Overseas Trips for Non-Essential Purposes Banned for Local Council Members Within One Year of Term Expiration

Ministry Recommends Revised Standard Travel Rules to Local Councils
Overseas Trips Permitted Only in Unavoidable Cases; All Others Require Approval

Going forward, overseas trips by local council members for non-essential purposes will, in principle, be prohibited within one year of the expiration of their term. Such trips will only be permitted in unavoidable cases, such as official invitations from foreign governments.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on November 26 that it will recommend to all local councils a revision of the 'Standard Rules for Official Overseas Travel by Local Council Members' reflecting these changes. At a briefing on the same day, Vice Minister Kim Minjae stated, "Within one year of the end of a local council's term, official overseas travel will only be permitted in unavoidable cases, such as invitations from foreign governments, participation in international events, or the signing of sisterhood agreements."

Previously, as the terms of local councils across the country are set to end with the local elections in June next year, suspicions have been raised regarding council members taking overseas trips and training sessions for non-essential purposes.

According to the revised rules, for general overseas trips such as benchmarking advanced cases, the urgency of the trip, the minimum number of participants, and the potential to utilize the results must be reviewed before obtaining approval from the council chairperson. The chairperson's review report must be made public on the institution's website, and a process for collecting and verifying residents' opinions must be conducted. The Official Overseas Travel Review Committee must include at least one representative or executive from a civic group who can represent residents' opinions, in addition to external experts and residents.

Post-trip management measures will also become stricter. Local council members who have been subject to disciplinary action will be restricted from overseas travel for a certain period. If the review committee determines that a trip was illegal or improper, the local council will be required to request an audit or investigation by external or internal audit bodies. Depending on the results, actions such as referring the member for investigation or issuing internal disciplinary measures may be taken.

Protections for council staff will also be strengthened. When on official overseas travel, staff will be given grounds to refuse illegal or improper instructions from council members, such as arranging specific travel agencies, being forced to travel, or being asked to violate accounting regulations. Unnecessary instructions, such as sharing travel expenses among accompanying staff, running personal errands, or being pressured to attend social gatherings, will also be prohibited.

In addition, the government is considering imposing financial penalties, such as reducing local government grants or travel allowances, on local councils found to have engaged in illegal or improper official overseas travel during audits.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to distribute a 'Local Council Staff Work Processing Guideline' by the end of the year, which can be implemented immediately, as it will take time to revise council rules. Vice Minister Kim added, "We will actively review measures to ensure that the Local Council Act, which is scheduled for enactment next year, includes provisions to prevent illegal or improper official overseas travel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.