Investigators in Fabricated Espionage Cases Received Rewards Worth 10.1 Billion Won Today
An analysis of archival records found that investigators tied to 123 later-discredited espionage cases received rewards whose inflation-adjusted value reaches about 10.1 billion won.
South Korean investigators connected to espionage cases later found to have been fabricated received cash rewards worth about 10.1 billion won in today’s terms, according to an analysis of government archival records.
The findings cover rewards paid over 17 years to investigators involved in cases in which suspects were subjected to torture or other abuses before being accused of spying. The analysis identified 123 such cases among records reviewed from the 1976-1992 period.
The underlying material consisted of 7,121 pages of decisions by the National Security Merit Review Committee, covering 2,552 claims. The records were obtained from the National Archives through the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-man. The committee, which operates under the Justice Ministry, evaluates the contributions of people who report or apprehend individuals accused of violating the National Security Act and determines awards and compensation.
Researchers compared the committee decisions with publicly available findings that included recommendations for retrials by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, acquittals in retrials, cancellations of state decorations and recognition of cases by the Korea Democracy Foundation. That process produced the count of 123 fabricated espionage cases. Because the review was limited to incidents that could be confirmed through disclosed records, the actual number may be higher.
Investigators in those cases received a combined 610.325 million won at the time. The estimate of about 10.104 billion won in current value was calculated by comparing average monthly wages in each payment year with the 2025 average monthly wage of 4.205 million won.
A breakdown by investigative body showed that the Korea Central Intelligence Agency and its successor, the Agency for National Security Planning, received the largest amount at 263.615 million won in nominal terms. The Defense Security Command followed with 218 million won, while police received 98.21 million won.
The reward system was introduced under the Anti-Communist Act in 1963 and remains in place more than six decades later. The archival findings add a financial dimension to South Korea’s continuing reckoning with wrongful espionage prosecutions, showing that state incentives were paid to investigators whose cases were later overturned or officially discredited.