“K-Integrity, Now Expanding to Latin America!”

• ACRC launches anti-corruption training for Spanish-speaking Latin American countries starting Sep.3 for 9 days
• Sharing Korea’s leading anti-corruption policies and systems, including the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment for public institutions and Clean Portal, with officials from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay

(September 3, 2024, ACRC)

Korea’s advanced anti-corruption policies and systems, such as the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment for public institutions and the Clean Portal, are being shared with public officials from Latin American countries including Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan), through its Anti-Corruption Training Institute, is conducting the first-ever ‘Multinational Anti-Corruption Capacity-Building Training’ in Spanish from September 3 to 11, lasting a total of 9 days.

A total of 15 public officials from anti-corruption agencies in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay—including Colombia’s Presidential Office, Peru’s Prime Minister’s Office, Bolivia’s Ministry of Justice and Transparency, and Paraguay’s Audit Office—are participating in the program.

Notably, high-level officials such as Roberto Idarraga, Colombia’s Transparency Secretary (ministerial level), are attending the training, and Peru’s Ambassador to Korea, Paul Fernando Duclos Parodi, will be present at the closing ceremony, reflecting a strong interest in Korea’s anti-corruption policies.

The training program focuses on Korea’s internationally recognized anti-corruption measures, including the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment for public institutions, which won the UN Public Service Award in 2012, as well as ▴the Corruption Impact Assessment ▴and the whistleblower protection system.

The program also introduces Korea’s key e-government systems, such as the Clean Portal, the online public official asset disclosure system, and the public procurement platform “KONEPS” (Korea Online E-Procurement System), which are highly effective in preventing corruption. In addition, audit techniques to detect corruption in public contracts and procurement, areas where developing countries are often vulnerable, will also be shared.

Since 2013, the ACRC has been running anti-corruption training programs annually as part of Official Development Assistance (ODA) efforts, aimed at strengthening the anti-corruption capabilities of public officials from around the world.

Korea is regarded as a model case for simultaneously achieving economic growth and resolving corruption issues. It has implemented practical anti-corruption policies across various administrative areas through cutting-edge digital platforms, such as Clean Portal and KONEPS.

Developing countries, in particular, have shown great interest in Korea’s anti-corruption initiatives, seeking to establish their own systems alongside economic development.

As a result, the ACRC’s anti-corruption training has attracted participation from 383 public officials from 70 countries to date, with increasing requests for training in various languages, beyond English.

To meet these demands, the ACRC expanded its training offerings, launching a Russian-language course for Central Asia and Eastern Europe in 2020, and a French-language course for African countries in 2023. This year, the ACRC introduced a Spanish-language course for Latin American countries, allowing Korea’s “K-Integrity” policies to be shared globally in multiple languages.

ACRC Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan remarked, “Interest in Korea’s digital anti-corruption systems, including the Comprehensive Integrity Assessment for public institutions, the Clean Portal, and the public official asset disclosure system, continues to grow worldwide.”

He added, “We will expand our cooperation and support so that Korea’s anti-corruption policies and experiences can help developing countries strengthen their anti-corruption capabilities and improve their integrity standards.”