Lee Eun-hae fails to return 13 million won in fraudulent survivor pensions

Lee Eun-hae, convicted of the Gapyeong valley murder case and serving a life sentence, has failed to return approximately 13 million won in survivor pensions received after her husband's death. Data obtained by lawmaker Kim Kyo-heung from the National Pension Service reveals that Lee collected roughly 460,000 won monthly for 28 months starting in 2019.

While the National Pension Service revoked her eligibility following the Supreme Court's final ruling in 2023, no funds have been recovered. The agency stated that recovery through seizure or compulsory execution is difficult because Lee is incarcerated and has no identifiable assets in her name.

This case highlights broader systemic issues regarding pension fraud in South Korea. Over the past five years, 34 cases of fraudulent survivor pension claims totaling approximately 400 million won were identified, but only 56.3% (231 million won) has been successfully recovered. Lawmaker Kim emphasized the need to track down and recover all fraudulent payments to protect honest contributors.