– 17 laws including the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics, etc. to be added to the list of laws the violation of which is subject to public interest disclosure

– personal identity of a public interest whistleblower who reports concealment of proceeds of narcotics crimes, etc. to be thoroughly protected

(21. Feb. 2024, ACRC)

From now on, whistleblowers can receive protection and rewards under the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act for reporting concealment of narcotics criminal proceeds.

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Cheol Whan) announced that the revision bill on the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act, which aims to add 17 laws including the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics, etc. to the list of laws violations of which fall under the scope of acts detrimental to the public interest subject to public interest disclosure, passed at the National Assembly’s plenary session on March 1.

* acts detrimental to the public interest mean any of the following acts detrimental to the health and safety of the people, the environment, the interests of consumers, fair competition, and public interest equivalent thereto: any act subject to the penalty provisions or administrative measures for the cancellation or suspension of approval or permission, etc. under the Acts prescribed in the attached Table of the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act.

When the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act was enacted in 2011, only the acts that violate 180 laws stipulated in the Act were prescribed as acts subject to the public interest whistleblowing disclosure.

Since then, ACRC has continued to add laws directly linked to the public livelihood and requiring protection and rewards for whistleblowers to the list of laws subject to the public interest whistleblower disclosure, and currently there are 474 laws on the list.

Amid rising needs for facilitating reports on narcotics crimes while reinforcing whistleblower protection and rewards due to recent incidents involving narcotics, the revision bill on the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act was passed at the National Assembly on March 1, adding 17 laws including the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics, etc. to the list of laws subject to public interest whistleblowing disclosure.

From now on, if a person files a report on acts violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking in Narcotics, etc. such as concealing proceeds of narcotics crimes, the person will be protected and rewarded as a public interest whistleblower.

The personal information of a whistleblower will not be disclosed without consent, and protective measures against disadvantageous measures or life/physical threats, etc. by reason of having filed a whistleblowing disclosure will be provided by the ACRC. Where a criminal act of a whistleblower is found in connection with a whistleblowing disclosure, the whistleblower may face reduced punishment or be exempt from the relevant punishment.

In addition, where a whistleblowing disclosure brings remarkable property benefits to a public institution, prevents its loss, or promotes the public interest, the whistleblower may be granted up to 500 million won in monetary awards.

ACRC Secretary General and Vice Chairperson Chung Seung Yun said, “I expect that the scope of protection for a whistleblower will be expanded through the revision to the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act, thereby facilitating the detection of acts detrimental to the public interest, including narcotics crimes.”