Weather Agency Fails to Address 177 Defective Observation Devices

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has left 177 weather observation devices that failed inspections in use without re-evaluation. Hundreds of devices past their certification expiration are also still operational, raising concerns about the reliability of weather forecasts.

On October 19, the Board of Audit and Inspection released findings from its "KMA Regular Audit." The audit assessed KMA's internal control systems regarding weather forecasting and bond management, resulting in one formal judgment, three warnings, one notification, and one exemplary case.

As of October last year, there were 21,533 weather observation devices, including thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, wind direction, and wind speed gauges, operated by 232 observation agencies, including central government and local governments. Of these, 75.8%, or 16,325 devices, are managed by related agencies rather than the KMA.

Observation agencies are required to input key information such as model names, serial numbers, and inspection dates into the Observation Metadata System (OMDS) after obtaining formal approval and inspection when installing or replacing equipment. The KMA is supposed to recommend the suspension of use or re-evaluation for devices that have expired certifications or failed inspections based on this data.

However, the audit revealed that 34.4% of all observation devices, or 7,402 units, had not registered key information in the OMDS. Additionally, 177 devices were found to be operating in an abnormal state without re-evaluation after failing inspections, with 87 of these lacking any registered information in the OMDS.

Management of devices past their certification expiration was also inadequate. Among the 8,936 devices registered in the OMDS under related agencies, 343 had expired certifications, and 325 (94.8%) of these continued to be used for weather observation without re-evaluation. The KMA did not recommend suspending or re-evaluating these devices.

The Board of Audit and Inspection selected a sample of 75 devices among the 343 with expired certifications for on-site checks. They found that 39 devices from 13 agencies, including in Incheon’s Bupyeong District, had exceeded their certification expiration by at least 4 days and up to 1,599 days. Notably, 11 devices operated by five agencies, including Jeongeup City, had never met the inspection criteria yet were still in use.

The audit pointed out that using inaccurate observation data from devices that do not meet inspection standards or whose accuracy has not been verified could undermine the reliability of weather forecasts.

In response, the Board of Audit and Inspection instructed the KMA to ensure that observation agencies input missing device information into the OMDS and develop measures for re-evaluating devices with expired certifications. They also emphasized the need for strict management and oversight to prevent the continued use of devices that do not meet inspection standards.

Additionally, the Board of Audit and Inspection uncovered that the KMA had improperly paid subcontracting fees, resulting in a loss of 83.7 million won to the state. The Seoul Regional Meteorological Administration had signed a contract in December 2017 for the construction of a new office building worth 3.75 billion won. Subsequently, they agreed to pay subcontractors directly.

However, the official responsible for payment and the department head paid 83.7 million won to the main contractor without verifying the subcontractor's progress. The responsible official was aware that the main contractor's payment account had been seized due to financial difficulties.

After the subcontractor did not receive payment, they sued the Seoul Regional Meteorological Administration, which lost the case and had to pay the same amount to the subcontractor again in December 2022.

The Board of Audit and Inspection determined that the officials responsible for the improper payment must reimburse 58.59 million won and 25.11 million won, respectively, for the loss incurred by the state.