Corruption and Public Interest Whistleblowers Protection and Illicit Profits Recovery to Pick up Momentum through Budget Expansion Next Year

ACRC prepared 90.2 billion won budget for next year, an increase by approx. 2.7 billion won (3.1%) year on year, focusing on robust anti-corruption reform policies

The world’s biggest international anti-corruption conference (IACC) to take place in June next year in Seoul to strengthen global anti-corruption cooperation

September 10, 2019

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Pak Un Jong) has drawn up next year’s budget worth 90.2 billion won, focusing on boosting protection and reward for whistleblowers, reinforcing education and promotion of the system to prevent false claims for public finances and recover illicit profits (the “Illicit Profits Recovery system”) and enhancing the report handling process.

The ACRC finalized its budget plan for the fiscal year 2020 by setting it at 90.2 billion won, an increase by approximately 2.7 billion won (3.1%) from the previous year. With a view to promoting anti-corruption reforms the fruits of which are felt by citizens through their direct participation, the budget was formulated focusing on: greater protection and reward for corruption and public interest whistleblowers; expansion of support for education and promotion with respect to the Illicit Profits Recovery system that will be newly implemented from next year; and reinforcement of domestic and global cooperation to implement anti-corruption and integrity policy effectively.

In addition, the ACRC also prepared a budget to provide more convenient and higher-quality counseling services for complainants and strengthen protection of personal information of e-People users in order to realize an inclusive nation through more elaborate relief of civil rights and interests.

The ACRC will concentrate its policy efforts on carrying out the following key projects for the upcoming year to carry out anti-corruption reforms successfully.

<Expansion of Protection and Reward for Whistleblowers>

The ACRC has drawn up a relief fund in an expansionary manner to help whistleblowers who have suffered damages or incurred financial losses due to medical treatment or moving-out expenses, etc. by reason of his/her corruption and public interest reports to recover fast from his/her damages.

Moreover, in order to encourage more active reporting, about 5.5 billion won has been set aside, up 8.3% from the previous year, to be provided as rewards or prize money to reporters who contributed to increasing revenues or reducing the expenditures for public institutions through his/her reports of corruption and public interest violation.

<Management of Illicit Profits Recovery System>

The Act on Prohibition of False Claims for Public Funds and Recovery of Illicit Profits (the Illicit Profits Recovery Act) will be implemented in earnest from January next year. According to the Act, in the case where a person derives illicit profits by making fraudulent/excessive claims or using public funds* estimated at about 214 trillion won for any other purpose than the originally intended one, the entire amount of such illicit profits will be recovered, and additional monetary sanctions up to five times will be imposed.

* Subsidies, compensations and contributions, etc. paid by the state and local government, etc., including subsidies for research & technological development, grants provided to support SMEs, and welfare facility subsidies.

The ACRC has newly allocated about 300 million won budget to support the subsidy fraud report handling process and the education or promotion, etc. of the Illicit Profits Recovery system to inform the public of the major contents and the importance thereof.

<Reinforcement of International Cooperation to Take Anti-Corruption Policies>

The 19th international anti-corruption conference (IACC), which is the world’s largest anti-corruption conference based on public-private joint partnership, will be held in June, 2020 in Seoul. The conference will be attended by more than two thousands anti-corruption experts and civil society organizations, etc. from about 140 countries.

Through holding this conference, the ACRC plans to share major outcomes achieved by carrying out anti-corruption reforms in Korea and strengthen international cooperation for more effective anti-corruption and integrity policy implementation. Along with this effort, the ACRC will also push ahead with core projects for effective civil complaint handling and civil rights/interests relief to realize an inclusive nation.

<More Professional and Convenient Complaint Counseling and Handling>

A budget has been also formulated for more professional and convenient complaint counseling and handling, including through ‘the joint government complaint center’ where citizens can receive comprehensive counseling services in one place with regard to their complaints associated with various agencies and ‘the 110 mobile chatting service’ via KakaoTalk PlusFriends channel where anyone can request for 24/7 counseling services anytime through a mobile app in relation to their complaints and damages they suffered due to an abuse of authority.

In addition, the local ombudsman offices* currently run in 40 regions across the nation will be given support for their expansion of service so that more people in different regions can receive the ombudsman service. Local residents in each region will be able to more easily and conveniently apply for complaint handling and be given remedies in offices near them.

* Established in each local government to handle civil complaints related to them and their affiliated agencies and to improve the administrative system, etc.

< Stronger Protection of Personal Information of e-People Users >

In order for the users of e-People to be able to search similar cases of complaints and make predictions about how their complaints would be handled, etc., 80 public institutions have been currently disclosing the handling results with the complainants’ consent.

From next year, the ACRC will additionally introduce a program strengthening the confidentiality of complainants to allow more citizens to gain easier, quick access to the results of complaint handling they are interested in.

The chairperson of the ACRC, Pak Un Jong, said that “efforts will be made for the government budget proposal to be fully reflected in the stage of deliberation at the National Assembly so that the core government projects for anti-corruption reforms and improvements in civil rights/interests can be effectively implemented next year.”

The ACRC budget proposal for the fiscal year 2020 is slated to go through the deliberation and voting stages at the National Assembly to be finally confirmed by the end of this year.