Busan City Officials Embezzle 5 Million Won Using Overtime 'Macro' Scheme

Serious Disciplinary Action and Fraud Allegations Reported to Police
Up to 200 Hours Falsely Recorded Per Person

It has been revealed that some public officials in Busan City used an automatic input repetition (macro) program to falsely enter overtime hours and improperly receive allowances.

Image unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Pixabay]

On the 31st, the Busan City Audit Committee announced that it had identified five employees who falsely entered working hours to receive millions of won in overtime allowances, imposed severe disciplinary actions, and reported them to the police on charges including fraud.

According to the City Audit Committee, five employees affiliated with the city hall manipulated work records by falsely entering their leaving times using a macro program from January to April last year.

A macro is a type of automation program that can automatically repeat specific tasks once a command is entered.

The allowances they improperly received by falsely entering overtime hours were found to amount to 5 million won. In particular, employee A falsely entered approximately 200 hours of overtime over four months and improperly received about 2 million won in allowances, according to the audit results.

The City Audit Committee decided in July to impose severe disciplinary actions such as suspension on these individuals, recover the full amount of the overtime allowances, and additionally collect five times the amount as a penalty.

Separately from the audit, last month, the five individuals including A were also reported to the Busan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit.

A representative from the Busan Police Agency said, "We have received the report from Busan City and are proceeding with the case. Although it is difficult to confirm specific details, we have currently strengthened management by supplementing the attendance management system."