"Monthly Business Expense Disclosure"... Seoul Police Failing to Keep Promise

Monthly Disclosure of Police Chief's Usage
Nowon Police Station Has None Since December Last Year
Geumcheon Police Station Posts 12 Months at Once
Expert: "Public Tax Oversight Needed"

It has been revealed that a significant number of police stations in Seoul do not keep their promise to disclose the chief's business promotion expenses. One out of three stations failed to adhere to the disclosure schedule at the beginning of each month, and many stations were found to withhold disclosure for extended periods before releasing large amounts of data all at once.

On the 20th, Asia Economy checked 31 police stations under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and found that despite the explanation that the previous month's chief's business promotion expenses would be disclosed on the website at the beginning of each month, 11 stations did not post the information. Some stations failed to disclose as little as one month's data, while others did not disclose over six months' worth of data.

Seodaemun Police Station, Seongbuk Police Station, and Bangbae Police Station did not post the June expenses, resulting in one month of missing data. Gangseo Police Station and Guro Police Station each failed to disclose two months' worth, while Jongam Police Station and Seocho Police Station did not disclose three months' worth. Gangbuk Police Station and Jungnang Police Station each missed four months, and Dongdaemun Police Station missed five months. In the case of Nowon Police Station, no records have been found on the website since December of last year. The higher authority, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, has also not posted the June data this year.

Geumcheon Police Station did not disclose any business promotion expenses from July of last year to June of this year but released all the data at once on the 30th of last month. Jungbu Police Station only posted the May and June data yesterday, and Gangseo Police Station posted January to April data on May 21 and July to December data of last year on February 24, failing to maintain a proper disclosure schedule.

Business promotion expenses refer to costs used by agency heads to conduct various official events and duties. Also known as operational expenses, in the past, the standards for their use were ambiguous, and details were not disclosed, leading to concerns that they could be used as slush funds. Therefore, the current "Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies (Information Disclosure Act)" stipulates that for information necessary for administrative oversight, such as budget execution details and project evaluation results, the specific scope, frequency, timing, and methods of disclosure must be predetermined and regularly disclosed through information and communication networks. The Enforcement Decree of the Information Disclosure Act explicitly requires the disclosure of information regarding business promotion expenses of public agency heads.

The government announced in the "2019 Government Innovation Comprehensive Promotion Plan" that it would disclose business promotion expenses and accommodation and airfare expenses used during overseas trips by government department heads and bureau chiefs. However, the police, who are at the forefront of strict law enforcement, are neglecting the regulations specified in the Information Disclosure Act and going against the current government's policy direction. It is known that the monthly business promotion expenses for police station chiefs under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency range from 500,000 to 1,000,000 KRW. Professor Lee Yun-ho of Dongguk University's Department of Police Administration said, "If the business promotion expenses were used as intended, there would be no reason not to disclose them. Not disclosing them indicates a lack of interest. It seems necessary for either the authorities to strictly command transparent disclosure of how taxpayers' money is used or for civic groups to demand information and provide external oversight."

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