A seminar on the protection of public interest whistleblowers held in Seoul on November 28.

The Anti Corruption & Civil Rights Commission announced that 221 cases of public interest violation were reported to the Commission since September 30, when the Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers went into effect.

 

The Commission said on November 30 it recently referred the first case to the police and a local municipal government in the relevant jurisdiction.

 

The first case referred to authorities was initiated by a report that a petroleum product seller (service station owner) illegally sold kerosene and heating oil as dump truck fuel in collusion with the drivers.

 

The Commission said this case constituted an apparent violation of the public interest, threatening the safety of people because (1) there is a reasonable possibility to suspect that the station owner and drivers broke related laws, and (2) the use of kerosene and other petroleum substitutes as fuel for vehicles probably damages engines and could result in serious accidents.

 

The Petroleum and Petroleum Substitute Fuel Business Act bans the sale and use of kerosene and heating oil as vehicle fuel. The use of heating oil and other hydrocarbon products similar to diesel as fuel for dump trucks, which are designed to use diesel, also constitutes a tax evasion given that lower tax rates are applied to heating oil and other petroleum products than to diesel.

 

The Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers was enacted on March 31 and put in force on September 30 to protect whistleblowers of public interest violation cases. Primary examples of public interest violations include the production and sale of illegal foods and the unlawful discharge of wastewater. Activities such as these significantly endanger the public safety and health.

 

According to the Act, anyone who happens to discover a violation of the public interest may report the violation to the representative of the business concerned, relevant administrative agencies, investigative agencies or the Commission. The whistleblower is protected by the Act from retaliation such as dismissal or disciplinary action.

 

To break down the 221 cases submitted to the Commission by category, health-related issues accounted for the largest share (64.2%) followed by consumer interest cases (15.4%).

 

Other programs planned to establish practices and programs about public interest whistleblowing will include (1) incorporating provisions regarding the process of public interest whistleblowing and protection of whistleblowers into the standard rules of employment, (2) providing related agencies with training on processing public interest whistleblowing cases, and (3) continuing PR and educational efforts for the public and businesses to raise public awareness.