Conflict of Interest Prevention Act for Public Officials to Take Effect on May 19... Yongsan-gu Ready

[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu Enhances Residents' and Officials' Legal Understanding through Pre-Implementation Education, Meetings, and Promotional Materials; Designates Conflict of Interest Prevention Officer and Establishes Operation Guidelines... Seoul Gangseo-gu Conducts 2nd Inspection for International Safe City Certification

Sohyeon A, a public official in Yongsan-gu, is showing the reporting and submission obligations related to conflicts of interest for public officials on the 29th of last month.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) has completed preparations ahead of the enforcement of the ‘Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention Act’ scheduled for the 19th.

The ‘Conflict of Interest Prevention Act’ is a law enacted and promulgated on May 18 last year to ensure fair performance of duties by preventing public officials from pursuing private interests while performing their official duties.

Before the law’s enforcement, the district established the ‘Seoul Special City Yongsan-gu Public Officials Conflict of Interest Prevention System Operation Guidelines’ and designated the district audit officer as the Conflict of Interest Prevention Officer.

In addition, education, meetings, and publicity targeting employees and residents were carried out.

In March, training on the ‘Conflict of Interest Prevention Act’s standards of conduct, reporting obligations, and penalties’ was conducted online for all employees due to COVID-19, and on April 26-27, in-person training was held for new employees. Also, on the 28th of last month, a meeting of administrative staff was convened to reemphasize and disseminate reporting and submission obligations.

Furthermore, 10,000 L-shaped holder files for work use, clearly summarizing the five reporting and submission obligations and five compliance obligations for restricted and prohibited acts on the front and back, were produced and distributed to employees to facilitate daily familiarity.

A district official stated, “The purpose is to legally restrict areas that cannot be controlled by the ‘Code of Conduct for Public Officials,’ such as insider trading using undisclosed information, nepotism in family hiring, and preferential treatment for retired public officials,” adding, “It is necessary to inform not only public officials but also residents about the law.”

For this reason, the district produced promotional posters to inform local residents about the law’s enforcement and posted them at the district office and major local hubs.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “The Conflict of Interest Prevention Act applies not only to public officials themselves but also to their families, so in effect, all residents are subject to it,” and added, “We will actively promote the relevant laws to prevent violations due to ignorance.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) conducted the second on-site inspection, the final step for international safe city certification, on the afternoon of the 3rd in the district office’s large conference room.

About 20 people participated in this inspection, including District Mayor Noh Hyun-song, evaluators from the Sweden International Safe City Certification Center (ISCCC), and members of the Safe City Working Committee. The inspection is held over two days until the 4th via video conference.

On the first day, after a general report, reports on injury surveillance systems and intentional injury prevention (suicide prevention, violence prevention) are presented. On the second day, reports on unintentional injury prevention (traffic safety, fall prevention), Q&A sessions, and the chief examiner’s final remarks conclude the inspection.

District Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “We have prioritized the safety of residents and implemented various policies over the past four years to obtain international safe city certification,” adding, “Through this evaluation, we will further develop excellent areas and supplement insufficient aspects to establish a genuine safety culture centered on residents and improve the sense of safety.”