The Integrity of Gyeongnam Soars in the 8th Civilian Administration... Returning to the National Top Tier

Overall Integrity Level 2, The Only Nationwide Improvement to Level 2

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The 8th elected administration of Gyeongsangnam-do recorded the highest score among metropolitan local governments in the 2022 comprehensive integrity evaluation of public institutions.

On the 26th, Gyeongnam Province announced that it received a comprehensive integrity grade of 2 in the integrity evaluation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

In 2020, it recorded the lowest nationwide with an external integrity grade of 4, internal integrity grade of 4, and overall grade of 4. In 2021, it had an external integrity grade of 5 and internal integrity grade of 2, resulting in an overall grade of 4, but it was the only region nationwide to improve to grade 2.

According to the province, the public institution integrity evaluation, first introduced in 2002, was conducted individually in the form of surveys targeting civil petitioners and internal employees to assess integrity and the institution's anti-corruption policy.

Since 2022, it has been reorganized and implemented as a comprehensive integrity evaluation that integrates various types of corruption and new laws and systems.

The evaluation consists of ▲‘Integrity Perception 60%’ assessing corruption perception such as unfair duties and abuse of authority, and corruption experiences such as demands for money or entertainment from civil petitioners and internal employees ▲‘Integrity Effort 40%’ evaluating the establishment and operation performance of anti-corruption systems in public institutions ▲and a deduction of up to 10 points for corruption incidents.

Gyeongsangnam-do is conducting an integrity campaign targeting public officials commuting to the provincial government office.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

In this evaluation, among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, no city or province received a grade 1, but Jeju, Jeonnam, Gwangju, and Gyeongbuk received the same grade 2 as Gyeongnam Province.

A provincial official cited two main reasons why Gyeongnam's integrity, which had remained in the lower ranks since 2019, was able to rise vertically from the bottom.

▲The establishment of Gyeongnam Province's integrity improvement measures in August last year after Governor Park Wan-su's inauguration ▲Governor Park's internal and external declaration and expansion of the pledge to practice ‘Integrity Starting with Myself.’

They also analyzed that tailored responses to the evaluation indicators following the full revision of the 2022 comprehensive integrity evaluation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and strengthened post-monitoring of external survey civil petitioners played a significant role in the rise in integrity.

The 8th elected administration of Gyeongnam Province explained that to improve integrity, they have ▲enacted and revised five items including the Gyeongsangnam-do Integrity Improvement Ordinance and guidelines for operating the conflict of interest prevention system for provincial public officials ▲established a public service inspection department ▲conducted special audits on the management status of large construction projects ▲strengthened the Integrity Notification SMS service.

▲Conducted integrity diagnosis services for high-ranking public officials ▲Held on-site integrity communication education for construction and service projects ▲Held departmental integrity discussion meetings ▲Conducted special lectures by integrity leaders for high-ranking public officials ▲Held integrity concerts ▲Operated the Integrity Civil-Military Council ▲Appointed honorary provincial auditors ▲Operated an integrity ombudsman ▲Promoted the integrated corruption and public interest reporting center on the provincial website.

The province plans to establish and respond with special measures to achieve the top integrity ranking in 2023.

They will proactively improve structural and repetitive corruption factors through intensive education and strengthened publicity for employees working in vulnerable areas of integrity, and continuous monitoring of civil petitioners in vulnerable areas.

Regarding corruption incidents, audits and inspections will be strengthened in specific fields with a high likelihood of corruption, and detected fraud and corruption will be strictly punished under a zero-tolerance policy.

If corrupt acts by department members are detected, disciplinary actions such as personnel measures against the department head will also be implemented.

Chairman Bae Jong-gweol of the Audit Committee said, “The public’s expectations for a clean and honest provincial administration are rising,” and added, “We will use this top nationwide integrity evaluation ranking as a stepping stone for a renewed leap in integrity improvement, work harder, and meet the expectations of the residents.”