Introduction

The ACRC has reinforced communication and cooperation with civic groups and enhanced the government-level support for spread and settlement of ethical business management culture among economic associations and businesses.

Public-Private partnership

Establishment of Public-Private Consultative Council for Transparent Society

The Korean government adopted "Establishment of Public-Private Anti-Corruption Framework Which Invites Both the Government and Citizens" as a presidential agenda. The framework includes plans to establish a horizontal anti-corruption public-private consultative body in which diverse sectors of society and citizens directly participate.

To this end, the ACRC enacted the Regulation on Establishment and Operation of the Public-Private Consultative Council for Transparent Society (the Ordinance of the Prime Minister) (January 3, 2018), to lay the policy foundation for operation of the Council. Then, according to the regulation, the Public-Private Consultative Council for Transparent Society that is composed of 30 leaders from different sectors of Korean society including the economic and professional circles, the media and academia, as well as public service, was launched in March, 2018. The Council will discuss topics regarding suggestion of anti-corruption policies and Transparent Society Pacts and then implement them.

Public-Private Consultative Council for Transparent Society held total nine meetings since 2018. The Council discussed policy tasks to be reflected in the "Five-Year Comprehensive Anti-Corruption Plan" and presentations were made policy suggestions including "improvement of the system of appointing external auditors for reinforced transparency in nonprofit foundations, etc.", "improvement of policy/systems for compilation and execution of expenses for the government’s special activities", and "eradication of the practice of granting privileges for one´s former post in the legal circles".

Support for Local Communities’ Activities to Spread Culture of Integrity

The ACRC is actively supporting activities carried out with the people of local communities to spread the culture of integrity, to raise people’s awareness of this somewhat heavy topic more smoothly and to help it naturally settle down in people’s everyday lives by arousing their interest in it.

The Integrity Cluster (public-private consultative body composed mostly of public institutions for spread of the culture of integrity) in 10 Innovation Cities nationwide in Korea has played a leading role in creating diverse programs for integrity culture, including screening of integrity movies, integrity talk concerts, integrity essay, slogan, and poster contest, integrity music festival and play festival, integrity golden bell quiz contest, etc., for not only staff in charge but also local people.

Implementation of People’s Monitoring on Integrity Policies

The ACRC form and operate "People’s Integrity Policy Monitoring Group" consisting of 50 people who are interested in corruption eradication and integrity and who have great understanding in it, to receive feedback about the effectiveness of policy and thoughts about the direction and change in anti-corruption and integrity policies from ordinary people, the demander and beneficiary of those policies.

Ordinary Korean people who work in diverse fields monitor detailed policy tasks of the "Five-Year Comprehensive Anti-Corruption Plan" that is the government-wide anti-corruption master plan. The ACRC strive to find out points that require improvements by having discussions and meetings with those people and materialize people’s opinions and voices in anti-corruption policies.

Support for private projects

The ACRC (formerly the KICAC) has supported private projects since 2007 with the goal of helping civic and social groups autonomously spread a culture of integrity and promote their own projects for improving people’s rights. In 2019, 9 projects were selected out of 17 proposals, and KRW 199 million was provided in support.

Efforts made to spread a culture of integrity include building local public-private anti-corruption networks, providing youth education, supporting youth integrity activities, seeking ethical management education and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act education for private companies.

Support for ethical management

The ethical management of businesses―including transparency in accounting, anti-corruption integrity, and fairness―is closely connected to the ACRC’s anti-corruption policies. The ACRC has therefore supported a number of projects in order to instil a culture of ethical management in businesses.

Production and distribution of the monthly webzine Business Ethics Brief

Business Ethics Brief is a webzine begun in April 2005 to support Korean companies with ethical management. The monthly webzine, available via email or brochure, provides businesses and academia with up-to-date information and trends in ethical management from both home and abroad.

Business Ethics Brief monthly webzine

Business Ethics Brief brochure

Operation of education course for ethical management

The ACRC has provided education courses since 2009 in order to build the capabilities of compliance officers and raise an awareness of ethical management among corporate executives.

Such educational programs―which include expert lectures regarding the latest issues, the sharing of best practices, and debates on resolutions of ethical conflicts―aim to improve the capabilities of those in charge of ethical management.

Since 2012, the ACRC has visited companies in order to provide on-site education. Launching with 2 programs for 118 people in 2012, the number increased significantly to 17 programs for 2,382 people in 2019. The ACRC also set up e-Learning Center for ethical management to support in-house ethical management eduction and provided online content such as videos and animation so that the ACRC tried to overcome the physical limitation of not meeting the demand of on-site customized education from the businesses.