Listening to Public Opinions on the 9-Year-Old Conflict of Interest Prevention Act Amid the 'LH Incident'

Opinion Survey at Gukmin Saenggakham until the 30th
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Ruling and Opposition Discuss Conflict of Interest Prevention Law... Aiming for March Passage

Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government will collect public opinions for two weeks until the 30th on the enactment of the 'Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for Public Officials.'

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced on the 21st that it will conduct a survey on the fundamental causes of conflict of interest issues and the enactment of related laws in connection with the real estate speculation allegations involving employees of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). Opinions will be collected for two weeks through the National Opinion Platform.

In this survey, the Commission plans to seek public opinions on ▲ the causes of improper private gain by public officials ▲ the expected effects of enacting the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for Public Officials ▲ and the urgency of the law's enactment.

On the 19th, Commission Chair Jeon Hyun-hee appeared on Pyo Chang-won's News High Kick and urged the prompt passage of the law, stating, "If the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act had been enacted, the LH incident would not have occurred."

Chair Jeon explained, "The law requires prior reporting of matters with potential conflicts of interest and mandates recusal from duties. If someone conceals this and uses confidential information from their duties to pursue private interests, they face up to seven years imprisonment or a fine of up to 70 million won, along with confiscation and recovery of all property gains. This is currently the strongest penalty provision among existing laws."

Regarding who should conduct the full investigation of lawmakers promised by ruling and opposition parties, Chair Jeon said, "It is desirable for the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission to do so." This is because the Commission has investigators related to corruption, including former and current prosecutors, police officers, and lawyers, and has experience conducting a full investigation of overseas business trip support for public officials, including lawmakers, in 2018.

Chair Jeon added, "Even before the law is enacted, we plan to conduct a nationwide survey on violations of the public officials' code of conduct to check for cases like the 'LH incident' and the conflict of interest violation by the Yongsan District Mayor."

The Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for Public Officials is scheduled to be discussed at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 23rd. For the bill to pass within this month, it must pass both the full committee meeting on the 24th and the plenary session.

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