President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the first Anti-Corruption Policy Council of the People's Sovereignty Government, held at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the first Anti-Corruption Policy Council of the People's Sovereignty Government, held at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday chaired his first anti-corruption policy council since taking office, ordering an all-out effort to stamp out graft in the public sector — including entrenched local corruption, irregularities in public contracts, fraudulent subsidy claims and collusion with former officials.

Cheong Wa Dae Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that Lee presided over the "First Anti-Corruption Policy Council of the People's Sovereignty Government" from 3 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. at Cheong Wa Dae, where he discussed anti-corruption measures with cabinet ministers and heads of government agencies.

In his opening remarks, Lee warned that South Korea's economic achievements could prove fragile without public trust in government. "No matter how impressive the economic indicators we achieve, if the government and the civil service fail to earn the trust of the people, all those accomplishments can crumble as easily as a castle built on sand," he said. He added that fighting corruption must transcend political allegiances. "There can be no ruling party or opposition, no my side or your side, when it comes to rooting out corruption," Lee said. "Please press ahead without wavering until our people can feel, 'Ah, things have truly changed now.'"

In a closed session, Lee said violations of constitutional order had become an even more pressing concern than corruption itself. "Fake news is rampant, and we need to discuss the causes of and remedies for a society where only the extreme poles exist and the middle has disappeared," he said.

The council received agency-by-agency briefings on measures targeting four priority areas: entrenched local corruption, irregularities in public contracts, misappropriation of state finances, and collusion with former officials.

The Korean National Police Agency reported that a five-month special crackdown on local corruption launched in March had uncovered 639 cases involving 1,730 suspects, of whom 654 had been referred for prosecution. The agency also said it had established a dedicated unit within the National Investigation Headquarters to handle cases of regional collusion. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said it would conduct a comprehensive review of irregular public-fund transactions and make the use of an electronic billing system mandatory.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said it would investigate illegal discretionary contracts by local governments and municipal councils, and pursue amendments to the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act. The Public Procurement Service said it would impose bid bonds on companies suspected of being shell firms and expand on-site inspections.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget and the Ministry of Interior and Safety reported plans to raise penalty surcharges for fraudulent claims on national and local subsidies, respectively, and to strengthen whistleblower rewards. The Korea Customs Service announced it would crack down on the manipulation of country-of-origin records and import-export figures to defraud the state. The Ministry of Justice said it would pursue legislation to regulate illegal lobbying targeting civil servants, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to establish a TF to eliminate revolving-door practices in the railway sector and build a re-employment database.

After receiving the briefings, Lee said he found it hard to believe that some local assembly members had awarded discretionary contracts to companies registered in their own or their family members' names, and that some civil servants had embezzled public funds using off-the-books ledgers. He directed each ministry and agency to set up AI research teams and accelerate the digitization of administrative work so that such misconduct could be detected systematically. "Use AI to build a system that can catch this kind of thing," he said.

On government procurement, Lee said authorities should build a system open to public scrutiny to ensure fairness and accountability. "Particularly when national revenue stands to increase and the benefit is clear, do not be stingy with whistleblower rewards," he said.

Regarding corruption in import distribution involving the abuse of quota tariffs, Lee said measures originally created with good intentions may have evolved into structural graft. He called on relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, to consider institutional remedies alongside punishing wrongdoers and addressing the underlying problems.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com