Input 2021.03.24 18:18 | Revision 2021.03.24 18:26
New/Subordinate Public Officials’Booly Booly’
Maximum life imprisonment for the use of undisclosed information
Passed the law to double the sentence for confidential leakage of LH employees
The National Assembly held a plenary session on the 24th, and the so-called’LH 5 Act (Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, Public Officials Ethics Act, Special Act on Public Housing) to prevent the abuse of undisclosed information and real estate speculation by public officials promoted in the wake of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) land dumping case. , Korea Land and Housing Corporation Act, Real Estate Transaction Act)’, three bills (Public Officials Ethics Act, Public Housing Special Act, and Korea Land and Housing Corporation Act) were passed.
The current law mandates property registration only for state officials in general positions of level 4 or higher, heads and vice-directors of public enterprises, and standing directors and auditors. The amendment also made it possible to restrict the person who is obligated to register property belonging to state agencies, local governments, and public officials-related organizations and interested parties from acquiring new real estate that are related to business.
The’Amendment to the Special Act on Public Housing’ allowed public officials to use undisclosed information that they learned on the job for real estate sales, up to life imprisonment. On this day, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation Act, which doubled the sentence that LH employees could receive when they leaked official secrets, also passed a plenary session of the National Assembly.
These bills were raised on the 2nd, when a meeting of lawyers for solidarity and democratization raised suspicion that LH employees used internal information to purchase land in candidate sites for the 3rd new towns in Gwangmyeong and Siheung. However, over the laws passed that day, government officials criticized the government’s ruling party that the LH incident was defined as a deviation from some public corporations or middle and low-ranking public officials, and that it was “cutting the tail” as a follow-up measure. The’Revision of the Public Officials Ethics Act’, which mandates property registration for all public officials and employees of related organizations engaged in real estate-related business, is a bill that is typically criticized.
Since the outbreak of the LH crisis, the joint government investigation headquarters and the national investigation headquarters are conducting their own investigations. The 14 public officials, whose retirements were short-lived, were mostly identified as Level 5 to Level 5, and the Pocheon City Officer, which the police seized and searched for, were also Level 5 officials. The investigation of high-ranking positions did not proceed, except for the former head of the Happiness Center Complex Construction Administration (Vice Minister-level), where the Sejong City police conduct an internal investigation, to purchase land in the candidate site for the Sejong City Smart National Complex.
For this reason, it is pointed out that it is not desirable for government officials to make a law that only strengthens the control of middle and low-ranking public officials based on the total investigation by the government joint investigation team. There are also criticisms of whether it is giving a’speculation indulgence’ for high-ranking officials, including members of the National Assembly, while excluding high-ranking officials from the target of strengthening regulations.
One public official said, “The accident was hit by high-ranking employees or those who are about to retire, but it is difficult to understand that the duty to register property was imposed on lower-ranking positions.” In the 7th level public service community, “(high-ranking employees) use even new employees to get on the water”, “LH all employees, spouses, parliamentarians, and spouses should be thoroughly investigated.” There were also voices concerned about the exposure of sensitive personal information between couples and families.
On the other hand, among the LH5 Acts, the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act and the Real Estate Transaction Act are likely to pass to the next provisional National Assembly without narrowing the disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties, which are the standing committees under jurisdiction.