By Na Jeong-ju
The education ministry said Monday it has filed a complaint with the prosecution to look into possible misappropriation of funds by the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE), which represents four-year colleges here.
The measure came after the ministry conducted a regular audit into the council’s expenditures and managerial practices over the past five years.
It revealed that corruption has been rampant at the organization. The ministry said it detected up to 27 violations in the spending of funds in state projects entrusted to it by the government.
In one case, the council submitted a fake contract paper to the government to get 140 million won in taxpayers’ money through a bank account opened under the name of one of its researchers. It paid the money to 54 people affiliated with the council and three staffers.
It also revised internal regulations on the payment of benefits to give tens of millions won in extra benefits to its staff and management.
“In 2009, the KCUE even provided some 90 million won of extra bonus to all employees in violation of related rules,” a ministry spokesman said. “We plan to take administrative measures to correct such lax spending and retrieve all the money distributed in unauthorized ways.”
The council is also suspected of having promoted 13 employees who did not meet qualifications for career advancement.
The ministry said a total of 640 million won was paid in illegal benefits to KCUE staffers from 2008 to 2011. “We’ve instructed the council to return the money quickly,” the spokesman said.
The KCUE has been feuding with the education ministry over the latter’s tuition-cut push amid public concern about high college tuition. The KCTU has opposed a government-driven tuition cut, saying any decisions regarding the matter are up to each university.