2024.07.23. The Fair Economy — Under the Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and the Receipt of Money or Valuables (the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act), the price ceiling on meals that public officials and others may receive as an exception will be raised to 50,000 won.
The plenary committee of the Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission announced on the 23rd that it approved an amendment to the enforcement decree of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, raising the meal value limit from the current 30,000 won to 50,000 won, at its meeting on the 22nd.
Meanwhile, a plan to permanently raise the gift value limit for agricultural, livestock and fisheries products and processed products to 300,000 won was not included in this amendment, and discussions will continue at a later date.
The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, now in its eighth year of implementation, has contributed to advancing toward a more transparent and fair society by improving unreasonable practices such as improper solicitation and acceptance of money or goods.
However, the law's implementation has not been without positive aspects; concerns have also been raised that regulations failing to keep pace with social and economic realities are dampening the vitality of people's livelihoods.
In particular, the 30,000 won food value standard set at the time of the 2003 civil servant code of conduct has remained unchanged for over 20 years since the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act came into effect, prompting concerns about the law's reduced effectiveness due to failure to reflect subsequent environmental changes.
There have also been continued calls to raise and realign the price ceilings for meals and gifts of agricultural, livestock and fishery products under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, in order to support small business owners and the self-employed — including those in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries industries and the restaurant industry — who have been struggling economically amid high inflation and weak consumption.
In response, the Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission has been broadly collecting diverse opinions from all walks of life, including listening to the difficulties experienced in the field through meetings and on-site visits with the restaurant industry, the agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries, organizations related to small business owners and the self-employed, and economic organizations.
In particular, on the 18th, the Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission and relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the MINISTRY OF OCEANS AND FISHERIES ENGLISH MAIN HOMEPAGE and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, visited Nonghyup Hanaro Mart in Yangjae, Seocho District, Seoul, and Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Seoul to seek reasonable solutions at a government-wide level regarding the value limits for food under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. They listened to various on-the-ground voices, including the economic conditions and difficulties felt by small business owners and self-employed individuals working in the agricultural, livestock and aquatic industries and the food service industry.
Based on the collected opinions, the plenary committee of the Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission held in-depth discussions on the need to amend the enforcement decree of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
The members of the plenary committee fully agreed that support is needed for small business owners and self-employed individuals, including those in the agricultural, livestock and aquatic industries and the food service industry, who have been going through a difficult period due to high prices, economic recession and consumption contraction. They also agreed that legislative amendments are necessary to reasonably adjust the value standards under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act to reflect social and economic changes and other real-world conditions.
The Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission plans to actively cooperate with related ministries to expedite the legislative process for the swift implementation of the approved amendment to the enforcement decree of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
Meanwhile, the current Improper Solicitation and Graft Act allows the gift value limit for agricultural, livestock and fisheries products and processed products to be doubled during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays compared to the ordinary standard. If the gift value limit is raised to 300,000 won without amending the current law, it would be doubled to 600,000 won during the holidays. Considering the legislative situation in the National Assembly, it was decided to continue discussions on adjusting the gift value limit.
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