Personnel Office: "Distributors of Obscene Materials Will Also Face Employment Restrictions as Sexual Offenders in Public Service"

Legislative Notice for Amendment to the National Public Officials Act
Strengthening Protection for Public Officials Reporting Public Interest and Corruption Internally

Kim Seong-hoon, Director General of the Human Resources Innovation Bureau at the Ministry of Personnel Management, is giving a briefing on "Improvement of the Civil Service Personnel System" at the Government Sejong Complex on the 24th. / Photo by Ministry of Personnel Management

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] If a person is fined more than 1 million won for committing the crime of distributing obscene materials online, they will be prohibited from being appointed as a public official for three years, and if they are a current public official, they will be subject to mandatory retirement. Additionally, protection regulations will be established to prevent obstruction or disadvantageous measures against whistleblowers within the public service who report public interest or corruption-related acts.

The Ministry of Personnel Management announced on the 24th that it will propose an amendment to the National Public Service Act containing these provisions to enhance public trust in public service and foster a culture where public officials can work with conviction.

First, restrictions on appointing public officials will be strengthened for those who commit crimes such as distributing, selling, or displaying obscene materials online. Currently, the National Public Service Act restricts appointment based on imprisonment or higher sentences for general crimes. However, under the amended law, those who commit the crime of distributing, selling, or displaying obscene materials online as defined in Article 74(1)(2) of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (Information and Communications Network Act) will also be prohibited from appointment as public officials for three years if fined more than 1 million won, similar to sexual violence crimes.

Kim Seong-hoon, Director of the Personnel Innovation Bureau, explained in a briefing, "To raise awareness of online sexual crimes and enhance public trust, restrictions on appointing public officials will be strengthened for crimes involving the distribution of obscene materials online, which are causing increasing social harm and severity, treating them the same as sexual violence crimes."

This disqualification clause partially restricts the constitutional right to hold public office and will be implemented after a six-month grace period, applying only to crimes committed after the law takes effect.

Furthermore, to strengthen protection for internal whistleblowers among public officials, acts that obstruct or coerce cancellation of public interest or corruption reports by whistleblowers will be prohibited. In addition, it is explicitly stated that whistleblowers cannot be subjected to disadvantages in status or personnel matters or have their personal information disclosed without their consent due to their reporting.

Moreover, the scope of notification recipients will be expanded so that victims of power abuse within public service can also be informed of disciplinary actions taken against perpetrators. Previously, only victims of sexual misconduct were notified of such disciplinary results. Additionally, legal grounds will be established to expand personnel autonomy within ministries, and amendments will be pursued to address previously needed legislative changes in public official personnel management, such as suspending the execution of disciplinary actions during leave periods.

Kim Seung-ho, Director of the Ministry of Personnel Management, stated, "To become a government that works well, it is important to create institutional conditions where the public trusts us and public officials can work with passion," adding, "We will strive to make this legal amendment an opportunity to further enhance public trust in public service."

After collecting opinions through the legislative notice, the proposal will undergo review by the Ministry of Government Legislation and approval by the Cabinet, with the government bill expected to be finalized and submitted to the National Assembly within the year.

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