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Interior Ministry inspects civil servants for falsifying overtime records

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 12:37 Updated: 20 Nov. 2025, 18:04

Civil servants, or government officials, are seen on their way to work in front of the government complex in Sejong on Sept. 21, 2022, in this file photo unrelated to the story. [YONHAP]

Dozens of local government officials were caught falsifying overtime hours to receive unearned pay during the year-end and New Year holiday season, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Thursday.

The Interior Ministry announced Thursday that it had uncovered 14 cases involving 32 individuals through a special inspection aimed at correcting lax discipline among civil servants.

The inspection, conducted from Dec. 23 last year to Jan. 24 this year, was based on anonymous reports, tips and media coverage, and targeted local governments nationwide. The most common violation was logging overtime hours that were never actually worked.

One Level 6 civil servant at Seoul’s Seongdong District Office entered 86 hours of false overtime on 29 occasions, claiming time spent on personal errands such as taking their child to and from school, and received 1.1 million won ($750) in extra pay.

A Level 7 employee at the same office falsely logged 98 hours and received 1.06 million won after running personal errands like grocery shopping with their parents or accompanying them to hospital appointments.

In another separate case, a Level 8 official at the Busanjin District Office in Busan recorded 125 false hours across 32 instances by returning to the office late at night without having done any actual work and entering a delayed checkout time, earning 1.3 million won.

Civil servants enter a government building in Gwacheon, Geyonggi on Jan. 6. [YONHAP]

A Level 6 civil servant at Jeungpyeong County Office in North Chungcheong collected overtime pay despite having spent the approved work hours at a swimming pool and not deducting that time from their record.

In another case, a Level 7 official at the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government asked a colleague to clock in and out on their behalf, citing mental health difficulties. This resulted in 165 hours of falsely logged work and 2.12 million won in improper earnings. The colleague who helped also faces disciplinary action.

The Interior Ministry emphasized that personal circumstances do not justify fraudulent behavior and instructed the relevant local governments to impose serious disciplinary measures, recover the unearned funds, and impose a penalty of five times the amount wrongfully claimed.

The inspection also uncovered other misconduct, including bribery and preferential treatment of specific contractors, which has been referred for disciplinary action and criminal investigation.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]