledged, "The police will take the lead to prevent voice phishing and other telecommunications financial fraud from gaining any foothold in this country."