The review conducted by the government audit found that the Japanese forced labor victims support foundation hurried the payment of compensation to victims at the behest of the presidential office. After the government announced the third-party compensation scheme in March 2023, by May, the foundation provided payouts to 11 of the 15 victims. For the remaining four who refused the compensation, the foundation initiated a court-sanctioned deposit process, which involved the unauthorized duplication of the foundation's seals, supposedly with consent from Foreign Ministry officials.

The audit indicated that the push to expedite these legal processes was directly tied to the assessments from the National Security Office, which believed that completing the compensation by early July would benefit diplomatic engagements with Japan surrounding important dates such as Korea’s Liberation Day and multi-lateral diplomacy events. Consequently, Yoon Seok-yeol's office directed a quick conclusion of the deposit process to avoid disclosing sensitive diplomatic issues ahead of presidential trips planned for July and August, which included high-profile meetings with NATO and a trilateral summit with the US and Japan.

Furthermore, when the initial court rejected the compensation deposits, the foundation changed its legal representation under pressure from then-legal secretary Ju Jin-woo, suggesting a removal of the previously assigned law firm for being too hesitant. The audit report also highlighted a potential conflict of interest, noting that a child of the new law firm’s representative had a role in the legal secretary's office, raising questions about the propriety of these swift changes in legal counsel.