Lawmaker flags 61 cases of unauthorized use of national university property, nearly half of fines uncollected

Sixty-one cases of unauthorized subletting and occupation of state-owned property at national universities across South Korea have been detected over the past five-plus years, yet nearly half of the fines levied remain uncollected, according to data released Wednesday.

People Power Party Rep. Lee In-seon, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee who represents Daegu's Suseong-gu, said the figures came from documents submitted by the Ministry of Education. They show that 61 cases of unauthorized subletting and occupation of national university property were detected between 2021 and September 2026.

The violations resulted in 640.31 million won ($482,000) in fines being imposed, but 317.65 million won has gone uncollected — a non-collection rate of 49.6 percent.

At Gangwon National University's Chuncheon campus, a violation worth 165.06 million won was detected last August, but the fine has not been collected due to ongoing litigation.

Gyeongin National University of Education confirmed that a vendor continued using its facilities after its contract expired, yet took 10 months to impose a fine. The 107.78 million won penalty issued in January 2024 has remained unpaid for more than two and a half years, and delinquency proceedings are now underway.

Jeonbuk National University took 1,061 days to restore land on its campus that had been illegally farmed. Gyeongsang National University spent six years imposing fines on a house built without authorization on university forest land before transferring the case to the Korea Asset Management Corporation this year.

"As of September 2026, national universities hold more than 3,600 state property use-permit contracts, yet more than half of all national universities — 20 institutions — have recorded no violations since 2021," Lee said. "I suspect they are simply unable to detect unauthorized use without a tip-off. Each national university must strengthen its own inspections and take a proactive approach."