Comprehensive Integrity Evaluation Score 84.3, 4.3 Points Higher Than National Autonomous District Average; Achievements in Flawless Integrity Policies Including Establishment of ‘Integrity Triangle’ for Zero Corruption... ‘Integrity Effort’ Score 91, 17.5 Points Above Autonomous District Average of 73.5 in Corruption-Prone Areas Improvement Index, Recognizing Efforts to Create Corruption-Free Seongdong
Improved ‘Integrity Perception’ from Grade 3 to Grade 2 by Eradicating Power Abuse Against Complainants and Unfair Orders from Superiors to Subordinates
Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it has achieved the second-highest grade, Grade 2, for the third consecutive year in the '2024 Public Institution Comprehensive Integrity Evaluation' conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission annually assesses the level of integrity and corruption status of public institutions, encouraging voluntary anti-corruption efforts and enhancing integrity by evaluating the 'Comprehensive Integrity.'
'Comprehensive Integrity' is evaluated by combining the 'Integrity Perception,' which measures the perceived corruption and experiences of residents and employees during internal and external work processes, and the 'Integrity Effort,' which assesses the efforts and performance in establishing and operating anti-corruption systems over the past year. The evaluation is divided into five grades.
Seongdong-gu scored 84.3 points, 4.3 points higher than the national average for autonomous districts, achieving Grade 2 in the comprehensive integrity evaluation. In particular, in the 'Integrity Effort' category, the indicator for 'Focused Improvement in Corruption-Vulnerable Areas' scored 91 points, 17.5 points higher than the autonomous district average of 73.5 points, recognizing its efforts toward creating a 'Corruption-Free Seongdong.'
Notably, the district established the '2024 Anti-Corruption Integrity Seongdong Promotion Plan' and implemented a 'Integrity Triangle' to pursue flawless integrity policies aimed at 'Zero Corruption.'
The 'Integrity Triangle' consists of ▲ strengthening anti-corruption systems to prevent corruption proactively, ▲ activating a reporting system to respond to corruption situations, and ▲ participatory integrity policies that lead to the improvement of all employees' integrity mindset.
Strengthening the anti-corruption system involves eradicating the three major focus violations that undermine integrity: bribery, unfair contracts, and fraudulent recruitment, and reinforcing penalties for misconduct. Seongdong-gu has intensified inspections against bribery and firmly applies a zero-tolerance policy toward corrupt officials.
Additionally, to prevent repetitive contracts with the same companies, the district transparently discloses contract statuses on its website and implements a 'Total Volume System for Private Contracts' that limits the number of contracts with the same company. During recruitment interviews, the participation of audit department staff is strengthened to prevent fraudulent hiring, and special recruitment audits are conducted across all departments to establish a fair recruitment system.
When employees face corruption situations, an anonymous reporting system is also activated to allow whistleblowers to report without revealing their identity, protecting reporters and strictly addressing improper orders reported internally, gradually building a culture of integrity within the organization.
Based on the 'Integrity Triangle,' by solidifying the corruption management system and making continuous efforts to prohibit power abuse by employees toward residents and to eradicate improper orders from superiors to subordinates, Seongdong-gu's 'Integrity Perception' improved from Grade 3 in 2023 to Grade 2 in 2024.
Furthermore, as part of participatory integrity policies, the district promoted the 'Seongdong-gu Embraces Integrity' project to enhance integrity sensitivity among all employees.
▲ 'Embracing Integrity in the Heart' - Holding a high-ranking officials' integrity pledge ceremony and signing integrity pledges ▲ 'Embracing Integrity in Thought' - Sharing book reviews on integrity in a relay and awarding outstanding works ▲ 'Embracing Integrity in Voice' - Writing integrity essays and promoting outstanding works through integrity broadcasts, fostering a voluntary atmosphere of practicing integrity.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "Achieving Grade 2 for three consecutive years in the 'Public Institution Comprehensive Integrity Evaluation' is a very meaningful achievement, indicating that the integrity perceived by residents and employees is improving every year." He added, "We will continue to faithfully fulfill the duties of public officials so that the value of integrity can take root throughout the district administration and do our best to make Seongdong-gu a district trusted even more by its residents."
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