ACRC Conducts Special Investigation on Employment in 25 Public Enterprises under MOLIT

- To push forward with tackling vulnerabilities in the employment restriction system on public officials dismissed for corruption charges -

(22 March 2021, ACRC)

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui, ACRC) will conduct special investigation of the current employment system in 25 public institutions under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), and tackle vulnerabilities in the employment restriction system on public officials dismissed for corruption charges.

According to the recent media coverage, a Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) employee reportedly had bought 15 LH housings under his own and family members' name, and left the company after receiving a disciplinary action. However, he later was employed by a public institution under the MOLIT, and is now working for the institution.

In response, the ACRC embarked on a comprehensive special investigation to identify similar cases and appropriateness of employment in 25 public institutions under the MOLIT since the 25th of this month.

The Commission is going to identify those who have experience of working for the LH among employees in public institutions under the MOLIT, and deploy a special inspection team organized out of ACRC's employment irregularity task force for public institutions.

Furthermore, the Commission will request supervisory agencies for further investigation and disciplinary measures in case the special investigation discovers any issues, and is planning to broaden the scope of inspection to include all public institutions, if necessary.

In addition, the ACRC that runs the employment restriction system on public officials dismissed for corruption charges is going to push forward with institutional improvement as it sees the system has vulnerabilities demonstrated in the recent scandal.

According to the Article 82 of ACRC Act, any current or former public official who mandatorily retires or is dismissed or discharged from office for committing an act of corruption in connection with his/her duties while in office; and who is sentenced by a court to a fine of three million won or severer punishment for the act of corruption is barred from being employed by a public institution, an institution involved in the act of corruption and a private enterprise, etc., which has close relations with the business affairs of the institution to which he/she belonged for not less than five years before he/she retires.

The Commission is planning to include retirees who received a disciplinary action for committing an act of corruption besides public officials dismissed for corruption charges in the subject of the employment restriction system; and work on the revision of the Act to restrict such retirees from being hired by public institutions.

Han Sam-seok, Chief of the ACRC's Anti-Corruption Bureau said "when a public official is employed by another public institution, even after receiving a disciplinary action for an act of corruption, as what happened in the LH scandal, the people might lose their confidence in the public service. Therefore, we will proactively push forward with improving on relevant institutions."