ID :
34666
Tue, 12/09/2008 - 16:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34666
The shortlink copeid
(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Dec. 9) - Expat perception
More than half (50.5 percent) of expatriates here believe Korean bureaucracy is corrupt while only 17.5 percent do not think so, according to a recent survey by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
The "corruption perception index" they calculated for Korean public servants stood at 4.05, with full integrity being 10. This could mean that the average Korean government employee
is not very trustworthy.
As it is based on questionnaires to a relatively small number of people - 200 -
including members of foreign missions, foreign chambers of commerce, and
employees of international business firms, we may discount the statistical value
of the survey. But what disturbs us is that figures worsened from last year's
45.5 percent with a negative opinion and 4.16 in the perception index.
The survey revealed that 5.5 percent or 11 out of the 200 respondents had direct
experience with corrupt practices such as providing gifts or entertainment in
exchange for bureaucratic favors. This indicates that foreigners' perceptions of
the state of corruption in this country are largely formed by second-hand
information, namely media reports and words from their Korean business
associates, but they tend to wrap up things they hear and see with a local
culture tolerant of favoritism.
In a country where the sons, brothers, cousins, in-laws and old buddies of
present and former presidents are arrested for involvement in various forms of
graft, foreign residents must surely recognize how common corruption is in our
society. The problem for those expatriates is that they are more or less forced
to accept this reality due to the need to continue doing business here.
Some may learn the art of shady deals with corrupt bureaucrats and take part in
them. Others may endure improprieties until they leave. Once out of the country,
their experiences may be disseminated in the international business community,
possibly being a little exaggerated, and the feared result is a bad reputation of
Korean officialdom that could affect foreign investment here.
The recent criminal trial of a bribery case heard a former president of the
American Chamber of Commerce here account how he happened to witness a famous
lobbyist, his business associate, deliver what was assumed to be a huge sum of
cash to a former lawmaker whose help was sought in connection with an overseas
energy project. With the rapid progress of globalization, foreigners' exposure to
local corruption is growing.
The survey of expatriates must have been intended to enlist their help in Korea's
anti-corruption endeavors. Government authorities need to demonstrate their
efforts to cut the web of connections between businesses and bureaucrats, which
the foreign residents here point to as the hotbed of corruption, and open their
ears to suggestions concerning trade procedures, taxation and business licensing,
areas where the corruption index is closely related.
(END)
Downlo
The "corruption perception index" they calculated for Korean public servants stood at 4.05, with full integrity being 10. This could mean that the average Korean government employee
is not very trustworthy.
As it is based on questionnaires to a relatively small number of people - 200 -
including members of foreign missions, foreign chambers of commerce, and
employees of international business firms, we may discount the statistical value
of the survey. But what disturbs us is that figures worsened from last year's
45.5 percent with a negative opinion and 4.16 in the perception index.
The survey revealed that 5.5 percent or 11 out of the 200 respondents had direct
experience with corrupt practices such as providing gifts or entertainment in
exchange for bureaucratic favors. This indicates that foreigners' perceptions of
the state of corruption in this country are largely formed by second-hand
information, namely media reports and words from their Korean business
associates, but they tend to wrap up things they hear and see with a local
culture tolerant of favoritism.
In a country where the sons, brothers, cousins, in-laws and old buddies of
present and former presidents are arrested for involvement in various forms of
graft, foreign residents must surely recognize how common corruption is in our
society. The problem for those expatriates is that they are more or less forced
to accept this reality due to the need to continue doing business here.
Some may learn the art of shady deals with corrupt bureaucrats and take part in
them. Others may endure improprieties until they leave. Once out of the country,
their experiences may be disseminated in the international business community,
possibly being a little exaggerated, and the feared result is a bad reputation of
Korean officialdom that could affect foreign investment here.
The recent criminal trial of a bribery case heard a former president of the
American Chamber of Commerce here account how he happened to witness a famous
lobbyist, his business associate, deliver what was assumed to be a huge sum of
cash to a former lawmaker whose help was sought in connection with an overseas
energy project. With the rapid progress of globalization, foreigners' exposure to
local corruption is growing.
The survey of expatriates must have been intended to enlist their help in Korea's
anti-corruption endeavors. Government authorities need to demonstrate their
efforts to cut the web of connections between businesses and bureaucrats, which
the foreign residents here point to as the hotbed of corruption, and open their
ears to suggestions concerning trade procedures, taxation and business licensing,
areas where the corruption index is closely related.
(END)
Downlo
