Ruling party raises suspicions of inter-Korean fund misuse

The ruling People Power Party alleged that some inter-Korea cooperation fund, intended to support the Inter-Korea exchange program, was used for spy activities.

The Special Committee for the Advancement of Civil Society Groups, under the umbrella of the People Power Party, reported the results of the inspection carried out by the Ministry of Unification on using the Inter-Korea cooperation fund. Rep. Seo Beom-soo of the ruling party, a committee member, said there is a suspicion that the ministry’s inter-Korea cooperation fund was misused to support spy activities.

According to the Special Committee, a director of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who was arrested and detained last month on the charge of violating the National Security Act, attended the North-South Workers Unification Conference held in North Korea in 2004. A total of 130 million won was used for the program. He was reported to have carried out spy operations since the early 2000s.

Some criticize the misuse of the fund by local governments. In December 2018, a president of a private organization established to give humanitarian aid to North Korea requested the Ulsan city government to support 100 million won for the organization’s project to send soybean oil to North Korea. The Ulsan city government dispensed 100 million won without public participation procedure. The People Power Party indicated a possible embezzlement case by citing that the person obtained a government subsidy for an already-finished project and submitted falsified receipts.


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