Gyeonggi Province Pays Whistleblowers Total 10.94 Million Won, Including Reports of 'Embezzlement of Disability Organization Subsidies'

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province will pay 3 million won in rewards to a public interest whistleblower who reported a disability welfare corporation that was embezzling subsidies into personal accounts and not actually operating.

Gyeonggi Province held the fourth Gyeonggi Province Public Interest Whistleblower Support Committee meeting on the 1st and announced on the 20th that it has decided to pay rewards totaling 10.94 million won for 19 cases of public interest reports regarding misuse of subsidies, negligent management of fire safety facilities, and environmental pollution activities.

Gyeonggi Province confirmed a report about the Gyeonggi Province A Association B Branch office, a disability organization receiving subsidies, stating "I have never seen anyone working full-time here, the office is always empty and the lights are almost always off." The investigation found that the organization was inappropriately using subsidies received for personnel expenses and operational costs by diverting them to the representative's son's account.

The province ordered the recovery of the full amount of improperly used subsidies totaling 20.18 million won, and the representative was subject to a fine. The Gyeonggi Province Public Interest Whistleblower Support Committee determined to pay 3 million won in rewards, judging that "the report had significant public interest value and served as a wake-up call regarding the lax management of the subsidy-receiving organization."

In addition, the committee decided to increase the reward amount to 300,000 won for a report about a fire prevention team at a large commercial facility exceeding 33,000 square meters that arbitrarily manipulated fire alarm receivers to prevent fire alarms from sounding.

The committee decided to increase the reward amount, stating that "as multi-use facilities can suffer large losses in case of fire, it contributed to resident safety" and "public interest reports need to be activated to improve complacent attitudes related to fire safety facility management." This is the largest reward amount among local governments based on the reward standard for violations of fire safety facility laws.

In addition, the committee decided to pay rewards for 19 public interest reports including ▲fraudulent claims for fuel subsidies for freight vehicles ▲violations of fire safety facility laws such as closing emergency exits ▲illegal operation of air emission facilities and unauthorized wastewater discharge facilities and other environmental pollution activities.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province received and processed a total of 1,011 public interest reports targeting public interest violations this year regarding residents' health and safety, environment, consumer interests, and fair competition, and held four public interest whistleblower support committee meetings to decide on payment of reward and incentive money totaling 157 cases worth 90.21 million won.

With the recent enforcement of amendments to the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act (Nov. 20, 2020), the laws targeting public interest violations have expanded from the existing 284 to 467, and the province expects public interest reports to become more active next year.

In particular, the addition of laws such as the Fine Dust Act, Taxi Development Act, and Fire Management Act is expected to result in more reports of illegal activities in areas such as environment and safety.

Those wishing to make public interest reports can report through the dedicated public interest whistleblower channel "Gyeonggi Province Public Interest Report Hotline - Fair Gyeonggi 2580 (hotline.gg.go.kr)". The province also operates an "anonymous lawyer-mediated reporting system" for those who fear adverse effects from identity exposure and do not wish to disclose personal information, which allows reports to be made under the name of a lawyer.

Ha Young-min, Investigation Superintendent of Gyeonggi Province, stated: "In 2021, we will thoroughly investigate not only public interest violation activities that threaten resident safety but also activities that hinder fair trade order through public interest reports, and we are committed to actively reviewing reward payments to activate reporting."