ACRC Held a Meeting to Deliver ‘2019 Anti-Corruption and Integrity Policy Implementation Directive’

Towards a ‘Corruption-Free Korea’ through Anti-Corruption Policy that Matches up to People’s Expectations

February 12, 2019

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Pak Un Jong) plans to implement effective anti-corruption and integrity policies this year based on four major anti-corruption strategies to ‘clear up customary practices of corruption and irregularities; check anti-corruption laws and regulations; protect corruption and public interest reporters; and collaborate with the people’.

The ACRC will hold a meeting to deliver ‘the 2019 Anti-Corruption and Integrity Policy Implementation Directive’ in the auditorium at the Government Complex-Sejong on Feb. 13 to convey ‘anti-corruption and integrity policy priority tasks’ to about 100 audit and inspection officers at the public institutions, including central government agencies, upper-level local authorities, offices of education and major public service-related organizations.

Korea rose 6 notches compared to the previous year in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2018 global ranking and its score increased by 3 points to hit an all-time high of 57 points. In the integrity assessment for 2018 conducted by the ACRC, Korean public agencies scored 8.12 points, up 0.18 points from 7.94 points of last year. Under these circumstances, the ACRC has drawn up ‘the 2019 Anti-Corruption and Integrity Policy Implementation Directive’ which includes systematic anti-corruption strategies and specific measures aimed at addressing the root of the corruption problems.

【Clear up Corrupt Practices】

The ACRC plans to eradicate deeply-seated evils in people’s daily lives such as hiring irregularities, etc. that have caused people to have feelings of loss and deprivation under the name of ‘custom.’

Through a ‘council to tackle deep-rooted evils in people’s daily lives’ launched in Dec. 2018, the ACRC will endeavour to stamp out unfair custom and irregularities in people’s day-to-day lives in a way that lives up to people’s expectations. It will also impose severe punishment on those implicated in hiring irregularities and the illegally hired and provide remedial measures for the victims by undertaking total inspections of public agencies on a regular basis to detect such irregularities, while preparing follow-up measures to get rid of job-related corruption.

On top of this, the ACRC will root out cartel corruptions, such as those committed in the process of issuing permits and licenses, backscratching ties between bureacrats and companies related to construction management and supervision, and government subsidy frauds, etc., and tackle the practice of power-tripping or abuse by applying the revised Code of Conduct for Public Officials which introduced a new provision that defines an act of abuse of power to prohibit it. In order to prevent any leak in governtment fiscal resources, including fraudulent receipt of public funds, it will push for the enactment of the Bill on the Prevention of False Claims of Public Funds and examine the measure for cross-audit and inspection among local authorities to crack down on fraudulent receipt of local subsidies, etc.

【Check Anti-Corruption Laws and Regulations】

The ACRC will strengthen the normative power of the Improper Solicitations and Graft Act and facilitate sound landing of the standard of behaviors under the revised Code of Conduct for Public Officials in the public sector.

Any shortcomings in the current anti-corruption systems will be continuously remedied through fact-finding investigations into areas vulnerable to improper solicitations, such as the act of coercing by public institutions to receive sponsorship, etc. Government support will be provided for the newly reinforced behavioral criteria for public officials, including those aimed at preventing conflicts of interest, public officials’ improper solicitations to private companies and wrongful assistance in overseas business trips, to be settled down in the public sector. In addition, institutional improvements in corruption-prone areas will continue to be made, and corruption-causing factors in laws and regulations, etc. will be discovered and improved in an active manner.

【Protection for Corruption & Public Interest Reporters】

The ACRC will overhaul the protection system for corruption and public interest reporters in a way that meets people’s expectations and beef up its publicity activities.

Laws and regulations on the protection of corruption and public interest reporters will be revised in order to prevent the disclosure of personal information concerning the reporters due to tracking down or gross negligence, and the bigger amount of monetary rewards than the current 5% ~ 20% of the amount of revenues recovered to public institutions will be paid to reporters so as to strenghthen practical and economic support for them. Moreover, the system for handling ‘civil complaints filed to report for the public interest’ will be improved to protect reporters, and education of officials in charge of processing civil complaints, etc. about the reporter protection system will be further strengthened.

【Collaborate with the People】

The ACRC will strive to spread a culture of anti-corruption and integrity across the nation in collaboration with the people.

The current anti-corruption agenda and pending corruption issues will be publicized via ‘the Public-Private Consultative Council for Transparent Society’ from the people’s point of view, and the anti-corruption policy outcomes will be reviewed at eye level with the people. Furthermore, people will have more expanded opportunities to participate directly in the process of resolving corruption problems via ‘People’s Idea Box’, and the Integrity Contents Contest where the people and public servants can take part will be held to proliferate a culture of integrity.

The ACRC plans to explain various anti-corruption and integrity policies focusing on the aforementioned during the meeting for the 2019 Anti-Corruption and Integrity Policy Implementation Directive slated to be held on Feb. 13 and seek active support and cooperation from public agencies.

The Chairperson of the ACRC Pak Un Jong said “if we push for anti-corruption reforms without cessation at a fast pace based on the positive assessment in the international community and positive changes in the public perceptions of corruption in our society, it won’t be long before the day of joining the least corrupt countries,” adding that “the ACRC will push ahead with policies to combat corruption in our society without any setbacks to move towards a corruption-free Korea.”