May 29, 2014

ACRC Chairman delivered a keynote speech at the anti-corruption session of the 2014 Jeju Forum

At the anti-corruption session of the 2014 Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, ACRC Chairman Lee Sungbo said "The key to becoming a leading country is found in integrity and ethics." He also encouraged the public and private sectors to engage in the efforts to spread integrity throughout society.

The 9th annual Jeju Forum was held in Seoguipo, Jeju-do Province, under the theme of "Designing New Asia." The anti-corruption session of the forum was organized by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Korea Network under the theme of "Corporate Sustainability and Asia's Future" on May 29. With ACRC Chairman Lee as the keynote speaker, the anti-corruption session brought together many participants including UNGC Korea Secretary-General Im Hong-jae, Siemens Korea CEO Kim Jong-kab, and TI Korea Chairperson Kim Geo-sung.

In his keynote speech, Chairman Lee stated, "Achieving high levels of integrity and ethics is the primary task of the times that we cannot hold over anymore, and ethical business is one of the key elements for the nation's survival and competitiveness." He emphasized that the government is recognizing corruption as a serious problem and strengthening punishment standards on corruption cases while reinforcing anti-corruption infrastructure and improving systems to prevent corruption. He also introduced the ACRC's protection system for public interest whistleblowers and the "Bill on the Prohibition of Illegal Solicitation and the Prevention of the Conflict of Interest of Public Officials."

Chairman Lee added, "Corruption does not occur just overnight, but has been tolerated, repeated, and settled in the name of 'social customs.' The Korean government will put its priority on tackling the existing unreasonable and irregular practices."

Since 2001, the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity has been held in May every year as a forum for multilateral cooperation and discussion to seek peace and mutual prosperity in the Korean Peninsula and the East Asian region.