Politics · South Korea · 15 hrs ago
South Korea opens period to report employment insurance fraud
South Korea's labor ministry has opened a period to report falsely claimed employment benefits and subsidies, running from Nov.
9 to Dec.
31.
The program covers unemployment benefits, parental leave payments, employment subsidies and job-training funds.
People who admit to fraud may avoid additional charges of up to five times the amount improperly received, and penalties may be adjusted in less serious cases.
People who report suspected fraud may receive a reward of 20% or 30% of the amount, subject to annual limits.
The ministry will check cases such as repeated unemployment claims or suspected proxy applications while someone is overseas, but those circumstances alone do not prove fraud.
Officials will assess each case using its individual facts, including why a person left a job and whether they sought new work.
Last year, 113,000 people received unemployment benefits at least three times within five years, receiving a combined 599.75 billion won.
Reports can be made online or at a local labor office, and the ministry says it will carry out special checks during the reporting period.
South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor will accept voluntary reports and tips about employment insurance fraud from Nov. 9 through Dec. 31.
People who voluntarily report fraud may avoid additional charges of up to five times the amount improperly received.
People who report suspected fraud may receive rewards worth 20% or 30% of the amount, depending on the type of benefit or support.
The ministry will also conduct special inspections during the reporting period.
- Who
- South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor is running the reporting period.
- What
- It is accepting voluntary reports and tips about fraud involving employment insurance benefits and support funds.
- When
- Nov. 9 through Dec. 31, 2026.
- Where
- Reports can be made through the Work24 or ministry websites, the e-People portal, or a local employment and labor office.
- Why
- To encourage reports of fraud and strengthen action against abuse of the support system.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The ministry announced the 2026 second-half intensive reporting period.
The period for voluntary reports and tips is set to begin.
The reporting period is set to end.
- Reporting period
- Nov. 9-Dec. 31, 2026
- Additional charges waived
- Up to five times the amount improperly received
- Unemployment-benefit tip reward
- 20% of the fraud amount, with an annual limit of 5 million won
- Employer collusion reward limit
- 50 million won annually for unemployment-benefit cases
- Repeat claimants
- 113,000 people received unemployment benefits at least three times within five years in 2025
1 source
What people are saying
Repeated claims are partly unavoidable because of structural factors in our labor market, which has a high share of temporary jobs, but we will respond more strictly to acts that exploit the system and fraudulently receive support funds.