China could take lessons from South Korea on its widening anti-graft campaign, South Korea’s first female Supreme Court justice told China’s state-run media on Thursday.
Kim Young-ran, the former justice who recently became a household name in South Korea for proposing an anti-corruption bill in 2011 as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, made the comments in an interview with China’s state-run Global Times newspaper.
The bill proposed by Kim became law earlier this year
“(In) Countries such as China, the situation is more complex. But, you can learn from Korea’s experience,” Kim was quoted as saying.
During the interview, Kim introduced South Korea’s past experiences of battling corruption, saying the priority should be to secure “transparency and openness.”
The new South Korean anti-graft law still remains controversial at home, but Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly spoke of it in early March.
The law allows authorities to criminally punish public officials, journalists and private-school teachers if they receive money, gifts or favors worth more than 1 million won ($915.7), regardless of whether it is in exchange for favors or related to their work.
Last week, Chinese authorities indicted former security chief Zhou Yongkang for bribery, abuse of power and others charges, making him the highest-profile figure caught up in Xi’s anti-corruption drive. (Yonhap)
