[2023 National Audit] Public Mileage of '179 Round Trips to New York' Claimed by Public Institution Retirees

According to the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee member Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party, based on the National Audit data submitted on the 12th by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and five public institutions under the Korea Customs Service, it was revealed that public institution employees accumulated 'public airline mileage' through official business trips and other activities, but did not return it after retirement, resulting in over 12.56 million points taken.

The 12.56 million points of mileage is enough for 179 round trips between Incheon and New York. As of the end of August, it was confirmed that 433 retirees from the five public institutions privatized a total of 12,564,148 points of public airline mileage, Song said. The average per person is 29,017 points.

In particular, retirees from the Korea Export-Import Bank and Korea Investment Corporation, public institutions with frequent overseas duties, privatized an average of 33,870 points and 38,364 points of mileage per person, respectively, Song said.

Song said, "Public airline mileage is public property derived from taxpayers' money, so it is far beyond the common sense of the public for retirees in the public sector to privatize it," adding, "The government should promptly establish related standards and detailed implementation plans so that the public airline mileage of retirees in the public sector can be used for public interest purposes."

In response to these criticisms, a representative from the Export-Import Bank stated, "We are making efforts to minimize the privatization of mileage by prioritizing the use of public mileage during overseas business trips."