No progress is being made on the anticorruption bill aimed at high-ranking energy industry officials, despite repeated calls for tougher measures from lawmakers themselves.
The bill has been waiting for review by the National Assembly for almost 10 months since last year.
The situation is creating an ironic twist during the ongoing parliamentary audit period, as many lawmakers are criticizing the poor maintenance of the country’s nuclear reactors ― while the standing committee has been sitting on the bill that was introduced in December to combat the very problem.
The bill, first proposed by Rep. Jung Soo-sung of the ruling Saenuri Party, was inspired by last year’s corruption scandal in which some 100 officials and suppliers in the energy industry were charged over faked safety certificates for nuclear reactor parts.
The scandal, which revealed that hundreds of flawed components may have been used, led to the shutting down of almost half of the country’s 23 reactors last year.
The proposed bill provides for tougher punitive measures against those involved with corruption, including up to a 10-year imprisonment for faking documents.
The bill also proposes to ban public servants in the industry from working in private firms for at least two years after retirement, and mandatory disclosure of assets for all high-ranking public officials in the field.
The country’s nuclear power plants, most of them located on the nation’s southeast coast, supply about one-third of South Korea’s electricity.
The review of the bill has been delayed partly because of the National Assembly’s paralysis since the Sewol ferry disaster in April.
An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the government will request for a prompt review of the anticorruption bill as soon as the ongoing parliamentary audit ends. “We think that it can be implemented by June or July next year,” he said.
