South Korea police refer nearly 2,000 in corruption crackdown
The Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
April 13 (Asia Today) — South Korean police have referred nearly 2,000 suspects to prosecutors following a nine-month crackdown on corruption involving public officials, illegal kickbacks and safety violations.
The National Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency said Monday that 1,997 people were referred for prosecution between July 1 and March 31, including 56 who were detained.
The probe targeted three main areas: corruption by public officials, unfair business practices and safety-related violations.
Among those referred, 548 were public officials, with 17 taken into custody.
Bribery accounted for the largest share, with 322 suspects referred and 31 detained. Authorities also referred 410 suspects in kickback cases, 507 for financial irregularities, 513 for substandard construction and 52 for hiring-related corruption.
Police said the investigation focused on systemic corruption across government offices and industrial sectors and will expand to include locally entrenched corruption networks.
In one case, police referred nine people, including the head of a Seoul branch of a postal workers’ union, on charges of misusing union funds for an election campaign and overseas travel expenses. The union leader was detained.
In another case, three local council members in Gangwon Province were referred for allegedly offering or receiving money and gifts during an internal vote to elect a council chair. One was detained.
Authorities also uncovered corruption in the medical sector. Police in Busan referred 31 individuals, including a doctor and medical device company officials, for allegedly receiving about 165 million won (about $123,000) in exchange for supply contracts. Two were detained.
Police said they will continue investigating 1,699 suspects tied to unresolved cases and have launched a separate crackdown on local corruption since early last month.
An official from the national investigation body said strong enforcement efforts must be accompanied by public reporting to effectively root out corruption.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260413010003875