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| President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting of the anti-corruption consultative council where Cabinet members and relevant government organizations review the nation's anticorruption efforts, at Cheong Wa Dae in this June 22 photo. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae |
By Do Je-hae
More than 3,000 policy experts and civic group members from 140 countries will discuss measures and international cooperation on rooting out corruption in the public and private sectors in the world's largest global forum on anti-corruption policies.
Korea will host the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) from Dec. 1 to 4, according to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC).
The biennial conference will be held via video link this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only participants from Korea gathering at the COEX in southern Seoul.
Co-hosted by the ACRC and Transparency International (TI), the 19th IACC will include senior government officials, experts from NGOs and international organizations, and CEOs of global companies from 140 countries. President Moon Jae-in will share Korea's anti-corruption efforts and achievements through an online welcoming speech at the opening ceremony.
The conference will feature seven plenary sessions and more than 100 workshops centering on the overarching theme of this year's IACC, "Designing 2030: Truth, Trust and Transparency." In addition, side events including the screenings of films related to the theme of transparency, and concerts will take place.
The IACC plenary sessions will cover a wide range of timely themes: "New Transparency Standards for Peace and Social Justice"; "Justice in the Post-COVID-19 Era"; "New Integrity Strategies for a Society of Trust"; "Defending the Truth"; "Countering Fake News and Manipulation"; "Collective Action for Trust and Integrity"; "Breaking Vicious Cycles of Dirty Money and Impunity"; and "Shaping the 2030 Agenda for Trust, Truth and Transparency."
The event will be participated in by prestigious speakers from various sectors, including ACRC Chairwoman Jeon Hyun-heui; former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who now serves as chairman of the National Council on Climate and Air Quality as well as president and chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute; and former TI-Korea Chairman and TI board member Kim Geo-sung, who was a former senior presidential secretary for civic and social affairs. Ban will participate in the opening plenary session Dec. 1, moderated by Rueben Lifuka, vice chairman of TI, on the topic, How to Ensure Transparency and Integrity as the Foundation for Political Leadership.
International speakers include Jose Angel Gurria, secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD); Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Money Fund (IMF); Masatsugu Asakawa, president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB); Borge Brende, president of World Economic Forum (WEF); Mari-Elka Pangesty, managing director at the World Bank; and Rasmus Prehn, Denmark's minister of development cooperation.
Michael J. Sandel, professor of political philosophy at Harvard University, will speak in a special session, Dec. 2, about the meaning of fairness and justice and how to achieve them in the post-coronavirus world.
"The ACRC wants to make the 19th IACC an opportunity for Korea to have a good influence on the international community as a whole. We will establish the IACC as a platform to think, sympathize and act fiercely for a better future with leaders from around the world," ACRC head Jeon said in a statement.
To better promote the IACC to the world, the ACRC named K-pop boy group Monsta X as an honorary ambassador and recently launched a social media campaign featuring the group promoting transparency.
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| Jeon Hyun-heui, center, chairwoman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, poses with members of boy band Monsta X at the COEX, southern Seoul, Oct. 23, after appointing the group as honorary ambassador to promote the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference. Courtesy of Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission |
Spreading Korea's anti-corruption policies
Eradicating corruption in all corners of society and raising transparency has been among the most important policy goals of President Moon.
The ACRC, under the Prime Minister's Office, is the nations' control tower for overseeing anti-corruption policies. It has been carrying out active efforts to disseminate Korea's experiences in fighting corruption.
It also operates an anti-corruption consultative council under the President aiming to prevent corruption in the government and develop measures to improve fairness. The council members include President Moon, the minister of economy and finance, the minister of justice, the head of the Fair Trade Commission, and the head of the ACRC. Moon has presided over the council meetings.
Moon held a meeting with the chairperson of the IACC Council Huguette Labelle at Cheong Wa Dae in February.
The government has focused on policies aimed at fighting corruption, cited as one of the greatest impediments that has held Korea back from its dream of becoming a truly advanced country.
Korea has enacted various anti-corruption laws, such as the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which was enacted in 2016, to prohibit improper solicitations made to public officials and receiving money, goods or favors.
Based on these efforts, Korea has been improving in various international indices regarding anti-corruption efforts.
Visit www.iacc2020.kr for more information on the 19th IACC.
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