'Lawmakers violate anti-graft law with improper overseas trips'

Lawmakers would be violating the anti-graft law if they go on trips funded by institutions and agencies under their oversight, the chief of the country's anti-corruption commission said Thursday.

Such sponsored trips by lawmakers have been a target of public criticism in recent weeks following revelations that Kim Ki-sik, former chief of the Financial Supervisory Service, made a few overseas trips with money from institutions under the oversight of his parliamentary committee when he was a lawmaker.

Kim argued that the trips might appear inappropriate but were "legitimate." But he ultimately resigned early this week, just two weeks after taking office, after the country's election watchdog found one of his past political fund donations a violation of election law.

On Thursday, Pak Un-jong, head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, told reporters that her agency consulted law experts about the appropriateness of such sponsored trips, and many of them concurred that it would be a violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

"Regardless of whether it's during the period of a parliamentary audit or not, lawmakers and organizations under their oversight are related in terms of their duties. If there are duty relations, (such trips) are not allowed in principle," Pak said.

Referring to the case of the former FSS chief, however, Pak said her agency did look into the case because his trips took place before the 2016 implementation of the anti-graft law. (Yonhap)