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At the government-wide level, voices at the field concerning the limit on the value of food & drink

  • Date2024-08-16
  • Hit880

“At the government-wide level, voices at the field concerning the limit on the value of food & drink and agricultural, fishery, and livestock products under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act have been heard”

- On July 18, the ACRC and other relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, held on-site meetings at the Yangjae Hanaro Mart and Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market

- Reasonable regulatory measures under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act have been sought through collecting on-site opinions of small business owners and the self-employed in the agricultural, fisheries and livestock industries and food service industries

(18 July 2024, ACRC)

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups have jointly convened on-site meetings to listen to the voices at the field related to the ceilings on the value of food and beverages, and gifts of agricultural, livestock and fishery products under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (the Anti-Graft Act), look into the livelihoods of small business owners and the self-employed in the agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries and the food service industries, including the sales status of the agricultural, fishery and livestock products, and directly listen to their grievances.

 

* The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act allows offering gifts of food and drink the value of which are not more than 30,000 won and agricultural, livestock and fishery products and processed products thereof with the value of not more than 150,000 won to public officials, etc. for the purpose of facilitation of duty performance, socializing or rituals, etc. as exceptions.

The ACRC and other related government agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, held the 1st on-site meeting at the Nonghyup Hanaro Mart in Seocho-gu, Seoul and the 2nd on-site meeting at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market on 18 July.

* Participants in the 1st on-site meeting: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Nonghyup Agribusiness Group, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, Nonghyup Hanaro Inc. NH Nonghyup, National Agricultural & Livestock Cooperatives Federation, Korea National Council of Agricultural Organizations, Korea Franchise Industry Association, Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise

* Participants in the 2nd on-site meeting: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Nonghyup Agribusiness Group, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, Korea Fisheries Association, Korea Fisheries Management Federation, Suhyup Noryangjin Fisheries Co., Ltd, Noryangjin Fisheries Market Merchants Association, Noryangjin Market Restaurant Association, Korean Restaurant Industry Federation, Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise   

The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which has been in force for eight years as of 2024, has played a key role as a most significant anti-corruption law in the country to prohibit improper solicitations and graft not only in the public sector but also in Korean society as a whole, greatly contributing to the advancement of the national integrity level of the country.  

However, in the course of implementation of the law, voices of concern have been raised from all levels of society that the law dampens the vitality of people’s livelihoods due to its excessive regulations failing to keep up with the socio-economic reality.

In particular, the price ceiling on food and beverages which was first set at 30,000 won in 2003 when the Code of Conduct for Public Officials came into force has remained at 30,000 won even after the implementation of the Anti-Graft Act, raising voices of concerns and demands amid inflation that has been ongoing for more than 20 years that the price ceiling under the Anti-Graft Act should be rationalized to reflect the rises in prices of food and beverages and agricultural, livestock and fishery products to support the national agricultural, livestock and fisheries industry and local restaurant businesses as well as micro businesses and the self-employed in economic difficulties due to high prices and shrinking consumption, etc.

In recent years, in support of micro businesses and the self-employed including those involved in foodservice industries and agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries, political parties have also suggested that the price cap on food and beverages should be raised from the current 30,000 won to 50,000 won and that the price limit on gifts of agricultural, livestock and fishery products and its processed products should be increased from the current 150,000 won to 200,000 to 300,000 won, considering the gap between the people’s real livelihoods and the anti-graft law.

In response, the ACRC and the aforementioned relevant government agencies have come together to hold on-site meetings to hear voices of those involved in the agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries including concerns about the economic situation and their day-to-day grievances, in order to seek reasonable measures related to the price ceiling under the law at the pan-government level.

Various opinions were collected from the participants in the on-site meetings held this time. The ACRC and the relevant government agencies plans to examine those opinions collected this time in a comprehensive manner to seek more reasonable ways to implement the anti-graft law.

The ACRC Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan said, “I fully understand the need for support for the micro business operators and the self-employed including those involved in the foodservice industries and agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries facing economic difficulties in recent years due to high prices, economic recession, and sluggish consumption, etc.” adding that “I think that there is also a need to complement the law through social consensus, amending the part which might function as excessive rules while adhering to the values of fairness and integrity that the law is established upon. The Commission will try to seek measures to address difficulties faced by the micro business owners and the self-employed including those involved in the agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries and the food service industries by reflecting the opinions collected through the meetings in the policy-making procedures to meet the demand from the public.” 

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