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Busan Metropolitan City Named an “Excellent Institution” for Two Consecutive Years in the Public Officials Ethics System Operation Evaluation

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has been selected as an “Excellent Institution” for the second consecutive year in the “2024 Public Officials Ethics System Operation Evaluation” conducted by the Ministry of Personnel Management.

At the awards ceremony held on December 16 at the Government Complex Sejong, the City’s Audit Committee received an institutional commendation from the Minister of Personnel Management, along with individual commendations. This achievement follows last year’s institutional award for best practices in operating the public officials ethics system, marking two consecutive years of institutional recognition.

The evaluation was conducted on a total of 289 institutions nationwide, including metropolitan and basic local governments and offices of education. Institutions were assessed based on 30 evaluation items across 11 areas of public officials ethics, such as asset registration and review, and restrictions on employment and activities.

The Public Officials Ethics System Operation Evaluation is a mechanism that comprehensively reviews compliance with relevant laws and regulations and the appropriateness of administrative procedures related to public officials ethics, including asset registration and disclosure, and restrictions on employment and activities after retirement. The Ministry of Personnel Management conducts this evaluation annually for public institutions nationwide.

This year’s evaluation was carried out over four weeks, from July 24 to August 22, focusing on compliance with public officials ethics-related laws and regulations. Key areas of assessment included asset registration, disclosure, and review; refusal of disclosure; restrictions on employment and activities; the blind trust system for stocks; operation of the gift reporting system; and restrictions on newly acquiring stocks and real estate.

Busan Metropolitan City received high scores in all 30 evaluation items across the 11 areas, earning recognition for its strict implementation of the public officials ethics system aimed at ensuring fair performance of official duties and preventing conflicts of interest.

In addition, the City has continuously provided in-house training for officials subject to ethics compliance requirements and operated a “Property Declaration Promotion Day” to encourage accurate asset reporting. Through this initiative, on-site consultations were provided for asset registration items prone to errors, helping to alleviate difficulties encountered during the reporting process. As a result, the City achieved a 100 percent asset declaration rate within the reporting period.

The City also offered separate guidance for individuals subject to disclosure refusal reviews and conducted in-person briefings on employment restrictions for retired public officials. These proactive support measures to help public officials smoothly comply with the ethics system were cited as key factors contributing to this achievement.

Yoon Hee-yeon, Chairperson of the City’s Audit Committee, stated, “We will continue to operate the public officials ethics system in a substantive and rigorous manner to firmly establish fair performance of official duties and to build a transparent municipal administration that earns the trust of citizens.”