Korean officials in Russia accused of stealing taxpayer money

Korea's state inspectors said Friday that two culture ministry officials, who had been assigned to the ministry's overseas mission in Russia, have been accused of allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayer money.

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said it has found their embezzlement after an investigation into officials at 18 overseas missions. The financial irregularities by the two officials were unmasked after they were reassigned to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Seoul.

According to the BAI, one of the ministry officials who served as chief of the Korean Cultural Service Center in Moscow in 2009 was suspected of stealing US$52,607 and used a part of the money to buy a plot of land there.

The BAI recommended the culture minister to dismiss the official and asked police to investigate the official on suspicions of embezzlement and scam.

Another ministry official, who worked at the Korean Cultural Service Center in Moscow in 2010, was accused of allegedly stealing $29,954 and using them to fund personal purposes, according to the BAI. (Yonhap)