Following back-to-back incidents of public servants illegally going on livestreaming platforms to create sexual content, the government has rolled out a set of guidelines for public officials’ duties to prevent such incidents from happening, according to reports on Friday.
On Monday, the Ministry of Personnel Management reportedly distributed a document to all ministries on the ethical conduct of national public service officials and specified guidelines for public officials’ personal internet broadcasting activities.
The report states that a public servant must obtain permission from the appropriate authority before engaging in any type of livestreaming activity. It also articulates that a public official must not “violate their obligation to maintain dignity,” such as by explicitly exposing their body parts or using profanity in their content.
In addition, the government will investigate all 760,000 national public officials through Jan. 7 to inspect whether they have engaged in broadcasting adult content. Those on leave and dispatched officials will also be subject to scrutiny, according to reports citing government sources.
The toughened measures come after a 20-something-year-old special judicial police officer, a grade seven civil servant position here, was found to have livestreamed sexual content on several R-rated streaming platforms, including Broadcasting Jockey -- more commonly known as a BJ -- before she took her public post. She reportedly had some 1,000 viewers.
The department has since launched an internal audit to determine whether she had violated her duty to maintain dignity under the State Public Officials Act and sought additional income through such activities.
Last week, another grade seven national public officer in her 20s under a central government department came under fire for conducting livestreams during work hours through overseas social media platforms, where she allegedly explicitly exposed herself. The emblem of the South Korean government and her civil servant ID were also visible.
The official reportedly received a three-month suspension.
