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| Lee Sung-bo, center, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), addresses foreign business leaders during the agency's seventh Policy Briefing for Foreign Businesses at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of ACRC |
By Chung Min-uck
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), a state-run body founded in 2008 to prevent corruption in the public sector, held an annual policy briefing event on Wednesday to investigate complaints from foreign businesses operating in Korea.
Over 60 foreign business leaders and embassy attaches here participated in the gathering.
Among them were the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) President Amy Jackson; Thilo Halter, chairman of European Chamber of Commerce in Korea; Hirotsugu Ishiyama, chairman of Seoul Japan Club (SJC) and president of Mitsubishi Corporation Korea; Ueno Yasuaki, president and CEO of Fuji Xerox Korea; and Stuart Oxenford, head of the Economic Team at the British Embassy in Seoul.
This year's policy briefing marked the seventh of its kind and has been playing a go-between role in collecting complaints from Seoul-based foreign businessmen and reflecting them in the process of policy- and law-making.
In the Q&A session of the event, Jae Jung, general counsel of Audi Volkswagen Korea, questioned how foreign companies must cope with unreasonable or illegal requests made by the government agencies to them.
ACRC Chairman Lee Sung-bo answered, "Foreign companies must first refer to related government agencies and, if not satisfied, reach out to the ACRC."
"Those cases that the ACRC handled amounted to 35,000 just for last year," the chairman added. "When the case has a ground of legal remedy, we recommend related ministries to correct their mistakes, and we also have a settlement system of resolving conflicts by adjusting government agencies and the complaints."
Adding to the issue, Kim Jong-kap, chairman and CEO of Siemens Ltd. Seoul, said "Foreign businesses should be treated as Korean businesses because we are doing operations here the same as them. But sometimes we see the government's discrimination against foreign firms. These unfair practices must be removed, including harsh investigating activities by the government against us."
In response, Lee said "We will try to reflect them in our policies."
The anti-corruption body has received 55 inquiries and suggestions until the last briefings in 2013 and, according to the agency, 49 of them, or 89 percent, have either been resolved by follow-up measures or were explained understandably to the inquirers, according to the ACRC.
The anti-corruption commission has been making efforts to effectively address complaints for foreign businesses here.
It runs a one-stop internet portal, provided in 12 different foreign languages, where foreign businessmen can file complaints to all central and local government agencies.
The body also operates 110 Government Call Center, offered in 21 foreign languages, that counsels and provides guidance to basic requirements regarding public services here, including licenses, taxation, welfare and the issuing of visas.
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