Gyeonggi-do, Audit System Reform Tailored to Residents' Expectations Including Introduction of Audit Committee

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Gwanggyo New Office Building

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is promoting a reform of the audit system that reflects the public’s perspective and changes in the times by introducing an 'Audit Committee' to enhance the independence and democracy of audits.

Gyeonggi Province will first introduce the Audit Committee in the first half of 2024. This is a measure to improve the independence and democracy of audits. The Audit Committee is a system that compensates for the drawbacks of the existing sole decision-making system, where decisions are made based on the responsibility and decisions of a single top decision-maker. The Audit Committee will be responsible for deciding major audit policies and audit disposition matters.

The province is currently conducting a research project related to the establishment of the Audit Committee to promote the transition to a collegiate audit system based on consensus among expert members. Related regulations and organizational structures will also be revised for the introduction of the Audit Committee.

The province will also introduce a dedicated ombudsman designation system. This is to strengthen the system where residents can directly propose and promote institutional improvements.

In addition, to reflect the public’s demand for reform of public institutions, special inspections of the internal audit functions of public institutions, customized training to strengthen capabilities, and specific audits on vulnerable areas of each public institution will be conducted.

Furthermore, the province has designated this year as the inaugural year for the 'Systematization of the Public Institution Audit System.'

The province will improve the audit method to foster a proactive working culture in public service through preventive audits. By utilizing information technology (IT), it will promote the discovery of audit issues and minimize data requests, and strengthen active communication with audited organizations through audit satisfaction surveys and feedback.

Additionally, a new Audit Rights Protection Officer system will be established to review objections and exemptions for proactive administration from the perspective of the audited parties. Moreover, audits related to public safety or livelihood issues will be conducted in a preventive manner rather than post-incident detection, utilizing points raised by the Gyeonggi Provincial Council or media reports.

For major large-scale projects, additional consultation on safety will be conducted from the contract review stage. Safety- and field-centered audit systems will also be operated, including on-site inspections of workplace management in cooperation with citizen auditors.

Integrity education will be provided throughout the lifecycle of all public officials, including fixed-term and appointed positions, from entry to retirement to raise awareness of public ethics. Customized audit training by field will also be promoted to enhance the capabilities and expertise of audit staff.

Moreover, the scope of citizen auditors’ activities, which had been limited to participation after the start of audits, will be expanded from this year to include the audit initiation and audit topic selection stages, as well as the handling of grievance complaints.

In addition, audits on topics selected by citizen auditors, such as safety conditions of child-related facilities and protection zones, and management of major accidents in public construction projects, will be expanded from once to six times. Citizen auditors will also be allowed to conduct on-site investigations in grievance complaint areas requiring specialized knowledge such as civil engineering, architecture, and taxation.

The province plans to establish an Audit Advisory Committee composed of residents and external experts to collect and reflect diverse public opinions in the establishment of audit policies and plans.

Choi Eun-soon, Director of Audits for the province, explained, "To handle residents’ grievances from their perspective, we plan to consolidate the grievance reporting channels scattered across the Gyeonggi Province website, such as the National Petition, Ombudsman, and Public Interest Reporting, into one so that reports can be made at once. Each grievance will be mutually consulted and coordinated to be handled according to its characteristics."

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