"Pocketing 4.6 Million Won Without Overtime"...Mokpo Customs Official Booked

Raid on Gwangju Main Customs Also Conducted

A customs official who fabricated records to make it look as if he had worked overtime and received several million won in overtime pay has been booked by the police.

The Mokpo Police Station in South Jeolla Province announced on February 24 that it had booked, without detention, an official identified only as A from Mokpo Customs on charges of falsifying electronic public records and breach of duty in the course of work, and is currently investigating the case.

According to the police, from 2022 to 2024, A is suspected of unlawfully obtaining 4.6 million won in overtime pay by falsely manipulating and entering a total of 367 hours of overtime work.

A's misconduct partially came to light last year through an investigation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, which first exposed the wrongdoing.

After launching a full-scale investigation following a public-interest whistleblower’s complaint, the police requested related documents. When the customs office refused to submit the materials, the investigation was converted into a compulsory search. On February 13, the police conducted an unexpected raid on the audit office of the Gwangju Main Customs and seized key materials, including A's overtime records and the internal disciplinary decision documents.

It is known that A admitted to most of the allegations during the earlier internal disciplinary investigation conducted by the customs office. The police plan to summon A in the near future, once the analysis of the seized materials is completed, to investigate the exact circumstances of the case and decide whether to refer him for prosecution.