660 Billion Won in Taxpayer Funds Spent, but Electric Vehicle Chargers Left Unattended and Subsidies Embezzled

by Son Seonhee

Published 17 Sep.2025 11:08(KST)

The government has invested several hundred billion won in taxpayer funds annually to promote the adoption of eco-friendly electric vehicles. However, it has been revealed that some companies have committed serious mismanagement, including embezzling subsidies and neglecting to pay electricity bills, leaving facilities unattended.

Kim Youngsoo, First Vice Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, is announcing the results of the inspection on the operation status of the electric vehicle charging facility installation support project at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on September 17, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News

On September 17, the Government Joint Anti-Corruption Promotion Team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced the results of a joint inspection on the electric vehicle charging facility installation support project at the Government Complex Seoul. The inspection, conducted from April to June this year, targeted organizations such as the Korea Environment Corporation and the Korea Automobile Environmental Association, which carried out the project from 2020 to 2023.

To expand electric vehicle infrastructure, the government has provided subsidies of up to 75 million won per rapid charger and up to 3.5 million won per standard charger. The cumulative budget allocated for the project during the inspection period totaled 664.6 billion won. Furthermore, the budget increased sharply to 401.5 billion won last year and 618.7 billion won this year (based on the main budget). Compared to 2020, the allocated budget has grown nearly tenfold in just five years, yet there were no established inspection procedures for the related projects.

At the time of the inspection, out of approximately 300,000 chargers installed nationwide (as of the end of 2023), 21,283 chargers had no status information displayed, making them difficult to use. In particular, one company received subsidies to install 4,000 chargers but, due to management difficulties and unpaid electricity bills, left 2,796 chargers-about 70% of the total-unoperational and unattended.

Other violations were also uncovered, including cases where companies embezzled remaining subsidy funds without returning them or diverted subsidies to pay taxes. The government plans to immediately recover any improperly paid subsidies and refer cases of embezzlement for investigation. The process for selecting charging station operators will also be improved in the future.

Kim Youngsoo, First Vice Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, stated, "We will regularly monitor implementation to prevent the recurrence of illegal or improper cases," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the public can conveniently use electric vehicle charging facilities through continuous institutional improvements and thorough post-management."