Kwon Ik-wi Commission Recommends Improvement of 2,472 Unfair Public Institution Regulations Over 2 Years

Establishment of Special Recruitment Standards and Procedures
Prohibition of Special Promotion for Disciplinary Actions Such as Bribery and Sexual Violence

Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), the main government agency in charge of anti-corruption, announced on the 23rd that it recommended improvements to 2,472 cases, accounting for 9.2% of 26,846 regulations from 286 public institutions from last year until November this year. This was possible by identifying corruption-inducing factors through the corruption impact assessment system and issuing improvement recommendations.

The ACRC categorized the improvement recommendations into three main areas: ▲elimination of factors causing irrationality and unfairness ▲enhancement of transparency in institutional operations ▲strengthening of conflict of interest prevention. Examples of eliminating irrational and unfair factors include requiring public institutions and contracting parties to equally bear the stamp tax when signing contracts electronically. When selecting appraisal professionals, evaluations are based on expertise and capability, with specific selection criteria established. In cases of contract termination due to public interest projects, compensation amounts are determined by mutual agreement between parties.

Examples of enhancing transparency in institutional operations include establishing specific and clear criteria and procedures for special recruitment and clarifying standards for gifts or money that can be accepted related to job performance. Additionally, disciplinary actions for bribery, sexual violence, and similar offenses prohibit special promotions. For strengthening conflict of interest prevention, procedures were established to verify whether representatives or executives involved in private contracts are retirees. The prohibition of splitting private contracts below a certain amount and the requirement to register contract information electronically were also introduced. Furthermore, internal committees that review and decide on important matters such as investments and financial operations must adopt regulations allowing members to recuse, disqualify, or avoid conflicts of interest.

The ACRC sets a six-month implementation deadline when recommending improvements to each public institution and monitors compliance. Over the past two years, the implementation rate of improvement recommendations by public institutions was 1,566 out of 2,071 cases (75.6%). Han Samseok, Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau at the ACRC, stated, "Next year, we plan to inspect and improve regulations in 209 public institutions," adding, "We will continue to do our best as the government's anti-corruption control tower to make public institutions more fair and transparent."

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