177 "Failed" Weather Observation Devices Still Operating; KMA's Lax Oversight Under Fire

Board of Audit and Inspection conducts regular audit of the KMA
Management information missing for 34% of observation equipment nationwide
325 devices past their verification periods also left in use
Concerns that unreliable observation data may

An audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection found that the Korea Meteorological Administration had neglected to manage and oversee weather observation equipment, leaving 177 instruments that failed verification in service without re-verification. One in three weather observation instruments nationwide had not even been registered in the management system with basic equipment information, while hundreds of instruments whose verification periods had expired continued operating without any significant action. The audit also uncovered accounting failures that caused a KRW 83.7 million loss to the state in the process of paying construction costs, raising concerns that the reliability of observation data—the foundation of weather forecasts—could be undermined.

On the 19th, the Board of Audit and Inspection released the results of its “Regular Audit of the Korea Meteorological Administration,” which included these findings, and called for improvements to the equipment management system and measures to hold relevant officials financially liable. The audit identified a total of six cases, including illegal or improper practices and exemplary cases.

Management Information Missing for 34% of Observation Equipment; 177 Failed Instruments Left in Service

According to the audit, as of October 2025, a total of 21,533 weather observation instruments were operated by 232 observation agencies nationwide, including central government agencies and local governments. The equipment comprised 10 types, including thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, wind vanes and anemometers. Of the total, 16,325 instruments, or 75.8%, were operated by affiliated agencies rather than the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Under the current Weather Observation Standardization Act, observation agencies must install equipment that has received type approval and verification for its specifications and performance, and register details such as the model name, serial number and verification date in the Observation Metadata System (OMDS). The Korea Meteorological Administration is responsible for using this information to identify equipment that falls short of verification standards or has passed its validity period, and to recommend that it be taken out of service or re-verified.

However, the Board of Audit and Inspection found that key information was missing for 7,402 instruments, or 34.4% of the total. In particular, 177 instruments had failed verification but remained in service in a noncompliant state without re-verification. Of these, 87 had not even been registered in the management system with basic information.

Follow-up management of instruments whose verification periods had expired was also inadequate. The Board of Audit and Inspection found that 343 of the 8,936 observation instruments under the responsibility of affiliated agencies were listed as having expired verification periods. Of these, 325 instruments, or 94.8%, were used for weather observations without re-verification, but the Korea Meteorological Administration did not recommend corrective measures such as taking them out of service or re-verifying them.

In a field inspection of a sample of 75 of the 325 instruments with expired verification periods, the Board of Audit and Inspection found that 39 instruments operated by 13 agencies, including Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, had exceeded their verification periods by between 4 and 1,599 days. In particular, 11 instruments under the responsibility of five agencies, including Jeongeup City, were being used for observations even though they had failed to meet verification standards from the outset.

The performance and accuracy of weather observation equipment are directly linked to the quality of the basic data used to produce weather forecasts. Errors in observation readings can also affect the accuracy of forecasts based on those readings. The fact that affiliated agencies operate three-quarters of all instruments, rather than the Korea Meteorological Administration itself, also points to a failure of an integrated management system across agencies.

The Board of Audit and Inspection said, “There are concerns that the reliability of weather forecasts could decline if inaccurate observation data are used in forecasting.” It notified the head of the Korea Meteorological Administration to register the missing equipment information and develop a plan to re-verify instruments whose verification periods had expired. It also called for measures to ensure that instruments failing to meet verification standards are not kept in service.

KRW 83.7 Million Paid Despite Knowing Account Was Seized; Liability for Loss to State

The audit also found that improper accounting practices during the construction of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Meteorology’s new headquarters caused a loss of KRW 83.7 million to the state. In December 2017, the office signed a contract worth KRW 3.75 billion for construction of its new headquarters. In July 2018, it then signed an agreement with the general contractor and subcontractor to pay the subcontractor directly for subcontracting costs.

However, the staff member responsible for construction payments and the section chief approved the claim submitted by the general contractor without checking the subcontractor’s work completion records, and paid KRW 83.7 million in subcontracting costs to the general contractor.

The staff member was found to have deposited the money into the general contractor’s account despite knowing that the account for construction payments had already been seized due to the contractor’s worsening financial situation.

After not receiving payment, the subcontractor filed a lawsuit against the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Meteorology in November 2019. The office lost the case and had to pay the subcontractor KRW 83.7 million again in December 2022.

To recover the improperly paid funds, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Meteorology urged the general contractor to repay the money 17 times between July 2021 and December 2025. However, the contractor’s assets had already been seized by other creditors, making compulsory execution impossible. As a result, the same construction costs were paid twice, causing a KRW 83.7 million loss to the state.

The Board of Audit and Inspection ruled that the staff member responsible at the time was liable to repay KRW 58.59 million and the section chief KRW 25.11 million for violating relevant regulations in the process of paying construction costs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.