Operation of 'Helpline' Reporting System with Enhanced Anonymity
Mayor Ikwonjae: "No Exceptions Regardless of Status"
Osan City in Gyeonggi Province has rolled up its sleeves to eradicate corruption among public officials.
On the 17th, Osan City announced that it plans to focus its efforts on spreading a culture of integrity through eradicating corruption among public officials and strengthening internal controls in the new year.
To this end, the city conducted a 'Senior Public Officials Integrity Evaluation' earlier this month to diagnose corruption risks such as those related to high-ranking officials and organizational environment, and from today, it is enhancing related systems by revamping the existing 'Integrity Self-Learning' into various content formats.
In particular, the city operates the 'Helpline,' an anonymous reporting system for corruption among public officials that activates internal and external corruption reports while strengthening the anonymity and security of whistleblowers.
The anonymous reporting targets include ▲embezzlement of public funds ▲acceptance of money or entertainment ▲unfair work instructions ▲intervention in vested interests ▲private use of position ▲personnel solicitation ▲use of budget for purposes other than intended, among others. However, simple complaints or inconveniences are not subject to reporting. The system can be accessed through the Osan City website via the Osan City Public Officials Corruption Anonymous Reporting System.
According to the city, through this system, an anonymous report exposing corruption among public officials was received, and after a two-month internal investigation and inquiry, it was revealed that Mr. A, a fixed-term public official hired in 2014, embezzled approximately 81 million won in budget. The city took full recovery action on the embezzled amount, dismissed Mr. A with the highest disciplinary action, and additionally imposed a disciplinary fine equal to the embezzled amount. Mr. A is currently reported to the Osan Police Station on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust.
Mayor Lee Gwonyae stated, "Integrity is the highest virtue and value as a public official, and there can be no exceptions in eradicating misconduct regardless of rank or status," emphasizing, "We will respond strongly with a zero-tolerance policy toward public official misconduct and corruption."
Meanwhile, Osan City recently received an excellent rating of 'Grade 2' in the '2023 Comprehensive Integrity Evaluation of Public Institutions' conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. This evaluation grades five levels based on the results of integrity perception and effort assessments conducted on 499 public institutions nationwide.
Among the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province in this evaluation, only one local government received a Grade 1. An Osan City official explained, "This evaluation effectively recognizes Osan City as having the highest level of integrity in the province."
The city added that the integrity effort score (qualitative evaluation), which had remained at Grade 3 in previous evaluations, rose one level to Grade 2 in this evaluation. Especially in the external integrity section evaluated by citizens, the city scored 93.5 points, which is 11.7 points higher than the national average for local governments of the same type.
Osan City analyzed that its high evaluation was due to efforts such as establishing the '8th Term Clean Osan Comprehensive Promotion Plan,' implementing the ▲Senior Public Officials Integrity Evaluation System ▲Integrity Strategy Meetings ▲Integrity Communication Days ▲Communication Education to Eradicate Power Abuse ▲and operating the Public Officials Corruption Anonymous Reporting System for self-purification.
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