Republic of Korea Country Profile

Private Anti-Corruption Initiatives

  • Media: Freedom of speech and the press are constitutionally guaranteed in Korea. Freedom House 2009 reports that Korea's media are free and competitive. Newspapers are privately owned and report well on governmental policies and alleged official and corporate wrongdoing. Nonetheless, according to Bertelsmann Foundation 2008, research by the media on government activities is limited by the system of press clubs, which are attached to the various ministries. The idea of these press clubs is that the media which are too critical of government actions can be excluded from individual press clubs. In addition, the National Security Law (NSL) has led to a certain degree of self-censorship on the part of the media. Most newspapers and news stations have a conservative outlook on political affairs. The conservative tendency of the daily newspapers has been somewhat balanced in recent years by alternative online news and information resources, including the online newspaper, which receives its articles from 'citizen reporters'. According to Freedom House 2009, the government censors violent and sexually explicit websites. Korea is ranked 66th out of 195 countries in the Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index 2009, which also describes the media environment in Korea as 'free'. Additionally, Korea ranks 69th out of 175 countries according to Reporters Without Borders 2010.

  • Civil Society: Korea has a vibrant civil society. CSOs have taken an active oversight role in monitoring and assessing the activities of both government and companies. The progressive government that has ruled Korea since 2003 takes CSOs seriously and has made repeated attempts to incorporate their ideas into official policy, as reported by Bertelsmann Foundation 2008. Members of civil society have been given high-profile posts in the cabinet and in advisory commissions. Bertelsmann Foundation 2008 reports that most CSOs focus on domestic issues. According to Freedom House 2009, freedom of assembly is respected in Korea, and the Law on Assembly and Demonstrations requires only that the police be informed in advance of all demonstrations, including political rallies. NGOs are active and, for most part, operate freely. However, the government's approach to issues related to North Korea can impede NGO activities, as reported by Freedom House 2009.

  • Transparency International Korea (TI Korea): Founded in 1999 by a coalition of CSOs, TI Korea aims at contributing to the construction of a non-corrupt society through its anti-corruption initiatives. TI Korea's main activities include research and development of anti-corruption policies and legislation, and introduction and implementation of a Citizen Ombudsman, as stated at the official website of the organisation. Access the TI Korea Activity Report 2008.