A revised version of the Standard Rules of Employment that is applicable to all companies with 10 or more employees has been created to ensure that public interest whistleblowers at a private company do not suffer retaliation.

If the guidance is revised by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), a public interest whistleblower at a private company will be exempt from being subject to a duty of confidentiality which nearly all private companies are imposing on their employees.

The ACRC has created a revised version of the Standard Rules of Employment and proposed them to the MOEL to protect corporate public interest whistleblowers from any disadvantage.

The revised guidance that was proposed to the MOEL exempts a public interest whistleblower at a private company from being subject to a duty of confidentiality, protects them from being disadvantaged at the H.R. level, and requires commuting or exempting penalties. It also includes training that covers the protection of public interest whistleblowers.

The ACRC expects that the revised guidelines that cover 8.6 million workers, or 65% of the 13 million employed labor in Korea, will promote public interest whistleblowing at private companies, contributing to building an outstanding corporate culture in general.