Gov't briefing focus on 'battling corruption, enhancing transparency'

Briefings by goverment institutions were held at the prime minister's office under the theme of 'establishing a fair and just society.'
Discussions focused on specific measures to deliver on one of the Moon adminstration's major ledges: rooting out corruption.
Lee Jeong-yeon reports.
South Korea's Prime Minister has outlined the government's vision to stamp out corruption and establish a fair and just society.

"The vision of the Moon Jae-in administration to create a just country is not unrelated to the recent bitter incident of power being abused for personal gain. There have actually been many cases of injustice being carried out and hidden in our society. That is why we are here today."

The Prime Minister's Office received briefings on the subject from seven government institutions on Wednesday, including the Ministry of Justice, Fair Trade Commission, and Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said that one of its goals for 2018 is for Korea to break into the world's top 40... on Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index.
Korea ranked 52nd out of 176 countries in 2016.
In the meeting of the Anti-Corruption Policy Consultation Council last September, the commission said its goal was to be in the top 20 by the year 2022.
The Anti-graft Act that caps the budget for meals and monetary gifts was one of the first steps toward this goal.
The commission also said it would act as a 'control tower' to combat corruption and enhance transparency, and outlined its 5-year plan from 2018 to 2022.
The plan largely aims to raise public awareness of corruption.
This includes the 'nationwide movement for transparency' which starts this spring, aimed at establishing regional agreements for a transparent society.
The commission will also initiate a '365-day safety perception project' to analyze reports of public safety violations and civil complaints in the fields of transport, construction, fire fighting, and food,.. to make safety a more prominent aspect of Korean society.
Lee Jeong-yeon, Arirang News