Announcement of the result of 2017 Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment on 256 public agencies

February 13, 2018

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) revealed the result of Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment(AIA) for 2017, while reporting "Comprehensive Analysis of 2017 Anti-Corruption Assessment Result" on February 13 at the state council meeting presided over by the president of Korea.

The AIA has been conducted every year since 2002, for the purpose of raising the level of integrity in the public sector by evaluating and supporting different public agencies' voluntary anti-corruption efforts. For the year 2017, total 39 anti-corruption policy tasks were evaluated.

【Result of evaluation by agency】

The proportion of public agencies that obtained grade 2 or higher increased and the proportion of agencies that gained grade 4 or lower decreased in 2017 AIA, indicating that anti-corruption efforts in the public sector increased since the beginning of the new administration.

* Grade 2 or higher: 47.4% (126/266 agencies) in 2016 → 48.5% (113/233 agencies) in 2017

Grade 4 or lower: 19.2% (51/266 agencies) in 2016→ 17.6% (41/233 agencies) in 2017

Notably, the number of public agencies that obtained grade 2 or higher for two consecutive years for having robust anti-corruption mechanisms in place and actively carrying out measures to improve the fields vulnerable to corruption was 70, while the number of agencies that gained grade 4 or lower for two years in a row and needed strengthening of voluntary anti-corruption efforts was only 14.

The number of agencies whose grade rose in 2017 than in 2016 was 65 (27.9%), among which 27 agencies (11.6%) saw a drastic rise in the grade by more than two notches. On the other hand, the number of public agencies whose anti-corruption grade declined from the previous year was 73 (31.3%). Out of them, 15 agencies (6.4%) saw a decline in the grade by two or more notches.

【Correlation between degree of anti-corruption efforts and integrity levels of public agencies】

The ACRC analyzed what impact the anti-corruption drive and interest of the heads of public agencies have on the result of the AIA, by using the result of the AIA. The result of the analysis demonstrated that public agencies whose heads actively led the anti-corruption drive obtained higher scores in the AIA, as such practice enhanced the working environment and the awareness of the staff.

< Correlation between degree of anti-corruption efforts of head of public agency and result of AIA>

For each type of public agency, those with a higher score for the anti-corruption efforts of their heads obtained higher scores in the AIA. However, public medical institutions showed the lowest degree of their heads' anti-corruption efforts and the lowest AIA scores, indicating the need to focus anti-corruption measures on this type of public agencies.

< Correlation between degree of anti-corruption efforts by head of different types of public agencies and their AIA result>

The correlation between the result of AIA and integrity score was also analyzed; public agencies whose score rose because of implementation of diverse anti-corruption policies got higher integrity scores.

【Result of evaluation by anti-corruption task】

The public agencies subject to the AIA were found to have been making diverse anti-corruption efforts since the launch of the new administration in May 2017, for the purpose of realizing a more transparent society.

First, they have reinforced anti-corruption education for high-ranking officials and established a system of reporting improper solicitations following the enactment of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, to lay the foundation for the culture of integrity in the public sector.

Furthermore, they have strengthened efforts for internal audit and inspection in order to spread anti-corruption atmosphere within themselves and to prevent occurrence of corruption. They have also voluntarily found out fields vulnerable to corruption out of the areas of their work and improved institutions, to head off the possibility of occurrence of corruption.

※ Self-inspection on the violation of code of conduct during periods vulnerable to corruption, such as national holidays: Total 2,037 cases in 247 organizations

※ Reporting of outside lectures, inspection on compliance with the guidelines for lecture fees, and reporting to the head of agency: 93.0% (238 organizations)

※ Voluntary institutional improvement: Total 457 cases; Improvement of company rules of public-related organizations: 204 cases in 99 organizations

In order to overcome the limitation of internal audit, citizen integrity auditors were designated by public agencies. They demanded special audits in an event of occurrence of corruption cases or suggested their opinions for improvement by directly taking part in audits.

※ Public agencies that have introduced Citizen Integrity Auditor system: 99.6% (232 organizations)

Operation of Citizen Integrity Auditor system: 773 times

Suggestion for improvement by Citizen Integrity Auditors: Total 2,427 cases

In the meantime, local people, civil organizations, and 150 public organizations of 10 Innovative Business Cities in Korea jointly carried out diverse anti-corruption events including an integrity culture festival, try-out events, and anti-corruption cooperative meetings. Notably, more than 15,000 people including 18 organizations and local people participated in "Bitgaram Integrity Culture Festival," to establish the festival as the leading brand of the of the Gwangju and Jeollanam-do Province, which represents the culture of integrity in the region.

Lastly, each of public organizations has nurtured a large group of integrity education lecturers in collaboration with the ACRC's Anti-Corruption Training Institute; high-ranking public officials took the initiative by participating in integrity education programs to maximize the effect of the education.

※ Nurtured total 609 integrity lecturers at 245 public organizations (95.7%)

※ Offered integrity education to 194,865 public officials in total 2,624 education sessions over the year 2017

※ Proportion of public institutions where more than 90% of their high-ranking officials completed integrity education: 75.9% in 2016 → 79.7% in 2017

【Priority for 2018 AIA】

The ACRC will include the public organizations that took low places in the Integrity Assessment, as well as those that were involved in large-scale corruption cases such as employment irregularities, in the subject of this year's AIA, to make more intensive efforts to prevent corruption in public agencies vulnerable to corruption.

In addition, the ACRC will add speedy implementation of anti-corruption government projects and settlement of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in society to the anti-corruption tasks covered by AIA; listen to opinions from working-level public servants by holding discussions and workshops with organizations subject to the evaluation; and reinforce customized support for public organizations with low anti-corruption capabilities, which includes consulting and provision of exemplary anti-corruption measures.

The evaluated public agencies will be obliged to post the result of AIA on each of their web-sites for more than a month, to help people know the degree of each public agency's anti-corruption efforts and to raise people's interest in AIA.

Yoonju Im, Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau of the ACRC, said, "As the anti-corruption initiative and efforts of the heads of public agencies have been found to be crucial in public agencies' anti-corruption performance, the heads of public organizations will have to lead the establishment and implementation of anti-corruption measures actively to spread the anti-corruption reform."