[New Year's Message] Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Calls for Prompt Enactment of the Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention Act Ahead of the Launch of the Corruption Investigation Office

"Efforts to Enact the Collective Petition Act to Resolve Public Grievances"

Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, emphasized the urgent need to enact the Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention Act in the new year. This aligns with the launch of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA).

On the 31st, in her New Year's address, Chairperson Jeon stated, "There is still a long way to go to fully meet the high expectations and demands of the public for the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission."

She stressed, "We must accelerate anti-corruption and fairness reforms to enhance transparency and trust across society as a foundation for leading the post-COVID-19 era."

She continued, "The HCIA is scheduled to launch early this year, and the Commission, as the comprehensive body for anti-corruption policies, has the responsibility to work with the HCIA to strictly punish corrupt acts by public officials and fundamentally establish systems to prevent such acts."

Chairperson Jeon said, "The prompt enactment of the Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, currently under discussion in the National Assembly, is a task that must be achieved to fulfill this responsibility."

She urged, "With the HCIA's launch, it is expected that more corruption and public interest reports, which the public will closely watch, will be submitted to our Commission, where people can report with confidence. Please do your best to handle all reports fairly and actively protect courageous whistleblowers."

She added, "Golden time is also crucial in protecting whistleblowers. When protection requests are received, protection measures should be possible even before specific requirements are reviewed. In the new year, systems for 'protection first, review later' must be promptly established."

Alongside this, Chairperson Jeon proposed expanding the 'Customized Mobile Petition Service,' which directly listens to and resolves the difficulties of vulnerable groups, self-employed individuals, and small business owners who have suffered relatively more from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the 'Special Mobile Resolution Consulting' to alleviate the hardships of crisis-stricken companies.

She also pledged to lower barriers by easing the criteria for court-appointed representatives in administrative trials and expanding support to include small business owners.

She urged staff to strive for the swift enactment of the Collective Petition Mediation Act to resolve public grievances.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.