Yoon Kwan-seok: "Last Year, Fair Trade Commission and Consumer Agency Received Failing Grades in Integrity"

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] On the 6th, Yoon Kwan-seok, a member of the National Assembly and chairman of the Political Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that an analysis of the 2019 integrity assessment results received from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission revealed that the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency both received a comprehensive integrity rating of Grade 4.

The integrity evaluation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission is a system implemented annually targeting government ministries, public institutions, and local governments to encourage voluntary organizational culture improvement efforts and enhance transparency and integrity in the public sector. The 2019 public institution integrity assessment was conducted on a total of 609 public institutions, including 45 central administrative agencies, 243 local governments, 91 offices of education, and 230 public-related organizations.

In particular, in the comprehensive integrity evaluation conducted on 22 central administrative agencies (Type II), the Fair Trade Commission received the lowest grade (Grade 4), except for one institution (Tax Tribunal) which received Grade 5. Among ministerial-level central administrative agencies under the jurisdiction of the Political Affairs Committee, the Fair Trade Commission was the only institution to receive a Grade 4.

The Korea Consumer Agency also received the lowest Grade 4 in the comprehensive integrity rating among public-related organizations (Type III), except for one institution (Korea Creative Content Agency) which received Grade 5. Despite the fact that the agency’s main duties involve direct contact with the public for consumer damage relief and rights protection, requiring high transparency and integrity, its comprehensive integrity rating has remained at "insufficient (Grade 4)" for five consecutive years.

Chairman Yoon stated, "Both the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency are institutions primarily engaged in direct contact with the public for enhancing corporate and consumer rights and dispute mediation, which particularly demands high transparency and integrity. However, the fact that both institutions have effectively failed in the comprehensive integrity evaluation means that special efforts must be made to prepare improvement measures."

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