Airline Miles Worth 460 Million Won Accumulated on Official Trips... Do They Become Personal Assets for Retired Diplomats?

Han Jeongae:
"Should Not Be Left as a 'Second Severance Pay'...
Unused Miles Must Be Returned for Public Benefit"

It has been revealed that there are no regulations for reclaiming or reutilizing airline miles accumulated by diplomats on official business trips, resulting in these miles remaining as personal assets after retirement.

Photo by Yonhap News

According to data submitted by Han Jeongae, a member of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, based on information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 662 retired ministry officials held a combined 23.28 million miles between 2021 and September 20 of this year. This amount is enough for approximately 1,700 round trips on the Incheon-New York route. If converted at a rate of 20 won per mile, based on airline ticket deduction standards, this equates to about 460 million won.

By rank, high-level officials such as ministers and vice ministers held an average of 93,370 miles per person as of this year, while regular staff held an average of 13,042 miles per person.

Since a significant amount of miles are accumulated through official business trips, there have also been numerous cases where miles expired without being used. Over the past five years, approximately 22.44 million miles have expired without being used within their validity period.

Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no regulatory basis for reclaiming miles accumulated during official duties or reutilizing them for official purposes. As a result, although these miles are essentially public assets, they remain with the individual upon retirement if accumulated under the diplomat's personal account.

Aircraft cabin image. Pixabay

In response, there have been calls for institutional measures to manage airline miles as public assets rather than personal benefits. Proposals include making it mandatory to use these miles for official business trips or utilizing them for public purposes, such as supporting essential goods for vulnerable groups or providing emergency air transport through mileage shopping malls.

Han Jeongae stated, "Public airline miles accumulated through taxpayers' money should not be left as a 'second severance pay' for retirees," adding, "A unified management system at the government ministry level should be established, and unused miles should be redirected for public benefit."