Tariff System Abuse, Stronger Arrears Management Ordered

The president judged that the problem cannot be solved by relying on individual conscience alone, and directed a review of fundamental improvements such as system changes and subsidy support.

The Korea Customs Service is pursuing legal amendments, including establishing a dedicated body for the distribution process and strengthening after-the-fact reporting, and the president called for effective sanctions and measures to prevent recurrence.

The nationwide arrears management team numbers 2,029 people, while local government arrears amount to tens of trillions of won.

To improve the efficiency of arrears collection, the plan is to expand the management team to about 6,000 people next year.

The Fair Trade Commission is carrying out neutral enforcement even amid difficult issues.

The president praised the commission's recent performance in livelihood reform and asked it to keep up its efforts.