Police Crack Down on Local Corruption: Over 500 Apprehended, Scope to Expand to 'Illegal Negligence'

The police have apprehended 535 individuals, including public officials, and referred them to the prosecution following a special crackdown on local corruption that began in March.
The police have decided to establish a dedicated task force and expand the scope of the crackdown to include illegal negligence in order to eradicate corruption rooted in local communities.
The National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency announced today, July 19, that it investigated 1,450 people involved in 554 cases during the special crackdown from March 4 to July 8. Of those, 535 were referred to the prosecution, and 20 were arrested.
In the southern Gyeonggi Province, 15 people, including a regional council member, were apprehended for receiving approximately 450 million won in kickbacks from contract amounts in exchange for providing favors in budget allocation and the selection of suppliers. Three of them have been arrested.
In North Chungcheong Province, two employees of a partner company for a local public institution branch were arrested for allegedly embezzling 1.67 billion won by falsely ordering goods worth approximately 2.5 billion won and then selling them.
The National Office of Investigation stated that it has determined that a high-intensity crackdown is necessary to eradicate local corruption and will expand the special crackdown starting July 20.
To this end, a Regional Corruption Response Task Force (TF) will be established within the National Police Agency to oversee policy planning and investigation guidance related to local corruption. In addition to the existing anti-corruption and economic crime investigation units at the municipal and provincial police agencies, the metropolitan crime investigation units will also be incorporated into the dedicated investigation system.
Illegal negligence, which refers to cases where officials are aware of illegal activities but ignore or condone them based on long-term collusive ties, will also be newly included as a key target for the crackdown.
The police explained that they plan to hold a monthly meeting to check the progress of eradicating local corruption, presided over by the Director of the Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency, to review enforcement results and the status of institutional improvements nationwide.
(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.