Defense Innovation 2.0, Defense Management!

One Step Closer to the People!

Public participation and communication will be boosted, centering on areas in which the public are highly interested

August 22, 2018

Ministry of National Defense

The Republic of Korea

The Ministry of National Defense (the “Ministry”) will push ahead with a task for ‘open management of defense affairs to improve transparency and integrity’ as part of the Defense Innovation 2.0, with a view to improving integrity and transparency in overall defense affairs and boosting public participation and communication.

As part of efforts to strengthen civil-military cooperation to fight corruption, the government will first carry out its promise to the public to ‘build a nation of integrity through anti-corruption reform,’ and will expand public participation and monitoring in the process of anti-corruption policy implementation by the Ministry so as to realize an transparent national defense system through civil-military partnership.

First of all, the Ministry will establish a ‘Civil-Military Consultative Council for Transparent National Defense’ (the “Council”) in which people from all walks of life, including those from defense agencies, civil society organizations and defense-related interest groups, take part with the aim of reviewing and assessing the process of anti-corruption policy implementation and concluding an Agreement for Transparent Society (the “Agreement”). The Council will be co-chaired by the Vice Minister of National Defense and a representative from the civil sector and will be comprised of no more than 20 members in total, including representatives from defense agencies like Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Military Manpower Administration, etc. and leaders from associations of defense industries, military purveyance industries and military construction industries.

Second, in order to build an advanced defense environment trusted by the public, the Ministry will conclude the Agreement pledging to make joint anti-corruption efforts with defense agencies, civil society organizations and interest groups at the initiative of the Council, and will monitor the implementation process of the Agreement.

It is expected that through the Council and the Agreement, not only will the integrity level of defense agencies enhance, but a culture of integrity will also take firm root in the society, as the business community practices ethical management, and the national integrity level will be improved.

Third, the Ministry will appoint five civilian experts equipped with high morality, integrity and professionalism as ‘Integrity Ombudsman,’ and vest them with authority to monitor corruption risks posed by major defense projects and to independently receive reports on corrupt acts occurring in the military, investigate such reported corruption, and offer recommendations, thereby increasing fairness and transparency in the process of corruption inspection and audit. Also, the Ministry will expand public participation and communication, centering on high-profile issues.

In order to promote a defense policy that meets the standard of the people, the Ministry has held non-governmental organization (NGO) forums, which were attended by numerous representatives from NGOs, under the themes ‘National Defense Policy Proposal,’ ‘Anti-Corruption and Integrity Measures for Defense Sector,’ and ‘Ways to Develop National Defense Policy for Gender-Equality,’ etc. In addition, last May, in a bid to boost people’s participation in a review process of national defense budget, the Ministry held a ‘Meeting for Discussion with the People on the Issue of National Defense Budget’ in which citizens and officers & men of the armed forces participated, and opened a ‘Public Opinion Proposal Contest for Defense Innovation 2.0’ last January to pay heed to the voice of the people in which university students, citizens and military men & officers participated to suggest 613 novel ideas. The Ministry will continue to make efforts to facilitate public participation in the management of national defense affairs by providing various opportunities for the people to voice their opinions.