100 days after effectuation of anti-graft law

100 days after effectuation of anti-graft law. January. 05, 2017 07:13. by Young-Hae Choi yhchoi65@donga.com.

A fancy Korean restaurant in Jongno, downtown Seoul, offers a dinner set for 29,500 won (24.52 U.S. dollars) to abide by the anti-graft law commonly known as the “Kim Young-ran Act,” which bans public officials from being treated by others with a meal costing 30,000 won (24.94 dollars) or higher. The restaurant lowered the meal’s quality and dishes served to keep the price below the limit. Drinks are charged separately. Customers who expected the price to be lower than 30,000 won including drinks are frustrated. It seems that the restaurant had no other choice but to do so to attract customers and keep the business profitable.

Students asking their professors to lower their grade, let alone raise them, also violate the Kim Young-ran Act. Students who received a B on a subject in the previous semester need to get a C or lower grade in order to take another shot at the class to get an A. However, professors are not allowed to make the change. Many students complain, asking what a corruption-free society has anything to do with their request for lower grades.

The turn of the year saw many people getting promoted at corporations. However, there were no congratulatory orchids offered to the promoted. Many people turned down floral presents below the price limit set by the law just in case. Florists are screaming about their plummeting sales. Restaurants are shutting down one after another, while replacement drivers complain about slow business. All these are pains that Korea has to experience in order to make a cleaner society. However, it is an urgent task to address the plunging domestic consumption. Some people call for raising the monetary limit on meals set by the law to prevent an extreme dip in spending on dining.

Public schools in the United States sent letters to homes before the Teachers’ Day, informing parents of the fact that they can buy as many carnations and meal coupons from schools – five dollars a carnation and 20 dollars per meal. Under the Kim Young-ran Act, parents are not even allowed to offer a can of coffee to their children’s teachers. It has been 100 days since the law took effect. President Park Geun-hye, who pushed for the passage of the law, saw her call for a cleaner society faded because of a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her close confidante Choi Soon-sil. It is worrisome that the president’s alleged arm-twisting of large corporations to make them donate money to foundations controlled by Choi could cause skepticism over the Kim Young-ran Act. Government ministers and vice ministers who could not make their voices heard during the legislation process for fear of falling out of the president’s favor should now think about whether to revise the anti-graft law in a more realistic way. Even the best intended law would not be successful if it is unrealistic.