"If only local civil servants were clean, local development would improve." Many residents in rural areas say exactly that — and the lax work habits of certain local officials are plain for anyone to see.
In some corners of the provinces, far from Greater Seoul and major cities, officials sometimes seem to have lost their feel for the law. And they say things like this, openly. These are the seeds of crime.
"A safety accident? I don't know anything about that. Ask the police." "Brother, let me look into it for you." "That thing last time worked out well — with the holiday coming up, I sent you something decent." "Routing that over this way won't be a problem." "I'll see what I can do — just keep things a little looser going forward." "This place is good. I've got a card someone gave me, but let's put it on yours." "Mr. X gave it to me. I took good care of him, didn't I?"
Some local civil servants know that such conduct can constitute dereliction of duty, breach of trust, corrupt acceptance of benefits, abuse of authority, bribery, embezzlement or third-party bribery. Yet they work in tight-knit communities where everyone knows everyone, audits and investigations are rare, and their legal instincts have grown dull. So they step across the line.
They passed the civil service exam, so they know the law. Whether a few wayward local officials will only come to their senses through regular audits and investigations remains to be seen.
Over the years, the local public sector has seen plenty of guidance, recommendations and campaigns — but the whip has rarely come out.
More than two decades ago, when investigators launched a targeted probe of mid- and lower-ranking civil servants, hundreds of local officials were arrested in a matter of months.
With public grievances mounting, 2026 may be the moment to take a scalpel to the local public sector. Against that backdrop, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province held its "2026 Gangwon Region Integrated Anti-Corruption and Integrity Education" session — known as Integrity Live — on Thursday. The province is one of the institutions designated to receive Integrity Live training support from the National Integrity and Public Interest Education Institute.
Gangwon Province has been coordinating with the National Integrity and Public Interest Education Institute to run the session as a region-wide integrated program bringing together public institutions and private organizations. The event was designed in particular to mark the launch of a new provincial administration by reminding the entire public sector of the importance of fairness and transparency, and by sharing a commitment to running the province with integrity.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Gov. Woo Sang-ho said integrity "is not simply a passive obligation to avoid breaking rules, but the basic posture of a public servant who judges fairly from the perspective of residents and works with accountability." He added: "When standards are fair, processes are transparent and outcomes can be explained, residents can trust the administration. That trust is the driving force behind provincial governance."
Woo said that making the organization's procedures and standards transparent "will not only eliminate preferential treatment, but will also put an end to situations where civil servants work hard and yet are unfairly saddled with blame." He said he would "create an environment where public servants can work with conviction, free from outside pressure."
Last year, the province launched the second-term Integrity Society Public-Private Council, bringing together 23 institutions including the provincial government, the provincial office of education, public institutions and private organizations, and has been identifying and pursuing joint initiatives to spread an anti-corruption culture.
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