According to PANews, the Cheongju District Prosecutor's Office in South Korea announced on August 13 that a government official responsible for overseeing the employment and support programs for North Korean defectors in Cheongju has been arrested and charged with embezzlement and forgery of official documents. The official allegedly misappropriated 600 million KRW (approximately $440,000) over a period of about seven years, starting from January 2017, by falsifying various official documents and investing the embezzled funds in cryptocurrency.

The prosecutor's office has seized assets, including an apartment and vehicles, in an effort to recover the misappropriated funds. A spokesperson for the Cheongju District Prosecutor's Office stated that they intend to pursue a comprehensive case to ensure that the punishment reflects the severity of the crimes committed.