Meal Cards Exploited by Parents as 'Private Slush Funds,' Billions Won Misused

Serious problems have emerged in the operation of meal cards intended to assist children at risk of skipping meals. Meal cards were used by parents for purposes other than meals, and the unused amounts, which children could not use, reached 17.1 billion won annually. The Ministry of Government Policy Coordination and the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the results of their investigation, conducted from November last year to April this year, on the 24th.

The investigation found that purchases of alcohol and tobacco using meal cards were confirmed in 13 regions, and a scheme where parents made false payments of 170 million won at their own stores using cards in their children's names was also uncovered. There were also cases where meal cards were used to buy household goods in collusion with supermarket owners. Meal cards were used in sectors unrelated to meal purposes, such as cafes, academies, hospitals, beauty salons, bars, PC rooms, and comic book stores. Spending during late-night hours (between 10 PM and 6 AM the following day) totaled approximately 9.3 billion won of the total meal card usage. Cases were also identified where parents continued to use their children's meal cards even after the children were separated into protective facilities due to child abuse, and cards registered in the names of deceased children were still being used.

The government plans to expand a system to block alcohol and tobacco purchases at general supermarkets and is pushing for measures to restrict merchant registration for businesses that do not align with meal purposes, such as bars. Restrictions on late-night usage are also under consideration. The system for automatically notifying changes in eligibility, such as facility admission, death, or graduation, by mandating the registration of beneficiary information in the 'Haengbok-eum' system will be improved within the year. Regular checks will be conducted on cases of long-term non-usage or suspected fraudulent use, and notifications via text message about remaining balances and guidance on usage methods will be strengthened to reduce unused meal benefits. The card design will also be improved to be indistinguishable from regular cards, aiming to reduce stigmatization for children.