South Korea's anti-corruption chief said Tuesday the latest anti-graft law set to kick off this week aims to protect government employees from irregularities rather than to punish them, adding the new policy will make the country more transparent.
The Kim Young-ran anti-graft law, which will officially go into effect Wednesday, aims to bring more transparency to workers in certain sectors who should maintain higher ethical standards than ordinary citizens.
Under the policy move, people working for the government, media outlets and schools are all banned from receiving meals priced higher than 30,000 won (US$27), gifts exceeding 50,000 won, and congratulatory and condolence money over 100,000 won.
"The law does not aim to bust and punish people but rather to help government employees to easily refuse accepting unlawful requests or gifts," said Sung Yung-hoon, who heads the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission.
"People should think that the law is not a regulation but a protective measure," Sung added.
The official also said previous anticorruption policies were not compulsory, adding the new law will be the first step in making South Korea a more transparent society.
Advocates of the policy have emphasized that transparency can improve the country's overall competitiveness in the global arena.
Concerning the rising voice from the parliament to revise the law, Sung added now is the time to focus on successfully making changes to South Korea.
"Although the law may seem vague, it is believed that people can easily find out which actions are violations if they listen closely to their conscience," Sung pointed out. (Yonhap)