Naju City Achieves 'Overall Integrity Grade 3'... Up 2 Levels from Previous Year

Naju City in Jeollanam-do has achieved a comprehensive integrity rating of ‘Grade 3’ this year, completely wiping away the dishonor of last year’s lowest grade.

Naju City (Mayor Yoon Byung-tae) announced on the 28th that it received a comprehensive integrity rating of Grade 3 in the 2023 public institution comprehensive integrity evaluation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, recording Grade 3 in integrity perception and Grade 2 in integrity efforts.

Naju Mayor Yoon Byung-tae had a snack and communication time with the staff of the Education Support Division.
[Photo by Naju City]

The comprehensive integrity evaluation is calculated by combining the ‘integrity perception’ (60%), which reflects survey results on corruption awareness and experience such as unfair duties, abuse of authority, and bribery from complainants and internal employees; ‘integrity efforts’ (40%), which covers the anti-corruption promotion system and operational performance of public institutions; and ‘corruption status evaluation’ (a 10-point deduction based on the occurrence of corruption incidents).

Since 2018 until the previous year, the city had consecutively suffered the dishonor of being in the lowest ranks of integrity ratings, but this year, with a determination of “Fongotsuisein” (粉骨碎身, meaning to spare no effort), it has committed itself to improving the anti-corruption public service culture.

As a result, the rating soared vertically from the lowest Grade 5 last year to Grade 2, and throughout this year, all public officials united to achieve fruitful results through various key integrity policies and efforts.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae convened all department heads and township/district heads at the beginning of the year to hold a ‘Comprehensive Integrity Improvement Strategy Meeting,’ ordering an analysis of the causes of the decline in integrity ratings, preparation of countermeasures for each evaluation item, and the discovery of policies to promote and spread an internal culture of integrity within public service.

Mayor Yoon personally wrote and participated in initiatives such as ‘Reading the Integrity Practice Pledge,’ ‘Mutual Respect Pledge to Eradicate Gapjil (abuse of power),’ ‘Integrity Letters,’ ‘One-minute Integrity Messages,’ and ‘Public Official Code of Conduct and Gapjil Eradication Education,’ even serving as an instructor to lead the will to practice integrity.

He also strengthened internal cohesion by visiting operational and task departments once or twice a month with snacks, and holding lunch meetings with employees such as dual-income couples and those with multiple children to listen to their difficulties related to heavy workloads and childcare.

In March of this year, the city enacted the ‘Naju City Public Officials Integrity Management Ordinance,’ establishing a legal foundation for improving integrity and preventing corruption.

Additionally, the city has been promoting the spread of an integrity culture by providing customized education for all employees regardless of rank?including new employees, Grade 6 and above, and senior executives?and holding integrity discussion meetings visiting all departments.

Distinctive integrity policies such as ‘Integrity Live,’ which incorporates various cultural and artistic performances, and ‘Integrity Golden Bell,’ a quiz-based integrity learning program, have also garnered empathy among public service members.

Furthermore, the city has been fully committed to improving external integrity by strengthening anti-corruption prevention and publicity through an anonymous public official corruption reporting system, virtual corruption reporting drills, and enhanced post-monitoring of complainants who have experienced administration.

The city plans not to be complacent with this year’s Grade 3 integrity rating but to prepare special measures to challenge for Grade 1 next year.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “We have achieved a valuable result of a comprehensive Grade 3, which is a two-level rise compared to the previous year, in the integrity evaluation directly linked to administrative transparency and citizens’ trust. We will not be complacent with this result and will prepare special measures to challenge for Grade 1 next year.”

He added, “We will intensify focused education and publicity for employees working in departments vulnerable to low integrity, and proactively improve structural and repetitive corruption factors through analysis of vulnerable areas. In particular, we plan to strengthen audits and inspections in specific fields with potential corruption related to corruption incidents and strictly punish detected irregularities and corruption under a zero-tolerance policy.”

Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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