[Exclusive] Police Fail to Properly Disclose Business Expense Reports... Public Left in the Dark on How Their Taxes Were Spent

24 out of 31 stations violated regulations... "Simple mistakes"
Seoul Police Agency also failed to comply with public disclosure dates 5 times

It has been confirmed that most of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and its 31 subordinate police stations do not properly disclose the business promotion expenses of their heads (the Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and each police station chief).

Accordingly, concerns have been raised that the budget execution of investigative agencies, which should be transparently executed and publicly verified, could become opaque.

Business promotion expenses are used by the heads for various official events and duties, with each police station in Seoul spending from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand won per month.

All police stations are required under the "Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies (Information Disclosure Act)" to disclose the previous month's business promotion expense details of the station chief on their websites by the 15th of each month. However, as of the 29th, Asia Economy confirmed that 24 out of the 31 police stations under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency failed to disclose the station chiefs' business promotion expense details in accordance with the law for the one-year period from March last year to February this year.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency file photo / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

◆ Omission or Late Disclosure of Business Promotion Expenses = In the case of Geumcheon Police Station, the business promotion expense details for five months starting from October last year were not disclosed at all. Suseo Police Station omitted the expense details for five months: July, August, October last year, and January to February this year. Gangnam Police Station omitted the expense details for August and September last year, and Hyehwa Police Station had not posted the February expense details, which should have been uploaded on the 15th, even after more than two weeks as of the 29th.

Most other police stations either disclosed several months' worth of business promotion expense details all at once after a delay or disclosed them late. Jongam Police Station did not adhere to the disclosure dates properly except for March last year. It disclosed expense details for two to three months at once, covering April to June, July to August last year, and October last year to January this year.

Jungnang Police Station also uploaded two months' worth of expense details together three times: April to May, October to November last year, and December last year to January this year, all well past the set deadline of the 15th. Gangseo Police Station disclosed business promotion expense details late for seven months, including March to October and December last year.

Only seven police stations?Gangbuk, Dobong, Bangbae, Seobu, Seongdong, Seongbuk, and Yongsan?properly disclosed business promotion expenses every month in accordance with legal regulations.

The higher authority, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, also failed to meet the disclosure deadlines for the police chief’s business promotion expenses five times: April, October to December last year, and January this year.

◆ Explanation of "Simple Mistake," Taken Lightly = Most police stations that violated the business promotion expense disclosure regulations explained that it was due to staff mistakes or administrative errors. A representative from Geumcheon Police Station, where some expense details were omitted, said, "It was confirmed that the previous person in charge was transferred, and the details were not posted for a while," adding, "There was no special issue for not disclosing them." A Gangnam Police Station official explained, "It seems two months' worth was missing due to a staff mistake," and "We took immediate action to disclose them." A Suseo Police Station official also said, "It was a simple mistake, and we will post the details as soon as possible."

Business promotion expenses were previously called "operating expenses," and in the past, there were concerns that unclear usage standards and lack of disclosure of execution details could lead to slush funds. To prevent such issues, the current Information Disclosure Act and its enforcement decree stipulate that "the contents of budget execution and project evaluation results, etc., must be regularly disclosed through information and communication networks within a specific scope, period, timing, and method set in advance for administrative monitoring of public institution heads' business promotion expenses."

Professor Lee Yun-ho of Dongguk University’s Department of Police Administration said, "The failure to disclose the heads' business promotion expense execution details in accordance with legal regulations reflects a low level of public interest in the transparent use of taxpayers' money," adding, "The police leadership must meticulously supervise and direct each police station to properly use business promotion expenses and disclose the results for verification."