▲ Kim Young-soo, First Deputy Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, announces the results of an investigation into the operation of meal cards for undernourished children at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on June 24.
Numerous cases have been uncovered where parents illegally used meal cards provided to low-income children to purchase items such as alcohol and tobacco.
The Government Joint Anti-Corruption Initiative of the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced the results of its joint investigation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare into the "operation of meal cards for undernourished children" today.
The investigation revealed that cases of using meal cards to purchase alcohol and tobacco were identified in 13 out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces across the country.
While convenience stores have the technical capability to block the purchase of alcohol and tobacco, it was found that there were loopholes in the systems used by general grocery stores.
Other instances of misuse were also discovered, such as parents keeping the meal cards and making daily fraudulent transactions up to the daily limit, only to use the funds for daily necessities later.
Transactions made during late-night hours, from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM—times when the cards are unlikely to be used for meals—amounted to 9.3 billion won, accounting for approximately 4.4% of the total transaction volume.
The government has decided to overhaul the payment system.
Moving forward, a system restricting purchases by item category will be introduced in general grocery stores, and payments at establishments unrelated to the program's purpose, such as bars, or during late-night hours will be prohibited.
Local governments are required to register information in the "Haengbok-e-eum" (Social Security Information System) after issuing cards and must periodically monitor for changes in eligibility and suspected cases of misuse.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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