ACRC to Conduct a Survey of Approx. 240,000 Citizens and Public Servants on the Integrity Level of Public Institutions

Comprehensive Integrity Survey to assess the integrity level of 573 public institutions will be conducted from August this year

(11^th Aug. 2022, ACRC)

The 2022 Comprehensive Integrity Assessment will be carried out in earnest to assess the integrity level of 573 public institutions.

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced that it will make an integrity perceptions survey of approximately 240,000 citizens who have first-hand experience of civil cervices of public institutions and public servants.

The Comprehensive Integrity Assessment which was completely overhauled for the first time in 20 years since it was first conducted measures: the integrity perceptions of citizens, who have experienced the services of public institutions, and their internal members based on survey results (60%); the integrity efforts made by public institutions of various levels for the past one year, including anti-corruption institutional performances and efforts (40%); and the state of corruption realities including disciplinary actions taken upon officials who committed crimes of corruption the score for which is deducted (10%+α).

Integrity perceptions assessment will be conducted from August based on a survey of citizens and public servants on their integrity perceptions of external duties and internal operation of public institutions on a broad basis. Survey questions related to essential elements of the assessment such as conflicts of interest and private profit-seeking related to duties of public servants, etc. have been supplemented, while unnecessary or redundant questions have been integrated or excluded.

With regard to the external duties of a public institution, civil complainants who have actually experienced the public service of the institution are asked to answer questions related to eight items in total such as improper solicitations, profit-seeking, reactive governance practices, experiences of giving money and offering entertainment/conveniences.

In respect of the operation of internal organization, public officials belonging to the public institution are asked about whether they have ever experienced preferential treatment, unfair orders, HR irregularities, and undue budget execution, etc. in the course of performances of internal duties related to HR, budget and other general administrative duties. Survey questionnaire related to internal duties of a public institution consists of a total of nine items as below:

The integrity perceptions survey will be conducted through a phone or online (email, mobile) until November this year.

In the meantime, the integrity efforts assessment will be carried out until January next year after public institutions of various levels submit their respective anti-corruption performances in November this year, and the result of the comprehensive integrity assessment that summed up all the points for integrity perceptions, efforts and state of corruption realities will be published using grades from 1 to 5 in mid-January in 2023.

Director General Han Sam-seok of Anti-Corruption Policy Bureau said, “The integrity survey to be carried out this time will provide us with a meaningful opportunity for us to realize a more transparent and fair public sector by diagnosing the state of corruption in public institutions based on answers from survey respondents,” adding that “I would like to call for more active participation among the citizens and public officials, and ACRC will also make its utmost efforts for the assessment to be conducted in a fairer manner.”