ACRC Calls for Highly Intensive Measures
to Address Indiscipline in Public Offices
and Abolish Corruptive Practices

- Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui of the ACRC presided Meetings
to Prevent Corruption in Public Offices with central and local auditors
on 13th and 14th of July, respectively. -

Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui is announcing measures
to strengthen principles in public offices

(14th July 2021, ACRC)

The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (Chairperson: Jeon Hyun-Heui, ACRC) held a series of Meetings of Central and Local Auditors to Prevent Corruption in Public Offices presided by Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui with 44 central administrative organizations on 13th and 17 upper-level local governments on 14th of July.

On a series of recent incidents, such as alcohol driven violence by public officials, sexual misconduct in military, LH real-estate speculation scandal and so on, caused by indiscipline in public offices, Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui of the ACRC urged central and local government auditors to regain the trust of people by re-establishing code of conduct that can meet the expectation of people and preventing chronic corruptive practice rampant in each region.

In this meetings, the ACRC and organizations of various levels discussed ways to reform systems and practices causing corruption and to change behavior and perception of public officials, while recognizing the seriousness of recent indiscipline in public offices.

To this end, the ACRC established a Comprehensive Measure to Prevent Corruption in Public Offices, including 1) field inspection of areas vulnerable to corruption, such as Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and Code of Conduct for Public Officials; 2) fact-finding investigation for corruption in recruitment of public offices; 3) strengthening assessment of integrity and reforming assessment systems; and 4) preventing passive administration service and facilitating provision of active administration service.

First, the commission tightens discipline in public offices by initiating rapid field inspection on the areas in the public offices vulnerable to corruption. Specifically, it plans to set a special reporting period for the violations of Improper Solicitation and Graft Act during the summer vacation season and Chuseok (full-moon festival). For the violations of laws, such as accepting duty-related bribe, or improper solicitation, serious measures, including request for investigation, request for disciplinary actions, etc., will be taken with a zero-tolerance principle.

Also, the ACRC will strengthen the inspection on frequently violated code of conduct to establish the system for prevention of conflict of interest in the field in a stable manner. In particular, the commission will inspect whether organizations are implementing current system for prevention of conflict of interest which requires officials to report themselves if they have a stake in public affairs, and restricts organizations from hiring someone or concluding private agreements with someone who is a family member of public officials.

Furthermore, the anti-corruption agency will review false and/or fraudulent claim of grants and subsidies from public funds, including local governments’ subsidies for local sports councils; and grants for national and public universities, such as student counselling allowance. Besides, it will make an improvement plan for special adjustment grants which are illegally or unfairly executed in some local governments to cover the cost of workshops and overseas business trips with the actual intention of leisure.

In addition, the commission will conduct another round of inspection on recruitment misconduct in the second half of this year, which has been carried out annually since 2017 for 1,281 public organizations. Particularly, special attention will be given in the inspection to accepting bribe for recruitment and avoiding conflict of interest in recruitment process. For those people found to be involved in corruption, the ACRC will request for investigation as well as disciplinary measures, while helping victims by offering additional opportunities for employment.

Along with this, the ACRC will set a special period for reporting misconducts of public officials and inspect the operation of reporter protection system in organizations of different levels. The commission had operated a special reporting period from May to July for corruptive behaviors of public officials, or for their pursuit of unfair personal interest. Notably, when any high-level officials abuse their power, or accept bribe through good offices, the agency will transfer such cases to the investigative authorities, such as Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

Moreover, the commission inspects 1,589 public organizations to see how they are handling reports and if they are managing reporter-related information appropriately, to prevent information leakage of reporters.

Additionally, the ACRC plans to enhance effectiveness of integrity assessment and corruption impact assessment by reflecting higher expectations of the general public.

First, the commission will reform the current integrity assessment system focused on accepting bribery, providing good office, and asking favors, by adding criteria on new types of corruption, such as conflict of interest of public officials and pursuit of unfair personal interest. In addition, it will strengthen its response to current corruption issues in public offices by including sexual misconduct of public officials in the assessment and deducting points.

Besides, the ACRC will conduct corruption impact assessment for the bylaws of major public organizations in the national land, agriculture and industrial areas to identify unfair or unreasonable internal management rules, such as conflict of interest in human resource management or conclusion of contracts, and to come up with improvement plans.

Last but not least, to raise integrity awareness in public offices, the commission will strengthen cooperation with relevant organizations and integrity education for high-ranking officials, while preventing passive administration service that causes inconvenience among citizens and facilitating the provision of active administration service.

From April, the ACRC signed MoUs with 17 upper-level local governments, and created a basis to establish major anti-corruption policies in local administration by introducing systems to prevent conflict of interest in local governments, facilitating integrity education, and strengthening protection of reporters. In the future, the ACRC will also sign MoUs with the councils of upper-level local governments and public service-related organizations.

In addition, from this year, for high-level public officials, including ministers and deputy ministers, a complete face-to-face integrity education will be implemented, while expanding professional curriculum customized to high-ranking officials. The ACRC will educate two million public officials before the implementation of the Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest in Public Office.

Also, the commission will fundamentally improve passive administration practices caused by unreasonable laws and regulations by using Active Administration Service Requesting System for Citizens, while making efforts to establish active administration culture that can be resonated by citizens.

Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui said, “in order to regain national trust tarnished by a series of irregularities in public offices, excruciating reform and highly intensive efforts are required to tighten discipline in public offices.” She added, “to achieve our goal of becoming one of top 20 advanced countries in integrity, the ACRC will actively work together with agencies in different levels, and come up with all policy measures to eradicate corruptive practices which are still rampant in many corners of our society.”