This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/world/asia/south-korea-bribery-law.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Antigraft Law Stirs Up Wariness Over South Koreans Bearing Gifts | Antigraft Law Stirs Up Wariness Over South Koreans Bearing Gifts |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — During the lunch hour on Thursday in downtown Seoul, amid government agencies and newspaper offices, diners lined up at cash registers to do something long considered a breach of etiquette here: splitting the bill. | SEOUL, South Korea — During the lunch hour on Thursday in downtown Seoul, amid government agencies and newspaper offices, diners lined up at cash registers to do something long considered a breach of etiquette here: splitting the bill. |
| The previous day, a widely discussed law aimed at curtailing corruption took effect in South Korea. Among other things, it bars public servants, journalists and teachers from accepting a meal worth more than 30,000 won, about $27, if there is a potential conflict of interest. | The previous day, a widely discussed law aimed at curtailing corruption took effect in South Korea. Among other things, it bars public servants, journalists and teachers from accepting a meal worth more than 30,000 won, about $27, if there is a potential conflict of interest. |
| That alone seems likely to change the dining culture here, where tradition holds that the host or the oldest person at a table picks up the tab. | That alone seems likely to change the dining culture here, where tradition holds that the host or the oldest person at a table picks up the tab. |
| “We thought it was safest to simply go Dutch, because it’s often difficult to tell which situation constitutes a conflict of interest,” Cho Myun-mi, a teacher in Seoul, said about her lunch on Thursday with colleagues and friends. | “We thought it was safest to simply go Dutch, because it’s often difficult to tell which situation constitutes a conflict of interest,” Cho Myun-mi, a teacher in Seoul, said about her lunch on Thursday with colleagues and friends. |
| “It was awkward,” she added, “but we’d better get used to it.” | “It was awkward,” she added, “but we’d better get used to it.” |
| The new law, called the Kim Young-ran Act after the former Supreme Court justice who drafted it, is being hailed as a milestone in efforts to fight corruption in South Korea, where collusion between government officials and businesses is a major public concern — and where wining and dining, cash envelopes and other kinds of gifts have long been central to doing business. | The new law, called the Kim Young-ran Act after the former Supreme Court justice who drafted it, is being hailed as a milestone in efforts to fight corruption in South Korea, where collusion between government officials and businesses is a major public concern — and where wining and dining, cash envelopes and other kinds of gifts have long been central to doing business. |
| Besides the restrictions on meals, the law bars people in the targeted professions — estimated to be four million, out of a total population of 51 million — from accepting any gift worth more than $45 (or $90 at weddings or funerals), if a conflict of interest could exist. And with a few exceptions, people in those fields are simply forbidden to accept any gift worth more than $910. | Besides the restrictions on meals, the law bars people in the targeted professions — estimated to be four million, out of a total population of 51 million — from accepting any gift worth more than $45 (or $90 at weddings or funerals), if a conflict of interest could exist. And with a few exceptions, people in those fields are simply forbidden to accept any gift worth more than $910. |
| People seem to be taking the law seriously. Schools across South Korea posted signs this week warning parents not to bring gifts for teachers, a common practice that has raised concerns about corruption in this education-focused culture. Funeral directors even reported that fewer wreaths were being delivered to grieving families. | People seem to be taking the law seriously. Schools across South Korea posted signs this week warning parents not to bring gifts for teachers, a common practice that has raised concerns about corruption in this education-focused culture. Funeral directors even reported that fewer wreaths were being delivered to grieving families. |
| But restaurants seemed likely to be most affected. | But restaurants seemed likely to be most affected. |
| “We saw this law coming and have prepared special set menus that do not exceed the 30,000 won limit, retiring some of our more expensive options,” said Kim Bu-shik, who runs a restaurant in Seoul. “The new law will make our society more transparent, but I must say it is not good for our business at all, for now.” | “We saw this law coming and have prepared special set menus that do not exceed the 30,000 won limit, retiring some of our more expensive options,” said Kim Bu-shik, who runs a restaurant in Seoul. “The new law will make our society more transparent, but I must say it is not good for our business at all, for now.” |
| “Many of the government people who frequented my place don’t come out,” he said, adding that they were apparently eating at in-house cafeterias instead. | “Many of the government people who frequented my place don’t come out,” he said, adding that they were apparently eating at in-house cafeterias instead. |
| In Parliament, an audit of government agencies is underway — a process that, in the past, was often accompanied by officials from the agencies treating lawmakers to sumptuous lunches. But on Thursday, lawmakers and members of their staff filled the Parliament cafeteria, dining among themselves. | In Parliament, an audit of government agencies is underway — a process that, in the past, was often accompanied by officials from the agencies treating lawmakers to sumptuous lunches. But on Thursday, lawmakers and members of their staff filled the Parliament cafeteria, dining among themselves. |
| South Korean journalists, another group targeted by the law, have also been known to accept free meals, and sometimes more expensive gifts, like golf outings. Last month, a top editor at the country’s largest newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo, resigned after it emerged that he had gone on a lavish trip to Italy paid for by a shipbuilding company. The newspaper later apologized. | |
| Public grievances over corruption among the government and business elite run deep here, and calls for an overhaul have mounted in recent years. Of particular concern are the so-called sponsorship relationships that officials are suspected of maintaining with corporate executives, involving the promotion of business interests in exchange for expensive meals and other gifts. | Public grievances over corruption among the government and business elite run deep here, and calls for an overhaul have mounted in recent years. Of particular concern are the so-called sponsorship relationships that officials are suspected of maintaining with corporate executives, involving the promotion of business interests in exchange for expensive meals and other gifts. |
| In July, Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong offered a rare public apology after a senior prosecutor, Jin Kyung-joon, was arrested on charges of taking millions of dollars in bribes from the owner of an online game company, deepening public suspicions about corruption among high-ranking law enforcement officials. | In July, Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong offered a rare public apology after a senior prosecutor, Jin Kyung-joon, was arrested on charges of taking millions of dollars in bribes from the owner of an online game company, deepening public suspicions about corruption among high-ranking law enforcement officials. |
| On Thursday, another senior prosecutor, Kim Hyung-joon, was arrested on bribery charges in a closely watched case. He is accused of receiving a total of more than $45,000 from two friends, a businessman and a lawyer, in return for trying to influence colleagues who were investigating fraud and other charges against them. He was also treated to expensive meals by executives at a financial service company, in return for leaking information about an investigation of the firm, prosecutors said. | |
| Mr. Kim was not arrested under the terms of the new law but rather under longstanding South Korean statutes against bribery. He has admitted taking money from his friends but denied doing favors for them — a defense that will not apply in cases brought under the new law, given the ban on officials taking expensive gifts for almost any reason. | Mr. Kim was not arrested under the terms of the new law but rather under longstanding South Korean statutes against bribery. He has admitted taking money from his friends but denied doing favors for them — a defense that will not apply in cases brought under the new law, given the ban on officials taking expensive gifts for almost any reason. |
| The new measure does allow for exceptions, like gifts between close relatives or people who are in love, although critics say that such a sentiment is hard to define. They also say that in South Korea, where much of one’s social life is shaped by school and hometown connections, it can be hard to tell where conflict of interest begins. | The new measure does allow for exceptions, like gifts between close relatives or people who are in love, although critics say that such a sentiment is hard to define. They also say that in South Korea, where much of one’s social life is shaped by school and hometown connections, it can be hard to tell where conflict of interest begins. |
| Getting caught is a real concern given the number of camera-wielding bounty hunters in South Korea who record evidence of crimes in hopes of receiving rewards from the government. The anticorruption measure has vastly expanded their hunting ground. | Getting caught is a real concern given the number of camera-wielding bounty hunters in South Korea who record evidence of crimes in hopes of receiving rewards from the government. The anticorruption measure has vastly expanded their hunting ground. |
| One of the first people accused of breaking the law was the mayor of a Seoul district whose office took 160 elderly people on a sightseeing tour on Wednesday and bought them lunch. The mayor’s office said the lunches cost less than $27 each, and that the tour was part of an annual community program. | |
| The police are investigating the matter. | The police are investigating the matter. |