Nearly 20,000 non-farmers illegally took rice subsidies: report

SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 20,000 non-farmers, including about 2,500
government and public sector workers, illegally received tens of billions of won
in rice farming subsidies intended for farmers over the past four years, a
government report showed Friday.

Amid allegations of rampant abuse of the subsidy system, the government conducted
a probe into all 1.3 million recipients and found that 1.5 percent of them, or
19,242, claimed the money under false pretenses.
The South Korean government introduced the rice subsidy system in 2005 to give
financial aid to low-income farmers affected by the opening of the Korean market
to cheaper imports. Only those who actually produce rice are eligible for the
state funds.
The illegal rice subsidy recipients included a total of 2,452 civil servants and
employees of state-run corporations and institutions, the report said, noting 11
of them are classified as high-ranking officials.
"About 4.4 trillion won (US$3.4 billion) has been spent on the subsidy system
since it was established four years ago and at least 14.3 billion won was paid to
non-farmers," said an official involved in the report.
"The illegally paid subsidies will be immediately retrieved. The government will
now toughen requirements and punishment in enforcing the rice subsidy system,"
the official said.
brk@yna.co.kr
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