Reports of violations of South Korea's anti-graft law fell to 1,280 last year, the lowest on record, while the number of people penalized dropped 23.8% from a year earlier to 340.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said on the 28th that it reached the findings after reviewing how the law has been implemented at about 24,000 public institutions, marking the 10th anniversary of the law taking effect.
A total of 17,455 reports were filed between September 2016, when the law took effect, and the end of last year. Improper solicitation was the most common category at 9,346 cases, or 53.5%, followed by the receipt of money or goods at 7,558 cases, or 43.3%, and excessive honorariums for outside lectures at 551 cases, or 3.2%.
Among the 2,983 people penalized since the law took effect, however, 2,828, or 94.8%, were punished for receiving money or goods. Last year as well, 95.3% of all those penalized were cited for the same violation.
"At the regional briefings we hold each year for the officers in charge of preventing improper solicitation at each public institution, we plan to focus on sharing cases of violations and punishments involving the receipt of money or goods to raise awareness among public officials," a commission official said.
The review also identified seven cases filed in 2025 in which follow-up steps were inadequate, such as a failure to issue notices of administrative fines. The commission has asked the institutions that handled those reports to take corrective action and plans to monitor the cases until all have been remedied.
In a public survey conducted in June this year, 87.1% of respondents said the law has had a positive effect. By sector, the share of respondents citing positive effects was highest in public administration at 75.4%, followed by education at 72.9% and the media at 56.8%. Asked about future improvements, however, 61.4% pointed to stronger detection and punishment of violations as the top priority.
"We will continue working to ensure that the original purpose of the law — guaranteeing that public officials carry out their duties fairly — is realized," commission Chairperson Jung Il-yeon said.
