Background of the launch of the new administration

A new government was launched in May 2017, driven by the people’s aspiration for a transparent nation. The presidential election was held in the aftermath of a political corruption of intervention in state affairs by former president’s confidante, which put the country into a crisis and undermined its global image.

The crisis could not have been resolved if it had not been for the Korean people and the civil society that expressed their strong desire for a transparent nation in a peaceful and democratic manner. And, in response, the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of the government exercised their authority within their power entrusted by laws in a fair manner. As a result, the crisis ended with the Consitutional Court’s ruling on the impeachment of former President.

The Constitutional Court decided to uphold the impeachment of the former president as the unanimous opinion of all judges on the ground that she had abused her position and authority as President for the benefits of a third-party, violating the constitution and losing public trust. (Full text of the ruling: 2016Hun-Na1)

By successfully overcoming the crisis, the nation came to realize that its people and the entire society will never tolerate corruption and indeed has an ability to fight corruption by themselves. The crisis was an opportunity for Korea to have more mature democracy and get bigger public trust in and hope for the government.

Under such circumstances, the new administration, with the recognition that the people and society see corruption as the nations’s most serious and urgent challenge, proclaimed that it will push forward with stronger anti-corruption policies.

In line with the government’s such a strong will to fight corruption, the ACRC, as the nation’s anti-corruption control tower, will mobilize capacities of all public agencies and implement comprehensive anti-corruption measures. The ACRC will also reestablish president-convened consultation council of anti-corruption agencies and strengthen public whistleblower protection system. As such, the ACRC will implement various anti-corruption measures as the first priority of state affairs.

Last but not least, the ACRC will strengthen cooperation with the public and private sector, and civil society to promptly implement the new government’s strong anti-corruption policies. By doing so, the ACRC will dedicate itself to enhancing Korea’s integrity level as high as that of advanced countries.

Anti-corruption policy direction and strategy

 

A Nation Free from Corruption

                                                

Way	- Mobilization anti-corruption efforts from government, public institutions, civil society and private sectors - Seamless integration of anti-corruption functions such as prevention and punishment policies

 

Focus

- Regaining public and international trust by making a tangible improvement on laws and regulations - Building comprehensive response system against corruption committed by high ranking public officials, public servants and businessmen - Promoting practical anti-corruption and integrity efforts based on inter-organization cooperation

 

Strengthening ACRC's function of anti-corruption control tower
1. Restoring and regularly holding Anti-Corruption Related Agencies Council	2. Expanding the scope of matters subject to anti-corruption policy
3. Carrying out government-wide efforts to improve anti-corruption laws and regulations	4. Improving protection of corruption and public interest reporters and handling results
5. Supporting businesses’ voluntary anti-corruption efforts	6. Spreading a culture of integrity throughout society
7. Enhancing national image as a nation of integrity	8. Inducing competition among public agencies for stronger transparency by conducting assessment on them

 

 

Details of ACRC's anti-corruption policy

The ACRC will strengthen its role of government anti-corruption body that oversees national anti-corruption and integrity policies.

The ACRC will resume a consultation council of anti-corruption related agencies, which will serve as a government-wide anti-corruption control tower, and guarantee their active operation for systemic implementation of anti-corruption policies.

Based on the consultation council of anti-corruption related agencies, the ACRC will discover and promote anti-corruption agenda and conduct follow-up management to secure power to implement anti-corruption policies.
 

The ACRC will carry out comprehensive national anti-corruption measures

The ACRC will promote government-wide anti-corruption efforts by encouraging the legislative and judiciary branch to join executive branch’s efforts to fight corruption.

In addition, the ACRC will take measures that impact people’s life so as to regain public trust in the government as well as more actively exercising its right to report to the President and National Assembly.

The ACRC will create synergy among related organizations by building a system for regular cooperation

Through joint corruption status survey by related agencies, the ACRC will root out chronic and structural corruptions and make an improvement in areas where infringement on public interest frequently occurs.
  ex) Joint corruption status survey will be conducted on areas of frequent budget waste such as education, defense and R&D.

The ACRC will also make its integrity education for public officials more substantive and effective by closely cooperating with other education institutions, such as by including integrity education in all public organizations’s education center.

The ACRC will carry out effective counter measures against grand corruptions

The ACRC will prevent high-ranking public officials or their family members to abuse their public power for personal gains, which undermines public trust and Korea’s global image.

The ACRC will strengthen its capability to handle corruption reports received by enhancing its legal mandates related to corruption report by (a) securing rights to investigate corruption and public interest violation report and (b) expanding the scope of cases subject to be directly reported to the ACRC.

The ACRC will remove corruption-causing factors in the private sector

Through balanced anti-corruption measures on both the supply and demand side of corruption, the ACRC will effectively remove corruption-causing factors in laws and regulations.

The ACRC will better promote the Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers to encourage whistleblowing in corporate corruptions such as window dressing, collusion and faulty construction, which are hard to be discovered from outside.

The ACRC will enhance national competitiveness by raising integrity level throughout the society

The ACRC will take measures to increase Korea’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) rank, which will help enhance foreign businesses and experts‘ perception of corruption in Korea.

In addition, the ACRC will strengthen international cooperation by providing technical assistance in the area of anti-corruption.