This undated file photo shows a restaurant in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) –The Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission is considering revising the anti-corruption law to ease restrictions on the price of meals provided to public officials and some other professions, officials said Thursday.
The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, commonly known as the Kim Young-ran law, named after a former Supreme Court justice, came into effect in 2016. It prohibits public officials and individuals in specific roles, such as journalists and educators, from accepting meals and gifts above a certain price threshold.
The move comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol commented on the need for the revision during a recent Cabinet meeting, citing calls from restaurant owners and small business owners.
Under the revision of the act’s enforcement ordinance under review, the price ceiling for a meal could be raised from the current 30,000 won (US$23) to 50,000 won.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also expressed the need for the revision, asserting that the price ceiling should be adjusted to reflect the reality.
“While the law’s intent received unanimous agreement from the public and was passed in the parliament through bipartisan consensus, considering factors such as time and conditions, there is a need to consider reality,” Han told reporters.
In August, the commission also raised the price ceiling for agricultural and livestock product gifts from 100,000 won to 150,000 won. The price ceiling for gifts during major holiday seasons was raised from 200,000 won to 300,000 won.
The revision comes amid mounting calls from the industry suggesting an even greater increase or the complete removal of the price ceiling to boost domestic consumption.
(Yonhap)
