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Press Release
The ACRC paid KRW 370 million for 470 public interest whistleblowing cases in 2015
- Date2015-12-10
- Hit3,258
The ACRC paid KRW 370 million in reward to public interest whistleblowers in 2015. The amount of reward money paid this year is similar to KRW 397 million of last year, but it is a 13-fold increase from 2012 and a 1.6-fold increase from 2013. The accumulative amount of reward paid since September 2011 when the reward money was first paid to November 2015 reached to a whopping KRW 1.02 billion.
In 2015, KRW 1.94 billion was recovered to the central or local government revenues in the form of fines or penalties paid by those whose wrongdoings were disclosed by public interest whistleblowing. The accumulative amount of the recovered money is KRW 5.58 billion.
By area for which reward money was paid this year, matters related with the food and public health sector accounted for the largest proportion with 400 cases and KRW 327 million in total, including the omission or fraudulent labeling of place of origin of produce and the violation of the regulations on the food preservation/distribution.
The next is the public safety, with 18 cases and reward money worth KRW 15.6 million. The most representative cases include the sale of fake gasoline mixed with kerosene, and the failure to install equipment to prevent construction workers from falling from the structure under construction.
KRW 14.4 million was paid in reward for 25 reports in the environment sector including the failure to take steps to reduce dust and the illegal dumping of construction waste, followed by the consumer interest sector with KRW 7.87 million for 25 cases such as the violation of labeling standards for important consumer information on refund procedure for afterbirth-care facilities and the use of the word "realtor" by an unlicensed person on the advertisement pamphlet.
Meanwhile, 1,063 applications for the reward payment of public interest whistleblowing were submitted to the ACRC in 2015, and the 3-year (2013-2015) annual average number of applications was 1,839.
* No. of applications for reward (5,552 in total): 34 (2012) 1,153 (2013) 3,302 (2014) 1,063 (Oct. 2015)
The ACRC will raise the maximum amount of reward money to KRW 2 billion from January next year to boost public interest whistleblowing, and increase the next year's budget for reward by 2.7 times to KRW 1.02 billion. Moreover, public interest whistleblowers from within the organization will be paid reward money from next year so that the whistleblowing system can be operated in a more successful and effective manner.
Award money will be offered to whistleblowers, as well. It is expected that the ACRC will pay award money for the cases where public whistleblowing leads to the improvement of public interest not only through financial punishment such as fines or penalties but also through non-financial measures such as legal and administrative punishment against wrongdoers and institutional improvement.
In 2015, KRW 1.94 billion was recovered to the central or local government revenues in the form of fines or penalties paid by those whose wrongdoings were disclosed by public interest whistleblowing. The accumulative amount of the recovered money is KRW 5.58 billion.
By area for which reward money was paid this year, matters related with the food and public health sector accounted for the largest proportion with 400 cases and KRW 327 million in total, including the omission or fraudulent labeling of place of origin of produce and the violation of the regulations on the food preservation/distribution.
The next is the public safety, with 18 cases and reward money worth KRW 15.6 million. The most representative cases include the sale of fake gasoline mixed with kerosene, and the failure to install equipment to prevent construction workers from falling from the structure under construction.
KRW 14.4 million was paid in reward for 25 reports in the environment sector including the failure to take steps to reduce dust and the illegal dumping of construction waste, followed by the consumer interest sector with KRW 7.87 million for 25 cases such as the violation of labeling standards for important consumer information on refund procedure for afterbirth-care facilities and the use of the word "realtor" by an unlicensed person on the advertisement pamphlet.
Meanwhile, 1,063 applications for the reward payment of public interest whistleblowing were submitted to the ACRC in 2015, and the 3-year (2013-2015) annual average number of applications was 1,839.
* No. of applications for reward (5,552 in total): 34 (2012) 1,153 (2013) 3,302 (2014) 1,063 (Oct. 2015)
The ACRC will raise the maximum amount of reward money to KRW 2 billion from January next year to boost public interest whistleblowing, and increase the next year's budget for reward by 2.7 times to KRW 1.02 billion. Moreover, public interest whistleblowers from within the organization will be paid reward money from next year so that the whistleblowing system can be operated in a more successful and effective manner.
Award money will be offered to whistleblowers, as well. It is expected that the ACRC will pay award money for the cases where public whistleblowing leads to the improvement of public interest not only through financial punishment such as fines or penalties but also through non-financial measures such as legal and administrative punishment against wrongdoers and institutional improvement.
