Special Inspection of Public Institution Recruitment and Regulations... Anti-Corruption Commission Announces 10 Key Tasks to Prevent 'LH Incident'

Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission briefing on the results of the Anti-Corruption Policy Council at the government Seoul office briefing room on the 29th of last month. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government is deploying a task force to eradicate hiring irregularities and conduct a special inspection of the hiring practices at public institutions under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It will undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of anti-corruption policies in the public sector, including the operation of conflict of interest prevention systems within the public institution code of conduct.

On the 1st, Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, announced detailed measures to fundamentally prevent moral hazards in public institutions such as LH during a briefing on the '10 Major Tasks for Anti-Corruption and Integrity Innovation in Public Institutions' held at the Government Complex Seoul. These measures were discussed at the 7th Anti-Corruption Policy Council on the 29th of last month.

First, the Commission will inspect the implementation of various anti-corruption policies such as the Public Officials Code of Conduct and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Even before the enactment of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act currently under discussion in the National Assembly, a comprehensive inspection will be conducted to verify whether the conflict of interest prevention systems stipulated in the codes of conduct of various agencies are being properly operated.

Additionally, the task force to eradicate hiring irregularities will be deployed to public enterprises where recent retirees from LH have been re-employed, conducting urgent inspections. A special inspection of hiring practices will be carried out for public institutions under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Alongside this, on-site inspections will be conducted at each institution to eliminate inappropriate handling practices where violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act have been dealt with internally through disciplinary action instead of criminal punishment or fines. Regarding the recovery of public funds, a 'Permanent Joint Inspection Team' will be formed to focus on vulnerable areas of fraud in central, local, and educational institutions, promoting the prohibition of fraudulent claims and the recovery of illicit gains. Reports of real estate speculation by public officials will be actively received until June 30, and a cooperative system will be established with the government joint special investigation headquarters to protect whistleblowers.

For public institutions with a high risk of using internal information or intervening in vested interests, recommendations will be made to improve systems by reflecting conflict of interest-related provisions in their internal regulations. Furthermore, public officials will be required to report in advance if they have private contact with retired officials, and restrictions will be imposed to prevent the private use of internal information after retirement. The integrity assessment model will also be revamped to include evaluation items such as non-monetary corruption and the pursuit of private interests in conflict of interest situations.

To manage corruption risks in public enterprises and strengthen internal controls, ethical compliance management guidelines will be developed and distributed. The introduction of a certification system for public enterprises that establish and operate ethical compliance management programs will also be pursued. For senior public officials such as presidents, auditors, and executives of public institutions, face-to-face integrity education will be made mandatory, and special education will be conducted by the Commission for institutions where serious corruption has occurred.

Starting in April, the Commission plans to actively promote cooperation and support by signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with metropolitan local governments nationwide to ensure compliance with the public officials code of conduct, including conflict of interest prevention obligations, whistleblower protection, and the expansion of integrity education.

Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee stated, "As promised to the public, we will employ all policy measures to resolve the LH real estate speculation scandal and eradicate corrupt practices, and we will definitely root out real estate corruption to the very end."

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