The government advised banning overseas trips by local council members whose terms are nearing expiration. The move is meant to stop some local councilors from taking overseas junkets after losing in the next local elections or declaring they will not run. Under the measure, local council members with less than one year left in their terms may travel abroad only when invited by a foreign government, to attend international events, or to establish sister-city ties.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said on the 26th that it would advise all local councils to adopt a revised "standard rules for official overseas travel by local council members" that includes these measures.
This additional advisory follows a standard rules draft released in January to 234 local councils for pre- and post-management of junket-type trips. Earlier in Dec. last year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) released management measures such as limiting visits to one institution per day during overseas trips and disclosing travel plans in advance. The move followed a Dec. last year report by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission pointing out multiple problems in local council members' overseas travel, including ticket manipulation and false claims for travel expenses.
Despite these pre- and post-management measures, controversy over junket-type overseas trips by local council members has not abated. Concerns are growing especially with the expiration of local council members' terms in June next year. Vice Minister Kim Min-jae of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said, "A local council term is four years, and in the fourth year, as the election period approaches, they are not allowed to go abroad, so trips have increased recently."
In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) prepared a strengthened standard rules draft for official overseas travel by local council members to prevent simple junket-type trips and is advising local council members to adopt it.
First, the pre-review process for official overseas travel will be further strengthened. If a local council member has one year or less remaining in the term, overseas travel will be allowed only in unavoidable cases such as invitations from foreign governments, attending international events, or concluding sister-city agreements. General overseas trips will be permitted by the chair only when conditions such as urgency and the potential to utilize trip results are met. The chair's approval review will be disclosed on the website to gather residents' opinions.
Post-trip oversight will also be tightened. Local council members who have received disciplinary action will face restrictions on overseas travel for a set period. If a review committee that examines the validity after the trip finds the travel illegal or improper, the local council will be required to request an audit or investigation from external and internal audit bodies.
Based on the results of audits or investigations by the audit bodies, appropriate actions will be taken, such as referring local council members for investigation and imposing internal disciplinary measures.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) also plans to consider imposing financial penalties, such as reducing grant-in-aid (non-earmarked tax) and overseas travel expenses, on local councils flagged in audits for illegal or improper official overseas trips.
However, for the ministry's policy to be effective, local councils must apply it through a local government ordinance or council rules. That is because the ministry's ban on junket-type overseas trips is only an "advisory" and not legally binding. Vice Minister Kim Min-jae said, "We held prior consultations with metropolitan governments, councils, chairs' councils, and city, county, and district councils and chairs' councils," adding, "Once we issue the advisory, we expect local councils to revise their rules on their own."
In addition, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) plans to set up protections so council staff are not subjected to unfair treatment by local council members. For official overseas travel, it will establish grounds allowing staff to refuse illegal or improper instructions from local council members, such as recommending a specific travel agency, forcing a trip, or demanding violations of accounting-related laws. It will also ban any disadvantage in personnel matters or evaluations resulting from a council staff member's refusal to follow a local council member's instructions.
Minister Yoon Ho-jung of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said, "We will work with local governments so local councils can fully meet their roles and responsibilities in line with residents' expectations."