[Opinion] Anti-Corruption Committee

Some interesting facts are found in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) statistics. Of the 30 member states, Korea ranks 19th in land size and 9th in population. In particular, the country almost equals with advanced countries in terms of economic activities. It ranked 9th in gross domestic product (GDP), 5th in automobile production, 2nd in shipbuilding and the last in tax burden. On the other side, however, it remains 2nd in traffic accident-related mortality, the first spot in tap water consumption, tuberculosis-related death and disproportional birth of male and 4th in divorce rate.

We feel ashamed of being Koreans mostly, however, when looking into the corruption index released by the International Transparency Organization. Korea lagged far below on the 48th spot of the 90 surveyed in 2000, and barely managed to climb to the 42nd among 92 countries last year. This year, it is expected to advance two places to the 40th spot. It is still lagging behind Taiwan and Malaysia as the 6th in Asia. As such, in contrast to its growing international competition in the fields of economy and sports, the country is still saddled with the stigma “a corruption-prevailing country.”

▷What’s relieving, however, is that things have begun to change thanks to the Anti-Corruption Committee established under the new anti-corruption law. When the committee charged three high-ranking government officials, however, the prosecutor’s office rejected the cases and so did the court, citing lack of evidence as the reason. The rub is that the committee does not have the authority to conduct criminal investigations into suspected cases. The concern over overlapping operations with other agencies is legitimate, but the government needs to build a two or three-fold safety mechanism if it is committed to rooting out corruptions. The committee had not been formed in the first place, if such established authorities as the police, the prosecutor’s office and the audit agency had effectively dealt with the rampant problem.

▷The Teenager Guidance Committee recently made public the list of 671 sex offenders, promoting awareness among the public. Sexual exploitation prevailing in sex businesses is known to closely relate to the police. The police, bribed by sex business owners, often turn a blind eye to complaints from young victims. The corruption on the police level explains why an organization such as the anti-corruption committee must have the authority to conduct investigations. The police, the prosecutor’s office, and the court need to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigations. The country’s transparency depends on the revision of the anti corruption law. Corruption is the No. 1 enemy of the country, a path towards co (“co”)-destruction (“ruption”).

Bae Jong-dae, Guest Editorial Writer, Dean of Law School at Korea University

jdbae1881@hanmail.net