Won Hee-ryong Suspends Vacation for Emergency Meeting... Subordinate Agency Employee Arrested for Bribery Causes Uproar

Emergency Meeting Convened for 5 Regional Land Management Chiefs
"Unqualified to Work for the People... Eradicate Corruption"
Ordered Full Investigation and Activation of Whistleblower Protection

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is holding an emergency meeting on the 27th at the Jinyeong Land Management Office in Gimhae, Gyeongnam.

Amid the arrest of an employee affiliated with a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) subsidiary on bribery charges, Minister Won Hee-ryong of MOLIT suspended his vacation and visited the agency to hold an emergency meeting. Minister Won stated, "We will root out corrupt practices by public officials for the sake of the people."

On the 27th, MOLIT announced that Minister Won visited the Jin-yeong Land Management Office of the Busan Regional Land Management Office located in Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, and held an "Emergency Meeting of Five Regional Land Management Office Chiefs on Measures to Eradicate Corruption Cartels."

During the emergency meeting, Minister Won was briefed on the recent case in which an affiliated employee was arrested and sent to prosecution on bribery charges.

At the Jin-yeong Land Management Office, a section chief was recently sent to the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 15th after being arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from a construction company.

Minister Won instructed, "Before innovating public institutions, we must first examine corruption and vested interest cartels from the public’s perspective, and establish a rigorous full-scale investigation and a revamped reporting system."

He particularly emphasized, "We must devise institutional measures to prevent collusion between public officials and companies or cartels formed through connections with retirees, and activate the reporting and whistleblowing systems for various unfair and unethical acts arising from the monopolistic positions of MOLIT and public institutions."

Minister Won said, "In the future, for misconduct that violates the public’s expectations, the heads of institutions will also be held accountable for management responsibilities to establish discipline among public officials."

He also stated, "Those involved in the audit results announced after the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) speculation scandal (including speculation using undisclosed development information and violations of the Farmland Act) are not qualified to work for the people," adding, "They must face appropriate punishment, and MOLIT and LH must establish a frequent monitoring system equivalent to an audit."