South Korea has made remarkable strides to provide aid for whistleblowers, establishing one particularly important reform was the Anti-Corruption Act which created a foundation for improvements in transparency in the government and security for whistleblowers. The act was created to show a clear outline of the proceedings that are followed in the event of a whistleblower, further informing the public on the relatively new concept of whistleblowing. In order to emphasize their stance on corruption, it is mandatory to report any type of corruption observed, further encouraging whistleblowing. (Chang et al). The Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers was established following the Anti-Corruption Act and allowed for both public and private whistleblowers to gain legal protections and financial compensation. Even though there are effective reforms implemented to encourage whistleblowing, there is still a lack of societal acceptance. Oftentimes, those who come forward with confidential information from their place of employment are shamed by their coworkers and sometimes their family. It is seen as disrespectful to their country and these individuals find it extremely difficult to find another place of employment. Unfortunately, the continuous emotional abuse that can occur as a result of whistleblowing had pushed some to suicide. Another deterrent is that jobs are generally already scarce due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis which contributed to a compact budget and therefore less demand for new employees. Employees are less likely to come forward because of financial need and job security.
A whistleblower named Lee Moon-ok who, as a public official of the Board of Audit and Inspection, became cognizant of illegal activities that took place in the government. Illegal lobbying often occurred which signifies that some bills passing through the government were not taken through the necessary steps and deliberation in order for it to become a law. He decided to expose these illegal proceedings which inevitably uncovered corruption between branches of the government. As a result, he was placed under arrest on the grounds that the information he was sharing was confidential. After years of legal proceedings, he was found not guilty.
Another notable case was when Lieutenant Lee Jee-mun blew the whistle on the Korean military. He stated that it was mandatory for soldiers ”to attend a special lecture on the theme of supporting ruling-party candidates” (Chang et al.). In addition to these lectures, they were forced to be involved in proxy voting where they allow their votes to be represented by another person. These mandatory events happened during the 14th National Congressional Election of 1922 which would effectively have caused a major shift towards ruling-party candidates. After Lieutenant Lee came forward, he was charged on spreading disinformation and stripped of his rank. Although he was found not guilty, he could not return to his original position in the military or in the Samsung group where he had originally worked before the military.
Citations:
Chang, Yongjin, et al. “Determinants of Whistleblowing Intention: Evidence from the South Korean Government.” Public Performance & Management Review, vol. 40, no. 4, 16 May 2017, pp. 676–700., doi:10.1080/15309576.2017.1318761.
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