Gov’t to raise ceiling for meals for public servants

The state anti-corruption agency said Monday it has decided to ease restrictions on the price of meals served to public officials and relevant individuals. Under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, often called the Kim Young-ran law, public officials and individuals in specific roles, such as journalists and private school teachers, are not allowed to be served meals worth more than 30,000 won (US$21.61) per person. But the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced the decision to raise the ceiling to 50,000 won amid growing calls for hikes from small business owners and restaurant owners to better reflect the current reality and to boost domestic consumption. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo have raised the need for its adjustment. The revision is not subject to parliamentary approval and the commission plans to pre-announce the revision of the enforcement ordinance as early as Tuesday. There also have been calls for doubling the upper limit of agricultural and l ivestock product gifts from the current 150,000 won, but the commission decided to have further discussions on the matter, according to officials. The law came into effect in 2016 after being pushed for by Kim Young-ran, former commission chief, as part of efforts to root out corruption and boost transparency in the public realm. Source: Yonhap News Agency