Although more than a month has passed since the ferry Sewol sank off the southwestern coast, the nation is still gripped by despair, grief and anger. But every cloud has a silver lining.
On Wednesday, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to deliberate over an anti-corruption bill, which had been mothballed in the parliament for more than eight months. Under the agreement, the rival parties plan to deal with the so-called Kim Young-ran bill at a subcommittee meeting Friday before approving it at the National Assembly's National Policy Committee Monday.
It's not hard to understand why they concurred on the deliberation of the bill despite their disagreement so far. First of all, lawmakers must have been conscious of public opinion calling for sweeping government reforms after the ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing. President Park Geun-hye also provided support for the bill by urging the Assembly to pass it quickly in her nationally televised speech on Monday.
The latest bipartisan effort is a belated but positive development, given the desperate need to uproot the ''bureaucratic mafia'' culture entrenched in officialdom, which has been blamed for the unprecedented man-made disaster.
The anti-corruption bill was first proposed in August 2012 by Kim Young-ran, then head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, to put civil servants accepting 1 million won or more in bribes in jail for up to three years, regardless of whether the money was related to an official's duties or position, or whether favors were given in return.
But the Justice Ministry watered down the legislation in the face of resistance from bureaucrats in such a direction as to let public officials be subject to criminal punishment only when the money is related to their duties. Even the watered-down bill has been stuck in the Assembly since August as lawmakers themselves abhorred facing arrest under the law.
Even as the floor leaders of the parties profess plans to pass the original version of the Kim Young-ran bill during the ongoing parliamentary session, it's too early to feel relieved. Apart from stubborn protests from bureaucrats and other interested parties, chances are still high that legislators may drop the bill at any time, cashing in on the waning of people's interest.
It's no exaggeration to say that had it not been for corrupt links between industries and public servants who regulate them, there would not have been the Sewol catastrophe and the sacrifice of more than 300 innocent lives.
We believe that the bill, if enacted, will cause quite a stir in our bureaucratic society, and this will be the crucial first step toward uprooting one of the country's most deep-rooted corrupt connections. It's imperative that the parliament approve the original bill without hesitation.
On Wednesday, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to deliberate over an anti-corruption bill, which had been mothballed in the parliament for more than eight months. Under the agreement, the rival parties plan to deal with the so-called Kim Young-ran bill at a subcommittee meeting Friday before approving it at the National Assembly's National Policy Committee Monday.
It's not hard to understand why they concurred on the deliberation of the bill despite their disagreement so far. First of all, lawmakers must have been conscious of public opinion calling for sweeping government reforms after the ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing. President Park Geun-hye also provided support for the bill by urging the Assembly to pass it quickly in her nationally televised speech on Monday.
The latest bipartisan effort is a belated but positive development, given the desperate need to uproot the ''bureaucratic mafia'' culture entrenched in officialdom, which has been blamed for the unprecedented man-made disaster.
The anti-corruption bill was first proposed in August 2012 by Kim Young-ran, then head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, to put civil servants accepting 1 million won or more in bribes in jail for up to three years, regardless of whether the money was related to an official's duties or position, or whether favors were given in return.
But the Justice Ministry watered down the legislation in the face of resistance from bureaucrats in such a direction as to let public officials be subject to criminal punishment only when the money is related to their duties. Even the watered-down bill has been stuck in the Assembly since August as lawmakers themselves abhorred facing arrest under the law.
Even as the floor leaders of the parties profess plans to pass the original version of the Kim Young-ran bill during the ongoing parliamentary session, it's too early to feel relieved. Apart from stubborn protests from bureaucrats and other interested parties, chances are still high that legislators may drop the bill at any time, cashing in on the waning of people's interest.
It's no exaggeration to say that had it not been for corrupt links between industries and public servants who regulate them, there would not have been the Sewol catastrophe and the sacrifice of more than 300 innocent lives.
We believe that the bill, if enacted, will cause quite a stir in our bureaucratic society, and this will be the crucial first step toward uprooting one of the country's most deep-rooted corrupt connections. It's imperative that the parliament approve the original bill without hesitation.
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