To catch spies, ministry raises reward for public

The government said it will sharply raise the amount of money given to people who report spies and spy ships as part of its efforts to raise public awareness of national security threats.

The Ministry of Justice said on Saturday that legislation had been drafted to raise the maximum reward to 500 million won ($467,700) for information on spies and to 750 million won for information on spy ships.

The current maximum reward for reports of spies and spy ships is set at 100 million won and 150 million won, respectively. The limit was set in 1995 and has not changed since.

“The move comes as more Koreans are becoming less concerned about security threats posed by possible spies operating in the country,” the ministry said. It said that while espionage has become high-tech, making detection more difficult, people are also less interested in reporting suspicious activities they may have witnessed.

“There has been a sharp drop in people reporting possible spies, and the previous reward amount was too small, especially when compared to the 50 million won given to people who report election law violations,” it said.

The ministry, however, said that monetary rewards given to government employees will remain fixed at 100 million won. Yonhap