By You Soo-sun
A woman was arrested for forging certificates to register the births of two children that never happened, police said Thursday.
The 41-year-old former flight attendant, identified by her surname Ryu, faces charges of fraud and forgery, as she collected over 48 million won ($42,561) in child benefits from her employer and the government.
According to the Gangnam Police Station, Ryu submitted fraudulent birth records to Gangnam-gu Office in March 2010, then again in September 2012.
She received over 10 million won in child benefits from the government, 18 million from her workplace and another 20 million from her employment insurance while she took pregnancy and maternity leaves.
Ryu claimed she forged the documents as she “wanted kids” and said she applied for the child benefits to avoid suspicion from the district office. The child allowances, she testified, were used to cover her “daily living expenses.”
The police believe there is little credibility to her testimony.
A police investigation came following a request by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education after the registered nonexistent child did not show up for orientation for elementary school enrollees. The investigation revealed the child had no medical records. Ryu’s lie lasted seven years.
After police first sought her arrest in February, Ryu went missing for six months. She did not live at her registered home address and was not using a phone under her name, causing delays in the investigation. She was found at her mother's apartment in Cheongna International City, Incheon, on Monday. She was with her mother and her six-month-old son at the time of her arrest.
Ryu’s former husband, 47, said he was unaware of the birth registration and her maternity leaves. He said after he learned of her actions, the two divorced in February 2016.