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๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea /Crime & Justice

Police refer 535 to prosecutors in special crackdown on local corruption

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korean police have sent 535 individuals to prosecutors in a special crackdown on local corruption over the past four months.
  • The police established a task force to combat regional collusion and plan to intensify their crackdown, including on public officials who ignore illegal activities.
  • The operation targets issues like improper contracts, financial corruption, abuse of power, and insider trading, with a focus on "illegal neglect" where officials knowingly overlook wrongdoing.

South Korean police have referred 535 individuals to prosecutors as part of a special four-month crackdown on local corruption. The National Investigation Headquarters (๊ตญ์ˆ˜๋ณธ) announced on Thursday that it had investigated 554 cases involving 1,450 people, leading to the referrals, including 20 arrests.

The operation, which began on March 4, has focused on public officials involved in corrupt practices such as unfair contracts, financial misconduct, abuse of power, and the misuse of internal information. The police plan to expand this special crackdown starting June 20.

Active wrongdoing, as well as passive administrative behavior or turning a blind eye to illegal acts under the guise of established practices, can be a crime.

โ€” PoliceExplaining the expanded scope of the anti-corruption crackdown to include 'illegal neglect'.

To enhance their efforts, the National Investigation Headquarters has formed a dedicated task force, the 'Regional Collusion Response TF,' to manage policy planning and investigative command for local corruption cases. This team will involve not only the anti-corruption and economic crime investigation units at the provincial police agencies but also the major crime investigation units.

We plan to actively provide apprehension rewards to encourage citizen reporting and tips.

โ€” Hong Seok-ki, Head of the National Investigation HeadquartersAddressing measures to encourage public participation in reporting corruption.

A key focus of this intensified crackdown is "illegal neglect," where public officials, often due to long-standing collusion, knowingly overlook or passively permit illegal activities. The police stated that such passive administrative behavior or turning a blind eye to wrongdoing, even under the guise of established practices, can be considered a crime.

One of the primary targets is "illegal activities related to exclusive contracts," involving public officials like local council members and civil servants. Previous investigations have uncovered significant corruption in this area. For example, the Gwangju Police Agency's anti-corruption unit investigated a former local government official who established shell companies to secure 79 exclusive contracts worth approximately 2.6 billion won. In another case, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's anti-corruption unit arrested 15 individuals, including a provincial council member, who allegedly received around 450 million won in kickbacks for budget allocation and supplier selection.

For whistleblowers, their sentence may be reduced or waived.

โ€” Hong Seok-ki, Head of the National Investigation HeadquartersInforming about potential leniency for internal whistleblowers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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