Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Strengthen Management of Illicit Distribution of High Oil Price Relief Funds

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on April 23 that it will strengthen the management of illicit distribution practices to ensure that the high oil price relief funds lead to consumption by local small business owners.

Illicit distribution includes cases such as cashing out the relief funds through peer-to-peer transactions, or when affiliated merchants receive gift certificates for currency exchange without actual sales of goods or for amounts exceeding the actual transaction value.

To prevent fraudulent activity, the Ministry requested major online secondhand trading platforms—including Jungonara, Danggeun Market, and Bunjang Market—to implement measures such as keyword restrictions and deletion of posts. The National Police Agency was asked to intensify crackdowns on illicit distribution practices.

The Ministry also asked each local government to operate regional illicit distribution reporting centers, increase random inspections of affiliated merchants, and step up monitoring to prevent peer-to-peer transactions on online communities and other platforms.

Kim Minjae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "We will closely cooperate with local governments and related agencies to ensure that the high oil price relief funds are executed as intended for their business purposes."

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