An average of 68 million won is invested per person for overseas training... Cost refund for 3 people this year alone

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seungyeon Lee = It was found that over the past five years, an average of more than 68 million won in support funds was distributed per prosecutor who went to overseas training.

During the same period, there were more than 10 prosecutors who returned from overseas training but left the company without completing their mandatory service period.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Justice to the office of Representative Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 11th, the training expenses paid to 422 prosecutors who went to overseas training from 2021 to early September of this year averaged 68.57 million won per person.

The Ministry of Justice has provided overseas training and research opportunities to prosecutors in accordance with the Civil Service Education and Training Act.

In principle, the training period is 1 year, but if necessary, it can be 1 year and 6 months to 2 years.

By year, the number of people eligible for overseas training was 75 in 2021, 78 in 2022, 76 in 2023, 66 in 2024, and 77 last year. This year alone, 50 people were selected for overseas training.

The most visited country for prosecutors to receive training was the United States (289 people).

In addition, overseas training was conducted in countries such as Canada, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, and Australia.

Prosecutors who go for overseas training are provided with lodging expenses and tuition, and the amount of support each person received over the past five years ranged from a minimum of 13.47 million won to a maximum of 224 million won.

It was revealed that the prosecutor who received about 220 million won had received overseas training at an Ivy League law school in the United States since August of last year. The period is 2 years.

If you receive overseas training, you are required to serve twice as long as the normal leave period, but there have been a steady number of prosecutors who did not comply with this requirement and left the company.

The number of prosecutors who did not comply with their mandatory service period was 2 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 2 in 2024, and 2 last year, for a total of 14 over the past five years.

The support money has been recovered for 13 of these people, but a lawsuit is currently in progress with one person.

According to data, this year alone, four people were eligible for refund. Among these, the recovery of support funds for three people has been completed.

Rep. Kim Yong-min pointed out, "The scale of the current lax overseas training project, which pours in a huge amount of taxpayers' money, approaching an average of 70 million won per person, does not meet the public's expectations," and pointed out, "As the training program sent to study advanced laws and dedicate yourself to the country is ultimately misused as a stepping stone to working as a full-time lawyer after retirement, the project should be drastically reduced and the disadvantages for failure to fulfill mandatory service should be strengthened."