South Korea's Anti-Corruption Act marks 10 years with bribery still dominant

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) released a report marking the 10th anniversary of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, commonly known as the ‘Kim Young-ran Act’. Data shows that since the law's implementation in September 2016 through the end of last year, 2,983 individuals have faced sanctions for violations. Notably, 94.8% of these sanctioned individuals—approximately 2,828 people—were penalized specifically for receiving money or valuables.

While the total number of reported violations has trended downward, with last year seeing a record low of 1,280 cases, the nature of the violations remains concentrated. Reports of improper solicitation have dropped significantly from a peak of 3,330 in 2018 to 286 last year. Conversely, reports regarding the receipt of money and valuables saw a slight increase last year to 961 cases compared to 833 the previous year.

A public perception survey conducted in June revealed that 87.1% of 2,819 respondents view the law's impact positively, noting increased fairness in administration (75.4%), education (72.9%), and media (56.8%). However, 61.4% of respondents identified the need for stronger detection and stricter punishment of violations as a primary area for improvement.