ACRC compiled its 2021 budget of $77 million focusing on relieving difficulties of the underprivileged and vulnerable affected by COVID-19

- ACRC’s corruption fighting efforts in the public sector is highly acknowledged -

September 11, 2020

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui) increased its budget for next year by $670,000 to $77 million with a great focus on resolving COVID-19 caused difficulties of citizens and businesses.

Next year’s budget will be used in the following tasks:

<Strengthening citizens’ interests and rights through active administration closer to citizens>

(1) Expansion of Mobile Shinmungo customized to COVID-19 response

Mobile Shinmungo service will be expanded, as a customized onsite visit, to those suffering economic difficulties due to COVID-19, such as those in agricultural, mountainous, and fishing areas, and vulnerable groups such as micro business owners and self-employed people.

Like Mobile Shinmungo’s recent visits made urgently to flood damage areas, such as Chungcheongdo, Gangwondo, and Busan Metropolitan city, the ACRC will go to the place of an urgent need and ly resolve difficulties of residents there.

To this end, the ACRC plans to increase its budget and human resources for the Mobile Shinmungo, which is currently operated by five staff, through discussions with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance

(2) Stronger state-appointed lawyer service to the economically underprivileged

The ACRC has expanded its budget for the state-appointed lawyer service for administrative appeals to better help the economically vulnerable, such as those living on basic living subsidies and single parent household, who do not have much legal knowledge and find it difficult to receive help from experts.

By doing so, the ACRC will significantly increase the number of administrative appeals cases supported by state-appointed lawyers.

<Expanding citizen participation in policies through comprehensive complaint analysis and reflection of the analysis results in policies>

(3) Opening complaint-related big data to the private sector and expanding citizen participation.

In order to open to complaint big data closely related to citizens’ daily lives to be utilized by anyone, the expenses needed for the improvement of Business Process Reengineering/Information Strategy Planning was included in the next year’s budget.

When the improvement is completed, the system is expected to be used by the private sector in various research, services, and commercial activities, and economically valuable model could be developed as well. Moreover, private sector ideas could be reflected in the public sector, ensuring that citizens’ various opinions and views could be well reflected.

(4) Introducing Complaint-related Policy Service for e-People

Starting from next year, the ACRC will launch Complaint-related Policy Service and inform complainants with policy information related to their complaints in real time, so that they could actively participate in public policy procedures.

<Spread of integrity culture by expanding integrity education and promoting active use of corruption / public interest reporting system>

(5) Development and operation of integrity training program for young people

To better captivate the attention of teenagers in and outside school and to internalize integrity in them, the ACRC will develop an integrity education game and produce and distribute an integrity web-drama.

In addition, to help visually impaired public officials or public organization employees to take the ACRC e-learning courses, the ACRC added new functions of sign language interpretation, narration, and subtitles.

(6) Free corruption/ public interest reporting counselling call (☎1398)

To facilitate reporting of corruption/ public interest violation, the ACRC will made free the call 1398 which provides counselling services on corruption/public interest violation acts, violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, and reporting of illicit subsidy claims.

ACRC Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui said, “The ACRC will build up its efforts to protect rights and interests of all citizens so that no one could not be left behind.”

She added, “The ACRC set 2021 budget proposal based on our priority tasks next year, with strong focus on communication with citizens and spreading integrity culture. The ACRC will make its utmost to make sure that the budget proposal could be fully approved by the National Assembly budget deliberation.”

The ACRC budget for 2021 will be confirmed in December after deliberation and decision by the National Assembly.