Lee Jae-myung "Will Eradicate Illegal Trading of Disaster Basic Income"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung expressed his intent to crack down strongly on illegal trading of disaster basic income, including coordinating with police.

Governor Lee stated through his SNS on the 22nd, "We will prevent illegal discounts (cash-outs) even through mystery shopping," and "Buying, selling, or advertising disaster basic income paid via prepaid cards or other means is a serious crime that can result in up to three years imprisonment and a fine of 20 million won under the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. Marketplace operators who knowingly allow or tolerate such transactions are also punished as accomplices," he said.

The governor added, "Discount trading of disaster basic income (commonly called cash-out) is not only a crime but also undermines trust in major policies, so we must not allow attempts at discount trading, advertisements, or acts of brokering and arranging discount trading related to disaster basic income."

As preventive measures, the plan is to first identify all intermediary marketplaces with potential for brokering discount trades and demand they block such transactions. If discount trading is attempted in violation of this, both the requester and marketplace operators will be held responsible as accomplices, the relevant card will be deactivated, and any disaster basic income for which discounts were attempted will be fully recovered.

Additionally, the provincial government will establish an investigative cooperation system with the Gyeonggi North and South Provincial Police Agencies, form and operate a special investigation team centered on the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, immediately establish a monitoring unit led by the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police to maintain a 24/7 surveillance system, and identify discount attempt perpetrators and brokering arrangers through mystery shopping techniques (investigative techniques where purchases are disguised to arrest perpetrators).

Governor Lee concluded, "Although discount attempts on Gyeonggi Province disaster basic income have been difficult to find thus far, we will eradicate illegal discount trading, and I trust that our Gyeonggi Province citizens will not engage in illegal discount trading."