ACRC Plans to Reform Its Integrity Evaluation System after 20 Years

- The ACRC sets a new framework for evaluation system to lead anti-corruption policies in public offices -

(18^th Jun. 2021, ACRC)

In order to create a new integrity evaluation system to improve the level of integrity in the public sector, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission takes action.

April this year, Ten Anti-Corruption and Integrity Innovation Initiatives were established to prevent moral hazard of public offices, like the LH land speculation scandal, from happening in a fundamental way. As part of this, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commissions (Chairperson: Jeon Hyun-Heui; ACRC) plans an overhaul of integrity evaluation system.

Since 2002, the ACRC has been operating an integrity evaluation system, including measuring the level of integrity and carrying out anti-corruption initiative assessment, to enhance integrity in the public sector. As a result, the number of citizens who experienced corruption has gone down to a tenth of the past. Also, most citizens and public officials assess that integrity evaluation system has contributed to the improvement of integrity in the public sector.

※ Integrity evaluation outcome referenced from internal survey of Hankook Research (Apr. 2021)

However, there were limitations with the evaluation system as it focused on conventional types of corruption, such as bribery. Therefore, it did not reflect changing administrative environment and failed to meet the expectations of people.

In particular, various anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest in Public Office and Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, have been revamped. Thus, to ensure smooth implementation of these without any problem, it is more necessary to reinforce the functions and roles of the evaluation system.

In this regard, the ACRC initiated a process of creating an evaluation system that both citizens and public officials can accept by improving the limitations in the existing integrity evaluation system. For the last three months, the commission received opinion from a wide range of groups, including citizens, relevant agencies, experts, civic organizations, and internal staff.

In this process, various opinions were raised. Some argued that synergy should be strengthened through integration of two evaluations: level of corruption assessed by stakeholder, and the assessment of policies preventing corruption which indicates anti-corruption efforts of organizations. Others suggested that new types of corruption, such as improperly pursuing personal interest or abusing power in public offices, should be included in the evaluation.

Based on these opinions gathered from the inside and outside, the ACRC is creating a reform plan that can lead even more aggressive implementation of anti-corruption policies at public offices by integrating two evaluation systems, while enabling assessment of integrity without any blind spots by reflecting more diverse types of corruption.

The ACRC will announce its reform plan by July. Then, in the second half of this year, the commission will collect various feedbacks through public hearing and conference, and carry out test survey and simulation. Finally, it will come up with concrete implementation plans.

Director General Han Sam-suk for Anti-Corruption Bureau of the ACRC said, “the commission will lay the ground to make the public sector cleaner by reforming integrity evaluation system that can change the public sector in a way that citizens can accept.” He also added, “I look forward to continued interest and participation of citizens and employees at public organizations in various occasions of collecting opinions scheduled in the second half of this year.”