NHIS: "'4.6 Billion Embezzlement' Employee Apprehended... Doing Our Best to Recover Embezzled Funds"

"Active Measures to Recover Embezzled Funds Upon Domestic Repatriation"

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced on the 10th that it will do its utmost to recover the embezzled funds following the arrest of a former employee accused of embezzling billions of won.

On the same day, NHIS issued a press release stating, "As soon as the suspect is repatriated to Korea, we will establish a close cooperative system with the police to take measures such as debt recovery to compensate for the embezzled amount, and strive to become an institution trusted by the public."

Choi Mo (44), former head of the NHIS Financial Management Team, was arrested around 5:13 PM the previous day in the Philippines on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement).

Choi Mo (left), who is accused of embezzling 4.6 billion KRW while serving as the head of the Financial Management Team at the National Health Insurance Service, was apprehended by police in the Philippines.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

From April 27, 2022, Choi embezzled a total of 4.62 billion won by transferring withheld payment amounts for seized medical fees from 17 medical institutions to his own account in seven separate transactions, then fled to the Philippines. This was the largest embezzlement amount that occurred within the NHIS. The embezzlement continued for about five months.

The police issued an Interpol red notice for Choi and formed a tracking team composed of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency's Anti-Corruption Economic Crime Investigation Unit, the Korean Desk, and the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency Interpol team, conducting a pursuit for one year and four months.

After confirming the embezzlement, NHIS filed a criminal complaint with the police and proceeded with account seizure and collection through civil litigation.

The NHIS explained, "Of the 4.6 billion won embezzled last year, approximately 720 million won has been recovered." The remainder is known to have been converted into cryptocurrencies and other assets.

NHIS continues to apply for property disclosure and conduct asset investigations to secure the remaining claims.

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