The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has requested police investigations into 188 local councils nationwide on suspicion of embezzling budgets during overseas trips, including through “airfare padding.” With 77.3 percent of the country’s 243 local councils now under investigation, the scandal is expected to widen.

According to coverage compiled by The Kyunghyang Shinmun on September 9, the commission referred 188 councils where illegal practices such as forging or manipulating air tickets were uncovered to 87 police agencies nationwide.

Last year, the commission conducted a comprehensive investigation into overseas trips taken by local councils between 2022 and May 2024. When announcing the results in December, it said that “any criminal conduct will be referred to investigative authorities.” This is the first time the specific number of councils referred to the police has been disclosed.

The commission believes local councils exploited the fact that airfare expenses are reimbursed on an actual-cost basis to siphon off funds. In one case, a local council that traveled to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in 2022 initially bought business-class tickets to claim the higher cost, then downgraded to economy seats before departure, pocketing 17.41 million won.

The investigation found that out of 915 overseas trips reviewed, 405 cases (44.2 percent) involved inflated airfares. Most of the 1.8 billion won in misappropriated funds was reportedly used for local travel expenses.

Police across the country, under the command of the National Office of Investigation, are now simultaneously investigating the cases. Authorities believe the conduct constitutes crimes such as fraud.

On September 8, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police referred 19 people to prosecutors, including Pyeongtaek city council members accused of padding airfares and a public servant from the Hanam City Government. Eleven Pyeongtaek council members face charges of violating the Public Official Election Act for illegal donations, while five staffers from Pyeongtaek and Hanam councils and three travel agency officials face fraud charges.

Gwangju Metropolitan Police are also investigating the Gwangju City Council and three district councils. Some district council staff and a travel agency head have already been booked. Police recently raided the three district councils and seized relevant documents.

A police official said, “The commission’s referral includes local council members,” but added, “We cannot disclose details as the investigation is ongoing.”

With a large number of local councils now under police investigation, the scandal is expected to widen. If most of the alleged crimes are proven true, it would amount to extensive misconduct across local councils over an extended period. Depending on the scope and severity of punishments handed down, the fallout could disrupt council operations and even affect next year’s local elections.