South Korea is moving to guarantee larger payouts for people who report corruption and wrongdoing that prevents losses to public finances. The government plans to raise the budget for whistleblower rewards more than ninefold in a single year, from 4.9 billion won to 45.1 billion won.
Reward Budget Jumps From 4.9 Billion to 45.1 Billion Won
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said on the 8th that it has submitted to the National Assembly its proposed 2027 budget and fund plan totaling 186.2 billion won, up 74.5 billion won from this year. This year's budget stands at 111.7 billion won.
The largest increase goes to support for people who report corruption and matters of public interest. Spending on reward payments, prize money and relief funds will rise by 40.2 billion won, from 4.9 billion won this year to 45.1 billion won next year. The funds will be transferred to a new Public Interest Reporting Promotion Fund to be established by the Ministry of Planning and Budget.
The payment formula will also change substantially. Under the current system, payouts range from 4% to 30% of the "eligible reward amount" — the money a public institution recovers, gains in additional revenue or saves in costs as a result of a report. Amounts up to 100 million won draw 30%, but for sums above 4 billion won the rate applied to the excess falls to as low as 4%.
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