Anti-Corruption Body to Ease Burden on Businesses
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission will update rules and regulations that may impose undue burden to businesses, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The move is part of efforts the commission will make together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Unification to streamline their administrative rules.
The agency will work with the two ministries on a consultative basis for the next three months. The ministries said the initiative is aimed at improving their public services and bringing more efficiency to their administrative work.
There are currently some 133 sets of administrative rules and regulations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and some 75 sets at the Ministry of Unification.
The anti-corruption agency said its staff will work with ministerial personnel and offer tips and advice on ways to improve outdated administrative procedures to better serve the rapidly changing society.
Over the last year, the commission has been active in helping improve regulatory procedures and cut down on government red tape. Since its founding last year, it has been reviewing public complaints regarding government regulations and red tape and has recommended possible reforms to the Lee Myung-bak administration.
The agency is also taking part in analyzing a database of complaints received through its call centers and the ``Shinmungo," the Ombudsman of Korea.
It recommends possible reforms on government regulations at Cabinet meetings. There are currently some 10,000 administrative regulations and policies that affect Korean public and business activities.
President Lee has been emphasizing the importance of maintaining an efficient government system and eliminating bureaucratic inefficiency and injustice. The commission has been taking part in looking into the complaints database and suggesting possible regulatory revisions.
It has also set up a system to begin receiving public petitions in three other languages in addition to Korean ― Japanese, English and Chinese ― beginning in June in order to better respond to complaints from overseas Koreans.