July 23, 2014

On July 23rd, the ACRC held a workshop for working-level officials of government agencies which have adopted the Integrity Ombudsman system.

The workshop was staged to raise awareness about the Integrity Ombudsman system and help establish its smooth running. It brought together more than 160 officials from 158 agencies, comprising 18 central government agencies, 31 local governments, 13 local education authorities, and 96 public service-related organizations.

"The Integrity Ombudsman system plays a pivotal role in improving the quality of public services and enhancing transparency," said Park Jae-young, Vice Chairman of the ACRC during the welcoming address. He requested working-level officials to actively engage themselves in the system with great interest.

The workshop featured lectures on the Integrity Ombudsman system and its operational status; case presentations from three agencies, including Seodaemun-gu Office in Seoul; and in-depth discussions on how to operate and promote the system.

So far, the system has been introduced to 211 government offices of different levels since the ACRC developed an implementation plan for the Integrity Ombudsman system in September 2010 with the aim of improving the transparency and integrity of public institutions.

The ACRC plans to create an operational guideline for the Integrity Ombudsman system based on a wide range of opinions from the recent workshop and civic groups, and to distribute it to related offices for reference.