Is the National Tax Service an exception?... Suspected 136 Violations of Quarantine Rules Including Meals for Dozens and 'Table Splitting' Tricks

Kim Du-gwan Analyzes Metropolitan Tax Office Business Expense Details
136 Suspected Cases of Quarantine Rule Violations
Central Regional Tax Office Year-End Lunch with Former Commissioner Lee Jun-o and 14 Senior Officials
National Tax Service Explains "Meals in Cafeteria with Installed Partitions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Despite the social distancing measure restricting gatherings of five or more people due to COVID-19, it has been revealed that senior officials at the National Tax Service ignored these rules, engaging in deviant behavior such as dining together in groups of dozens and sitting separately at tables, raising concerns about a lack of discipline.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th, Representative Kim Du-gwan's office announced that an analysis of business expense details disclosed on the websites of tax offices in the Seoul metropolitan area ahead of the National Assembly audit revealed 136 suspected cases of tax office chiefs violating quarantine rules.

Representative Kim's office explained that tax office chiefs held meetings accompanied by 10 to 30 employees with chicken, pizza, and pork cutlet lunch boxes, and in tax offices such as Jongno, Songpa, Nam Incheon, and Icheon, there were traces of groups of five or more employees, including the tax office chiefs, visiting restaurants together and practicing "table splitting." Table splitting is a clear violation of the gathering restriction measures stipulated by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

At the Jungbu Tax Office in Seoul, when the number of diners exceeded five, phrases such as "executed in two installments" or "executed in three installments" were written in the business expense details as a means of evasion. When the representative's office inquired about the meaning of these phrases, the tax office explained, "Meals were held over two or three days, but payment was made all at once on a single day." However, when the representative's office requested supporting documents for the actual dates the meals took place, they failed to submit them within the deadline.

Additionally, it was found that senior officials of the Jungbu Regional National Tax Service held a lunch with 14 people at a bokyori (blowfish cuisine) specialty restaurant at the end of last year.

Although the Jungbu Regional Office claimed that the food was takeout from the bokyori restaurant, the card approval time on the submitted receipt was past 1 PM, which is lunchtime. Moreover, the day before, a total of nine people, including a multi-position secretary-level employee, had a lunch with boxed meals. At the end of last year, as daily confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,000, local governments in the metropolitan area established joint quarantine guidelines banning private gatherings of five or more people for clubs, year-end parties, and dinners.

Representative Kim Du-gwan pointed out, "While the public was unanimously participating in social distancing to lead K-quarantine, senior officials at the National Tax Service were also unanimously engaging in deviant behavior." He added, "Although National Tax Service Commissioner Kim Dae-ji stated in his inaugural speech that he would implement better national tax administration, it is doubtful whether better national tax administration can be realized with such public service discipline."

Meanwhile, in response, the National Tax Service issued a press statement denying the allegations, stating, "Upon reviewing the reports regarding suspected quarantine rule violations, most meals were taken with lunch boxes in the cafeteria equipped with partitions to block droplets, or snacks such as pizza, chicken, fruit, and sandwiches were distributed individually within the office."

They further explained, "Other government ministries also use business expenses for providing lunch boxes and snacks," and added, "We will continue to strictly manage the transparent execution of business expenses and ensure compliance with quarantine rules."

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