Military Husband's Death Hidden for 25 Years, Fraudulently Receiving 350 Million Won in Pension

Fraudulent Military Pension Payments Total 3.25 Billion KRW Over the Past 5 Years
Recovery Period Up to 5 Years... Increasing Cases of Abuse

On the morning of the 16th, at the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit of the Army Headquarters held at Gyeryongdae, Chungnam, Lee Chae-ik, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] It has been revealed that the amount of fraudulent military pension claims over the past five years has reached 3.25 billion won, while the actual recovered amount falls short of even half of that. Cases of fraudulent claims are increasing by exploiting the regulation that limits the recovery period to a maximum of five years, raising the need for system improvements.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to Lee Chae-ik, a member of the People Power Party representing Ulsan Nam-gu Gap, the fraudulent military pension claims amounted to approximately 3.2 billion won over the past five years: 1.7 billion won in 2016, 320 million won in 2017, 450 million won in 2018, 590 million won in 2019, and 190 million won up to September 2020.

The amount subject to recovery was investigated as 2.4 billion won in total: 1.3 billion won in 2016, 320 million won in 2017, 340 million won in 2018, 340 million won in 2019, and 190 million won up to September 2020. This accounts for 76.6% of the total fraudulent claims.

The recovered amount (actual recovery rate) for the fraudulent claims was 950 million won (55.8%) in 2016, 230 million won (73.4%) in 2017, 140 million won (33%) in 2018, 200 million won (34.5%) in 2019, and 7 million won (3.6%) up to September 2020.

As a result, cases of intentionally not reporting or delaying the loss of eligibility for military and survivor pensions are increasing.

Ms. A intentionally did not report her husband's death and fraudulently received 350 million won in pension benefits over 25 years and 10 months. However, the amount subject to recovery was only about 110 million won, which is just 31.6% of the total fraudulent amount.

Additionally, Ms. B concealed her remarriage for 30 years and 10 months and fraudulently received 230 million won in survivor pensions. In her case, the amount subject to recovery was 74 million won, only 31.8% of the total fraudulent claims.

Rep. Lee said, "Because the recovery period for fraudulent military pension claims is limited to a maximum of five years, loopholes in the system are being exploited by not reporting or delaying reports of death or remarriage. The Ministry of National Defense urgently needs to extend the recovery period or establish a linked system with related agencies such as the Ministry of Justice."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.