[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s two ministries overlooking agriculture and fisheries on July 28 said they would request the Ministry of Government Legislation’s policy coordination committee to make adjustments to the anti-graft law that will be implemented in September.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced their decision shortly after the Constitutional Court ruled the refuted clauses of the law -- also known as the Kim Young-ran law named after the proposer -- to be constitutional. 


The ministries said they would ask for adjustments to be made to “mitigate the expected negative impact on the local agricultural, livestock industries, and restaurant businesses.”

More specifically, they will request agricultural and livestock products to be excluded from the scope of bribes, or raise the ceiling for meal prices. In addition to eating out, gifts are often given in the form of meat or fish in Korea.

Under the Kim Young-ran law, those who receive money or valuables worth more than 1 million won ($900) from one person in one installment can be subject to a maximum penalty of three years or more in prison, or fines of five times the amount he or she accepted. The annual amount of gifts an individual can receive is set at 3 million won. 

Meals must be worth 30,000 won or less, while gifts cannot exceed 50,000 won. Monetary gifts for events such as weddings or funerals must be within the 100,000-won range. Individuals must also report to authorities if they find their spouses have received bribes.

The government policy coordination committee mediates between government ministries and divisions on legislative disputes.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)