On 16 March, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui) nominated Commissioner Kim Tae-eung as Foreign Enterprise Ombudsman to actively address illegality- and unfairness-related difficulties and issues facing foreign companies operating in Korea.

ACRC Foreign Enterprises Ombudsman, established in March this year, receives and consults on foreign companies’ reports of various types of corruption, public interest infringement reports, complaints, administrative appeals, and request for legislative interpretation of Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The case will then be assigned to a dedicated consultant who will provide comprehensive supports including interpretation and translation and follow up management.

※ Ombudsman system: Ombudsman is a Swedish word meaning a coordinator, mediator or auditor. Ombudsman system is originated from Ombudsman in Sweden in 1809 established as a representative of the Congress to supervise judges and public officials of administrative agencies on their compliance with laws and regulations.

At the ACRC, Commissioner Kim Tae-eung previously served as Director for General Institutional Improvement Division and Director General for Administrative Appeals Bureau and now is working as Chair of Compensation Deliberation Commission and a member of sub-committee on business complaints. With such a great expertise, he will lead the Foreign Enterprise Ombudsman throughout the entire process of handling difficulties and corruption reports of foreign companies.

Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui said, “The Foreign Enterprise Ombudsman will be a great help for foreign companies that are unfamiliar with local laws and culture but face corruption or grievances and do not know what to do without knowing where to file their case, or with language barriers. ”

She added, “The ACRC will try hard to build a fair business environment without corruption and public interest infringement and thereby elevate Korea to the top 20s in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI).”