Party and government "'Kim Young-ran Act' agricultural, livestock, and fishery gift value raised from 100,000 to 150,000 won"

Listening to Opinions Through the Min Party Political Council on the 18th
"Opinion That a 50% Increase Is Needed Compared to the Current Level"

The ruling party and the government have decided to pursue a plan to raise the gift value limit for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, currently set at 100,000 won under the current Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, to 150,000 won. Additionally, online and mobile gift certificates, which were previously excluded under the existing law, will be included within the scope of gifts with a set value of 50,000 won to align with the trend of non-face-to-face gift-giving culture.

The People Power Party, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and other related government agencies held a private-public consultative meeting with civic groups at the National Assembly on the 18th to discuss amendments to the enforcement decree of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act reflecting these changes. Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, said in his opening remarks, "It has been seven years since the implementation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which was enacted amid both high public expectations and concerns. It is very encouraging that the act has improved the incidence of improper solicitations and bribery in the public sector. However, it is time to reconsider whether it sufficiently reflects inflation and socio-cultural changes."

After the meeting, Park Dae-chul, chairman of the People Power Party’s Policy Committee, told reporters, "As a result of today's discussion, we reached a consensus on the need to raise the gift value limit for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products and to expand the scope of gifts. We agreed to promptly amend the enforcement decree of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act so that it can be applied starting this Chuseok, allowing related industries to have a warmer holiday season."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Under the current Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the gift value limit is 50,000 won, and for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, it is 100,000 won. During the approximately 30-day period around Lunar New Year and Chuseok, the value limit for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products doubles to 200,000 won. The ruling party has proposed raising this to 150,000 won, a 50% increase from the current limit. Chairman Park stated, "The party suggested that a roughly 50% increase in the gift value limit for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products is necessary. Based on this, the full committee of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission will comprehensively consider various factors and make a final decision."

Accordingly, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission plans to convene the full committee soon to approve the amendment to the enforcement decree. Kim Hong-il, chairman of the commission, explained, "We will promptly submit the difficulties and opinions we heard today to the full committee to ensure its passage." Civic groups attending the meeting reportedly requested a larger increase in the gift value limit than the 50% proposed by the ruling party.

Furthermore, the ruling party and government agreed on the need to include online and mobile gift certificates and cultural event tickets within the scope of 'gifts' under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Currently, 'gifts' exempted from the prohibition on receiving valuables under the act are limited to items valued at 50,000 won or less, and all securities are excluded.

Chairman Park added, "Considering that online e-coupons amounted to 7.3257 trillion won in distribution as of 2022, this improvement will reflect actual consumption patterns and enhance convenience in purchasing and delivering gifts. We believe it will contribute to economic revitalization and support industries related to culture, arts, and sports, which have faced significant difficulties since COVID-19."

However, the ruling party and government did not discuss the meal expense limit of 30,000 won per person during this meeting. Chairman Park responded to related inquiries by saying, "We did not discuss it today because it requires more careful and in-depth discussion."

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