A Grade 7 Public Official Embezzled 4.8 Billion KRW at Busan District Court and Also Diverted 780 Million KRW at Former Workplace in Ulsan

Working in the Auction Sector, Illegally Issuing Dividend Amounts
Family Listed on 'Unknown' Deposited Funds by the Depositor
Ulsan District Court Conducts Internal Investigation Confirming Misconduct

A Grade 7 court official who was arrested for embezzling 4.8 billion KRW at the Busan District Court was found to have also embezzled about 800 million KRW in the past while working at the Ulsan District Court.

On the 17th, the Ulsan District Court announced that it had additionally reported Mr. A, who is currently in custody, to the police on charges of embezzlement. The Ulsan District Court explained that Mr. A, who worked as an auction officer at the Ulsan District Court from 2019 to 2020, fraudulently disbursed a total of approximately 780 million KRW by reducing the actual distribution amounts in six auction cases and depositing the funds into accounts under his family members' names.

Previously, Mr. A was arrested by the police on charges of embezzling 4.8 billion KRW at the Busan District Court. The Busan District Court stated that from November 14 to December 23, 2022, Mr. A manipulated the computer system 16 times to embezzle 2,852,647,715 KRW in court deposits and deposit interest. Mr. A reportedly entered the personal information of his sister, Ms. B, in the depositor field of court deposits where the depositor was listed as 'unknown,' and then registered Ms. B’s account as a comprehensive account. Subsequently, the Busan District Court dismissed Mr. A from his position and reported him to the police. Further police investigations confirmed that during a similar period, Mr. A fraudulently disbursed an additional 1.96 billion KRW over 37 occasions.

Upon learning of Mr. A’s crimes, the Ulsan District Court conducted its own investigation and uncovered misconduct during his tenure there. The total amount embezzled by Mr. A has so far been confirmed to exceed 5.5 billion KRW, with the possibility of further increases as investigations continue.

The Ulsan District Court expressed deep regret over its failure to properly manage distribution funds due to the official’s misconduct, stating, "We sincerely acknowledge our responsibility for not properly managing the distribution funds due to the public official’s wrongdoing. Moving forward, we will strengthen job inspections of auction officers and thoroughly manage auction procedures, including the disbursement of auction distribution funds, to prevent similar cases from occurring."