On August 31, 2026, the Board of Audit and Inspection released the results of its regular audit of the Supreme Court and said it had notified officials of or requested attention to 12 unlawful or improper matters. The issue that drew the most attention was cash incentives paid to Supreme Court justices and the head of the National Court Administration.
Key Changes
According to the Board of Audit, the National Court Administration paid cash incentives averaging ₩2 million twice a month to 12 Supreme Court justices from 2022 through April 2024. These payments were made separately from ₩5.12 million per month in specific-duty expenses, and an additional ₩1 million to ₩1.5 million per month was paid during some periods.
The head of the National Court Administration received ₩3 million per month from 2022 through April 2024, followed by monthly cash incentives of ₩2 million to ₩4 million through September 2025, according to the audit results. The total incentives paid to the Supreme Court justices and the head of the National Court Administration amounted to ₩1.299 billion from 2022 through September 2025.
The central issue is not the existence of the incentives itself, but whether regular fixed monthly payments without a statutory basis complied with budget-execution guidelines.
Current Status
The Supreme Court’s budget-execution guidelines allow incentives for outstanding departments and employees, but prohibit regular payments such as fixed monthly amounts without a statutory basis. The Board of Audit requested that the head of the National Court Administration be cautioned to ensure that regular incentives, including fixed monthly payments, are not paid to judges or court officials in the future.
The National Court Administration explained that the incentives were intended to recognize the efforts of Supreme Court justices and judicial research officers involved in trials before and after panel and en banc hearings. It also said that, respecting the Board of Audit’s findings, it has been implementing its own improvement plan since July 2026, with payments differentiated according to work performance and workload.
The on-site portion of the audit was conducted in November and December 2025, and the results were reportedly finalized on August 20, 2026, following an exchange of views on the findings.
Impact
In addition to the incentives, the Board of Audit flagged issues involving IT equipment and travel expenses. In one case, the cost of upgrading operating systems included in an IT equipment maintenance contract was treated as a separate task, resulting in an additional payment of ₩650 million. As of the end of 2025, the equipment reportedly held as spare inventory included 6,131 PCs, 2,983 printers, and 559 scanners.
The Board of Audit also said that excessive or duplicate payments were found in 1,162 of a sample of 1,232 travel-expense claims for status surveys of auction cases from 2022 through September 2025. The sample’s excess payments were estimated at ₩43.36 million.
A total of ₩160 million was also paid regularly to the Supreme Court chief justice’s security and protocol team and the official residence security unit. However, the Board of Audit said that no incentive payments were made directly to the chief justice.
The Board of Audit’s determination of “improper execution” is an administrative judgment concerning budget execution and audit measures. Based on the currently confirmed materials alone, it cannot be concluded that a criminal offense, individual intent, or private misuse has been established.
Next Checkpoint
The follow-up information currently confirmed consists of the Board of Audit’s request for caution and the National Court Administration’s announcement of its own improvement plan, effective July 2026. It remains necessary to check whether separate announcements are made regarding the scope of the new payment criteria and any additional recovery, disciplinary action, or investigation.
Sources: [Yonhap News Agency](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260831059800001), [Maeil Business Newspaper](https://stock.mk.co.kr/news/view/1150967), [Asiae](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2026083110394576578), [MoneyToday](https://www.mt.co.kr/politics/2026/08/31/2026083110304053041). Information checked as of August 31, 2026.