Eradicating 'Malicious Complaints'... Intergovernmental Task Force to Develop Improvement Measures

Strengthening Institutional Response to Illegal Activities
Consolidating Cooperation between Administrative Agencies and the National Police Agency
Discussion on Introducing Overseas Systems Domestically

A public official in Gimpo City recently took an extreme step after suffering from complaints and slander related to road repairs, prompting the government to form an inter-agency task force (TF) to devise measures to eradicate 'malicious complaints.'

On the 20th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held an inter-agency TF meeting chaired by Vice Minister Ko Gi-dong, with participation from directors of related agencies, heads of local government complaint departments, and experts. Since the 8th, the Ministry has been operating an internal TF to gather opinions and prepare countermeasures.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the meeting, the TF discussed implementation plans for three key areas: responses to illegal acts, improvement of the complaint system, and enhancement of treatment for complaint-handling public officials. The TF includes the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and local governments.

Based on the discussions, the TF plans to establish detailed plans and promote a 'joint departmental improvement plan.' During the meeting, discussions were held on strengthening agency-level responses to illegal acts and obstruction of duties, expanding the scope of complaints subject to closure, and solidifying cooperation systems between administrative agencies and the National Police Agency. Additionally, based on expert recommendations regarding foreign cases of malicious complaint responses, the possibility of introducing similar systems domestically was also discussed.

Field opinions are also being actively collected. Last week, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held meetings with complaint departments of local governments such as Gimpo City and Seoul City, as well as with the three major public officials' unions. Furthermore, opinions are being gathered in writing from all basic local governments.

Vice Minister Ko emphasized, "Let us establish fundamental solutions so that complaint-handling public officials no longer suffer due to malicious complaints," adding, "We will strive to create conditions where complaint-handling public officials can focus on prompt and fair complaint processing without being obstructed by malicious complaints."

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