ID :
32559
Thu, 11/27/2008 - 06:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/32559
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Health insurance corp. to release list of rice subsidy recipients
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- Yielding to pressure by opposition legislators and the nation's farmers, the National Health Insurance Corporation said Wednesday it will hand over a list of people who received state subsidies meant for farmers, a key development in an ongoing corruption probe involving thousands of civil servants.
The National Assembly has been investigating allegations that hundreds of
millions of dollars worth of government subsidies intended to support rice
producers went to some 280,000 ineligible applicants over the past four years.
Some 4,000 public employees as well as several lawmakers are believed to be among
those who received the subsidy illegally.
The health insurance corporation has been refusing to release the list, which
categorizes recipients by their occupations, citing privacy concerns.
Angry opposition lawmakers had been boycotting the parliamentary probe on the
case, demanding the list be released and threatening to file a lawsuit against
the health insurance corporation's chairman, Chung Hyung-keun.
"Releasing the list still goes against my belief, but I've decided to hand it
over for the farmers and the people who want to set the wrong right," Chung told
a parliamentary session Wednesday.
The list will first be submitted to the Board of Audit and Inspection, which will
review and hand it over to the parliamentary investigation team.
The rice farming subsidy system was established under the previous Roh Moo-hyun
administration to support low-income farmers who protested the opening of the
Korean rice market to cheaper imports. Only those who actually produce rice --
excluding those who simply own rice paddies -- are eligible for the state
subsidies.
The corruption case, which first made headlines after then vice health minister
Lee Bong-hwa was found to have applied for the money by falsely claiming she
farmed rice, has since ballooned into an explosive corruption scandal involving
several high-ranking officials and legislators.
The disgraced vice minister was replaced last month, making her the fourth
Cabinet member to step down since President Lee Myung-bak was inaugurated in late
February.
Observers say officials and legislators who own land likely applied for the
subsidies in order to evade heavy property taxes, as the country's tax law allows
individuals who farm the land for at least eight years to receive tax deductions.
It does not require proof that applicants are the actual farmers.
The National Assembly has been investigating allegations that hundreds of
millions of dollars worth of government subsidies intended to support rice
producers went to some 280,000 ineligible applicants over the past four years.
Some 4,000 public employees as well as several lawmakers are believed to be among
those who received the subsidy illegally.
The health insurance corporation has been refusing to release the list, which
categorizes recipients by their occupations, citing privacy concerns.
Angry opposition lawmakers had been boycotting the parliamentary probe on the
case, demanding the list be released and threatening to file a lawsuit against
the health insurance corporation's chairman, Chung Hyung-keun.
"Releasing the list still goes against my belief, but I've decided to hand it
over for the farmers and the people who want to set the wrong right," Chung told
a parliamentary session Wednesday.
The list will first be submitted to the Board of Audit and Inspection, which will
review and hand it over to the parliamentary investigation team.
The rice farming subsidy system was established under the previous Roh Moo-hyun
administration to support low-income farmers who protested the opening of the
Korean rice market to cheaper imports. Only those who actually produce rice --
excluding those who simply own rice paddies -- are eligible for the state
subsidies.
The corruption case, which first made headlines after then vice health minister
Lee Bong-hwa was found to have applied for the money by falsely claiming she
farmed rice, has since ballooned into an explosive corruption scandal involving
several high-ranking officials and legislators.
The disgraced vice minister was replaced last month, making her the fourth
Cabinet member to step down since President Lee Myung-bak was inaugurated in late
February.
Observers say officials and legislators who own land likely applied for the
subsidies in order to evade heavy property taxes, as the country's tax law allows
individuals who farm the land for at least eight years to receive tax deductions.
It does not require proof that applicants are the actual farmers.
