| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The Civil Service Reform Plan is the first government initiative that introduced the conflicts-of-interest review system into Korea’s civil service. Convinced that such a review stands at the core of its effort to eradicate corruption, the SMG incorporated the requirement for these reviews into the Code of Conduct, subjecting high-ranking civil servants to them first.
The conflicts-of-interest review was initially confined to volunteering high-ranking civil servants of Grade 3 or higher. Beginning in 2016, the review became mandatory for all high-ranking civil servants of Grade 4 or higher, who must undergo the review at least once annually.
Whereas the Civil Service Reform Plan Version 1.0, introduced in October 2014, focused on reinforcing the severity of punishment for corruption, Version 2.0 emphasizes encouraging civil servants’ accountability and self-correcting efforts. Version 2.0 encourages individual departments and organizations to identify, monitor, and eliminate forms of corruption unique to them, offering exemplary organizations incentives, including postponement of auditing and exemption from disciplinary actions.
Also designed to address Version 1.0’s possibly discouraging effect on civil servants who remained silent for fear of punishment, Version 2.0 fosters an active anti-corruption culture throughout local civil service by encouraging and protecting civil servants in the fight against corruption.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The zero tolerance of corruption embodied by the SMG’s Civil Service Reform Plan garnered astounding support from the 10 million citizens of Seoul, and it dramatically increased alertness against corruption in the 40,000 employees of the SMG, the 25,000 employees of the SMG’s affiliate organizations, and even the 600,000 employees hired by various agencies and organizations of the national government.
The SMG regularly educated and trained all 65,000 of its employees and affiliate employees on the importance of integrity, and it has encouraged all organizations to adopt integrity evaluation systems and other such measures to foster a culture of integrity throughout local civil service.
The Civil Service Reform Plan, moreover, has prompted the Ministry of Interior (MOI) to amend and update its own rules for the national government’s 600,000 employees regarding discipline and punishment in the fight against corruption.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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In July 2015, to ensure the effective implementation of the new Code of Conduct for SMG employees, the SMG transformed the single Auditing Officer System into the Auditing Committee, reporting directly to the Mayor. Consisting of one chair and seven independent experts, the Auditing Committee reviews and declines auditing plans and outcomes through mutual discussion to enhance the fairness and transparency of the auditing results. Two of the members on the committee are appointed by Seoul Metropolitan Council nomination. Making the Seoul Metropolitan Council accountable for auditing in this way has also led to increases in the budget for the auditing committee.
In 2016, the budget for the Auditing Committee, together with related activities for fostering a culture of integrity, was KRW 798 million, up by 22 percent from the KRW 651 million provided in 2015. The budget further increased to KRW 948 million in 2017, up by 18 percent from 2016 due to the operation of the Public Interest Auditing Group.
The heads of auditing departments at the SMG, district offices, and other affiliate organizations continue to participate in the Auditing Council to share best practices, organize joint training sessions for their respective employees, and engage in in-depth debates on auditing policy measures. The council met eight times in 2016.
In August 2016, the scope of the Civil Service Reform Plan’s influence was expanded to encompass not only the 40,000 employees of the SMG, but also the 25,000 employees of 21 affiliate organizations. Integrity education and training continue to be provided for the integrity officers of various auditing departments, and an anti-corruption meeting is held at the end of each year, at which participants can share experiences and lessons learned.
The SMG has also appointed an Integrity Policy Advisory Committee, consisting of 13 outside experts (including NGO representatives and journalists) to monitor and provide feedback on the entirety of its integrity policy measures. In addition, the SMG was the first local government in Korea to assemble a Public Interest Auditing Group of ombudsmen consisting of 15 experts, including accountants and lawyers. The group is charged with auditing the private-sector commission and subsidization projects on a trial basis. This has further strengthened the SMG’s public-private partnership in governance.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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In August 2016, the SMG appointed 13 (nonexecutive) members to its Board of Advisors for Integrity Policy, consisting of NGO representatives, academics, journalists and other such experts to monitor and provide feedback on all aspects of the city’s integrity policy, from policymaking to execution to evaluation. The committee has met four times, as of February 2017, and continues to perform a valuable function.
In addition, the SMG assembled the Public Interest Auditing Group, consisting of 15 independent experts including accountants and lawyers, to overcome the shortage of auditors able to handle the increasing private-sector commission and subsidization policy projects. The group oversaw four trial auditing projects in 2016, which included on-site inspections of public facilities and the auditing of private-sector subsidies. The SMG intends to increase the group’s membership significantly to 200 or more in 2017 to ensure the effective and efficient auditing of its policy projects.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Over the last two years under the Civil Service Reform Plan’s one-strike and out policy, six civil servants have faced severe punishments. The number of civil servants charged with corruption—including bribery and other violations of the law, such as driving under the influence—was reduced by 38 percent, from 146 to 90, and the number of reports voluntarily filed by civil servants on the gifts they received multiplied by 5.6 times, from 283 to 1577.
Moreover, the Auditing Reform Plan has transformed the auditing culture in local civil service by shifting the emphasis from control and punishment to autonomy, accountability, and co-governance. Auditing is now used to prevent corruption rather than handle corruption after it occurs. This represents a significant improvement to the Civil Service Reform Plan.
The SMG’s pioneering example also inspired the MOI in November 2015 to change its rules on disciplining local government employees for bribery, lowering the minimum punishable gifts value from KRW 3 million to KRW 1 million, on a par with the SMG’s minimum.
A telephone opinion poll on 1,000 citizens in Seoul in September 2015 showed that 51.2 percent of them were favorable toward the SMG’s efforts for integrity in civil service. Another opinion poll on 1,620 SMG employees revealed that 89 percent of them confirmed the policy’s effect of increasing alertness against corruption in the civil service. Another 93 percent expressed an expectation that the reform plan would significantly contribute to improving civil service integrity. Since 2014, the Civil Service Reform Plan has strengthened the integrity and trustworthiness of governance in Seoul, making the city’s policies more sustainable.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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The stricter Rules of Conduct introduced under the Civil Service Reform Plan had no legal binding force on civil servants. Punished civil servants thus won court cases against the SMG, claiming that the SMG’s punishments were too harsh. In November 2014, to introduce legal grounds for enforcement, the SMG made a proposal to the Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) to consider amending the Public Service Ethics Act (PSEA). This attempt led to the national government reinforcing legally binding rules for punishing local government employees for corruption. The MOI also obliged this initiative by lowering the minimum punishable gifts amount from KRW 3 million to KRW 1 million in its Rules of Discipline and Punishment against Local Government Employees, on a par with the SMG’s minimum.
Furthermore, acknowledging the importance of individual civil servants’ willingness and commitment to the success of the reform plan, the SMG developed and distributed The Handbook on the Civil Service Reform Plan and provided ongoing integrity education and training.
There were concerns that the Civil Service Reform Plan’s severity on corruption could discourage civil servants from taking an active role in reform out a fear of reprisal. The SMG responded to such fears by releasing its Auditing Reform Plan in October 2016. Under the new plan, beginning in February 2017, a Voluntary Integrity Compliance Program provides incentives and rewards for organizations that voluntarily root out corruption and strengthens protections for whistleblowers and civil servants who actively participate.
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