Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks with Board of Audit and Inspection chief Kim Ho-cheol at a luncheon on proactive administration held at the prime minister's Seoul residence in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Friday. [Prime Minister's Office]
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks with Board of Audit and Inspection chief Kim Ho-cheol at a luncheon on proactive administration held at the prime minister's Seoul residence in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Friday. [Prime Minister's Office]

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook met with Board of Audit and Inspection chief Kim Ho-cheol for lunch Friday at the prime minister's Seoul residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, to discuss ways to better protect civil servants who practice "proactive administration," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Han acknowledged the board's efforts to respond actively to demand for pre-consultation services and to establish support measures such as a rapid-response team. She urged Kim to continue those efforts, saying she hoped "front-line civil servants will be actively supported so that the full intent of the protection regime can be realized."

Han also expressed gratitude to Kim for the board's shift toward an audit approach that emphasizes prevention, problem-solving and the proposal of alternatives.

Kim said the most important factor in translating the audit paradigm shift into tangible benefits for the public was active cooperation from the civil service. "I hope the public sector will change its perception and come to see the Board of Audit and Inspection as a partner working together to solve problems, and engage with us openly," he said.

Ministry of Personnel Management chief Choi Dong-seok and Deputy Minister of Interior and Safety Kim Min-jae also attended the luncheon.

Han asked Choi and Kim to promote and encourage use of a newly introduced audit immunity system — under which civil servants can be exempted from Board of Audit and Inspection scrutiny through resolutions by the proactive administration committee and the regulatory rationalization committee — so that it is put to practical use at front-line offices across central and local government.

"I hope public officials can work with conviction, free from fear of audits," Han said. She added that the Cabinet, including the prime minister, and the Board of Audit and Inspection would continue to cooperate to ensure that proactive administration becomes firmly established as the basic way of working across the public sector.


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