[Exclusive] National research funds misuse 22.6 billion won worth of tax money

[Anchor]

National research funds fueled by taxpayer money are leaking significantly.

The methods were diverse, including either reclaiming research funds paid to researchers or forging reports.

This is an exclusive report by reporter Kim Cheong-yun.

[Report]

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which vowed to lead the era of autonomous vehicles, had taken direct action.

[Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Advertisement: "We aim to complete the commercialization of autonomous driving on major national roads by 2027 and leap to become the number one country in future vehicle competitiveness…."]

The Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology had issued various research contracts related to the development of autonomous vehicle technology in line with this government policy.

This is a research report from a company that participated in the research.

It states that 14 million won worth of allowances were paid to researchers.

However, it was discovered that the company had paid the allowances in a lump sum in the first month and then reclaimed them monthly, a practice known as 'payback.'

The company participated in 11 research contracts since 2015 and it was revealed that it improperly paid research funds amounting to 700 million won.

The company explained, "It was a policy from the headquarters that had been in place for a long time, and we did not realize it would be a problem," adding, "All the disputed research funds have been returned."

Over the past four years, approximately 4,000 research projects have been improperly executed, totaling 22.6 billion won.

The methods included forging research reports, falsely reporting usage details, and paying research funds to researchers who did not participate in the research.

[Kim Kyo-heung/Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Trade, Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises/Democratic Party: "Research funds provided with taxpayers' money are being used like personal pocket money. Thorough management and supervision are needed to ensure that the R&D budget is used properly."]

The evaluation institute that commissioned the research stated, "We will strengthen education for researchers and manage research funds meticulously through regular inspections."

This is KBS News, Kim Cheong-yun.