Government research and development (R&D) spending has been on the rise every year, to 24.0872 trillion won in 2020, and research misconduct including the use of research money for other than intended purposes has also increased.

However, information about the misconduct of government project researchers is not shared well between different ministries, and there is a case where a researcher who had withdrawn from an R&D project under the Ministry of Environment due to research misconduct was performing another R&D project for another ministry. Therefore, it has been suggested that supervision over R&D projects under the Ministry of Environment needs to be strengthened.

As with provisions in the Framework Act on Science and Technology, this Act aims to help to properly manage R&D projects under the Ministry of Environment by preparing an institutional basis for registering and managing restrictions in the National Science and Technology Information System and explicitly specifying a measure that imposes additional monetary sanctions (Article 5-2, etc.).

If a person who is issued a disposition to repay project costs transfers his/her/its business or a corporation merges or consolidates with another corporation, continue the process of recovery with the person who acquires the business, or corporation surviving the merger or resulting from the consolidation (Article 5-2 (6)).

Where an offence prescribed in Article 11-2 (1) 5 of the Framework Act on Science and Technology occurs, allow the Minister of Environment to impose an additional monetary sanction not exceeding five times the amount of expenses incurred for any purpose other than designated on the relevant institution, organization, enterprise, research director, researcher, or executive officer or employee belonging to the said institution, organization, or enterprise (Article 5-2 (8)).