PM Han Seong-sook Vows to Break Chains of Local Corruption, Respond with 'Zero Tolerance'

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook has announced, "I will break the chain of deep-rooted local corruption and misconduct."

In a post shared on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Prime Minister Han stated, "We will not tolerate fouls and privileges under the name of customary practice."

She pointed out that "funneling public works contracts and exchanging preferential favors in licensing and permitting" is "a representative form of local corruption where public officials, private businesses, and brokers collude to divide local interests among themselves."

"The government conducted a special crackdown from March through the end of September, uncovering 2,107 individuals for offenses such as accepting money or valuables and granting preferential treatment in permits; of these, 863 were referred to the prosecution and 27 were detained," she explained.

She continued, "In July, we expanded the dedicated police investigative force from 1,355 to 1,839 personnel and intensified enforcement by designating 'illegal acts in private contracts'—a typical type of irregularity—as a key investigative focus," adding, "We are also thoroughly pursuing illicit gains, including freezing approximately 4 billion won in criminal proceeds."

Prime Minister Han emphasized, "Going forward, we will continue to respond sternly to unlawful acts with investigations that have no sanctuary and a zero-tolerance principle," adding, "We will protect fairness in local communities and the trust of our residents."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.