'Quit, rejoined, and quit again' repeated three times, collecting 5.3 million won in unemployment benefits each time

[Financial News] The number of people who received job-seeking benefits (unemployment benefits) three or more times over the past five years reached 113,000 last year alone.
According to Yonhap News Agency on the 29th, data obtained from the Ministry of Employment and Labor by the office of Kim Sohee, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly Committee on Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor, showed that the number of repeat recipients who received unemployment benefits three or more times within the past five years totaled 113,000 last year.
The number of people who received unemployment benefits three or more times rose from 102,000 in 2022 to 110,000 in 2023, 113,000 in 2024, and 113,000 last year. This year, 77,000 people had already received unemployment benefits three or more times by July. The total benefits paid to them last year amounted to 599.754 billion won, meaning each person received approximately 5.3 million won on average.
The number of people who received unemployment benefits five or more times has also steadily increased. It stood at 13,000 in 2022, 14,000 in 2023, 14,000 in 2024, and 15,000 last year. The total benefits paid to them last year amounted to 61.086 billion won.
The highest number of times any individual received the benefits was seven.
Unemployment benefits are a public program that supports the livelihoods of workers covered by employment insurance after they leave their jobs involuntarily while they seek reemployment. Workers are eligible if they had at least 180 days in the insured period during the 18 months before leaving their job. However, there is no limit on the number of times they can receive the benefits.
The number of people who repeatedly quit and rejoined the same workplace before receiving unemployment benefits has also remained in the 60,000 range each year.
By year, the figures were 58,000 in 2022, 66,000 in 2023, 67,000 in 2024, and 65,000 last year.
Some people were also caught fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits by fabricating documents to make their voluntary resignations appear to have resulted from involuntary departures, such as the expiration of a contract or a recommended resignation.
A targeted investigation by the Ministry of Employment and Labor found that 412 people had received unemployment benefits between 2022 and 2025 after making their departures appear formally involuntary. The improperly received benefits totaled 3.1 billion won.
The total number of detected cases of unemployment benefit fraud was 23,869 in 2022, 22,892 in 2023, 24,418 in 2024, and 25,105 last year.
Types of benefit fraud include falsely reporting the length of employment or the reason for leaving a job to receive benefits, as well as failing to report having found employment while receiving them.
There were also organized cases of benefit fraud involving brokers. Over the past five years, four such cases were detected, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor referred all of them to the Prosecution Service with a recommendation for indictment.
Those caught fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits face restrictions on future payments and may be charged up to five times the amount improperly received. They may also face criminal penalties, including up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
Kim Sohee said, "Simple administrative guidelines or monitoring alone cannot prevent the abuse of short-term job entries and departures involving 110,000 people," and emphasized, "Fundamental institutional reform is needed, including not only the government's introduction of a reduction plan but also raising the eligibility requirement from just 180 days of coverage to 12 months."
[email protected] Kim Suyeon Reporter