Board of Audit and Inspection, National Tax Service, and Ministry of the Interior Report to Transition Committee: "Will Investigate Accounting Irregularities of Civic Groups"

by Kim Hye Min

by Yoo Byeongdon

Published 12 Apr.2022 10:50(KST)

Cha Seung-hoon, Deputy Spokesperson of the Presidential Transition Committee, is giving a briefing on current issues at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Yoo Byeongdon] The Board of Audit and Inspection reported to the Presidential Transition Committee (Transition Committee) on the 12th that it plans to strengthen monitoring of accounting irregularities in civic groups. The National Tax Service and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety also reported to the Transition Committee their intentions to enhance oversight.

On the morning of the same day, Cha Seunghun, deputy spokesperson of the Transition Committee, held a press conference at the Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and announced this.

According to the Transition Committee, in the business report submitted on the 25th of last month, the Board of Audit and Inspection stated that accounting audit experts would conduct monitoring and provide advice on the execution and handling of accounting related to civic groups’ financial misconduct. Additionally, to systematically audit chronically vulnerable institutions such as overseas offices, the Board proposed expanding and establishing dedicated departments.

In response, the Transition Committee emphasized that preventing the misuse of public funds and accounting fraud in civic groups is a campaign pledge of the president-elect, highlighting the importance of the role of the Board of Audit and Inspection, which is the institution responsible for parliamentary accounting inspections and official audits. The committee also pointed out the need to redefine the Board’s functions in light of changes in the new government’s anti-corruption response system.

Deputy spokesperson Cha said, "The National Tax Service also reported that it is considering ways to investigate accounting fraud in civic groups," adding, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has also reviewed and reported measures to enhance transparency of donation-receiving organizations." When asked about the possibility of creating an integrated control tower, he replied, "Integration was not mentioned; each ministry reported separately to their respective divisions."