By Kang Hyun-kyung
The government said Wednesday that it will beef up investigation into corruption cases as several former and incumbent public officials were recently implicated in cases involving the trading of cash for favors.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik called on government employees to check their work ethics thoroughly to prevent them from falling prey to temptations of corruption.
“Government employees are supposed to act professionally and must not be involved in cases of corruption. Their wrongdoings will fan and cement public distrust in government,” Kim said.
Speaking at a luncheon meeting with officials in charge of probing corruption cases in their ministries, Kim urged them to double-check their work ethics at a time when the President is entering the final phase in office.
When a sitting President is in the latter stage of his or her presidency, ambitious government officials are tempted to build networks with next presidential hopefuls to secure a better path in their careers under the new administration.
The Prime Minister’s Office voiced concern that if this happens, the government’s drive to push through major policy agendas will lose stream.
Kim’s remarks came amid a media report that officials of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs were implicated in corruption cases.
Several officials were reportedly caught by investigators from the Prime Minster’s Office while they were getting a treat at a room salon in Jeju Island in late March. They were there after participating in the seminar hosted by the ministry.
The entire event, including the seminar and other gatherings, was sponsored by companies that were involved in projects related to the refurbishment of four-river project.
The ministry reportedly collected approximately 170 million won from the firms to finance the seminar held in the southern resort island.
An official said the Prime Minister’s Office was informed that several training programs organized by ministries were slated in late March and early April on the island.
The Prime Minister’s Office sent a team to Jeju Island to check if there were traces of corruption involved in the events.
“The land ministry case is the worst of its kind reported so far. We found other cases that showed some dubious dealings but these were minor compared with what happened on Jeju Island,” he said.