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| South Korea Tightens Rules Against Gifts to Fight Graft | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — The National Assembly of South Korea passed an anticorruption law on Tuesday that calls for up to three years in prison for public servants, journalists and teachers who accept single cash donations or gifts valued at more than a million won, or about $900. | SEOUL, South Korea — The National Assembly of South Korea passed an anticorruption law on Tuesday that calls for up to three years in prison for public servants, journalists and teachers who accept single cash donations or gifts valued at more than a million won, or about $900. |
| The passage of the law was a milestone in the country, where bestowing and receiving envelopes of cash and other gifts have long been part of the culture — and a suspected channel of bribery. | The passage of the law was a milestone in the country, where bestowing and receiving envelopes of cash and other gifts have long been part of the culture — and a suspected channel of bribery. |
| In South Korea, businesspeople, politicians and senior government officials often host expensive dinners, send gift sets during holidays and make cash donations at weddings and funerals, making it difficult to determine what amounts to corruption and what should be accepted as part of social etiquette. | In South Korea, businesspeople, politicians and senior government officials often host expensive dinners, send gift sets during holidays and make cash donations at weddings and funerals, making it difficult to determine what amounts to corruption and what should be accepted as part of social etiquette. |
| Until now, people had been punished for graft only when it was established in court that they had accepted a gift in return for doing a specific favor, like helping the gift-giver obtain a government license or school admission in a country where educational pedigree is extremely important. The new law will punish those who receive large gifts, regardless of whether there is evidence of bribery or influence peddling. | Until now, people had been punished for graft only when it was established in court that they had accepted a gift in return for doing a specific favor, like helping the gift-giver obtain a government license or school admission in a country where educational pedigree is extremely important. The new law will punish those who receive large gifts, regardless of whether there is evidence of bribery or influence peddling. |
| Pressure to establish the law mounted after it was revealed that corruption among government regulators played a central role in failing to prevent the sinking of a ferry that killed more than 300 people, mostly teenagers, in April. Lawmakers subsequently decided that journalists and schoolteachers should be subject to the same anticorruption rules as public servants. Those who receive gifts valued at less than the designated amount may be fined if those gifts involve a conflict of interest. | Pressure to establish the law mounted after it was revealed that corruption among government regulators played a central role in failing to prevent the sinking of a ferry that killed more than 300 people, mostly teenagers, in April. Lawmakers subsequently decided that journalists and schoolteachers should be subject to the same anticorruption rules as public servants. Those who receive gifts valued at less than the designated amount may be fined if those gifts involve a conflict of interest. |
| Under the old law, there were concerns that much of the corruption was going unpunished, especially because of so-called sponsorship relationships that some businesspeople and politicians were said to maintain with prosecutors, government officials and journalists. The “sponsors” would wine and dine the recipients, as well as provide them with financial support, not necessarily for any immediate favor but to establish long-term collusive ties. In some cases, for example, prosecutors who received a Mercedes-Benz or other gifts from their sponsors went unpunished because there was no proof of bribery. | Under the old law, there were concerns that much of the corruption was going unpunished, especially because of so-called sponsorship relationships that some businesspeople and politicians were said to maintain with prosecutors, government officials and journalists. The “sponsors” would wine and dine the recipients, as well as provide them with financial support, not necessarily for any immediate favor but to establish long-term collusive ties. In some cases, for example, prosecutors who received a Mercedes-Benz or other gifts from their sponsors went unpunished because there was no proof of bribery. |
| The new law is set to take effect in October 2016, and public servants, teachers and journalists will face fines or prison terms of up to three years for taking gifts above the allowable amount. | The new law is set to take effect in October 2016, and public servants, teachers and journalists will face fines or prison terms of up to three years for taking gifts above the allowable amount. |
| They will face similar punishment if their spouses receive such gifts that involve conflicts of interest. (Those who report their spouse’s gifts to the authorities will be exempt.) | They will face similar punishment if their spouses receive such gifts that involve conflicts of interest. (Those who report their spouse’s gifts to the authorities will be exempt.) |
| The government said it was working to assemble a list of gifts that would be exempt from the new law, such as small cash donations at the weddings and funerals of friends and relatives. | The government said it was working to assemble a list of gifts that would be exempt from the new law, such as small cash donations at the weddings and funerals of friends and relatives. |
| Separate criminal laws punish those who engage in bribery. | Separate criminal laws punish those who engage in bribery. |
| In the 2014 Corruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency International, South Korea ranked 43rd among the 175 countries surveyed. | In the 2014 Corruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency International, South Korea ranked 43rd among the 175 countries surveyed. |