The Indo-Pacific Regional Meeting of the Second Summit For Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was held in Seoul on the 30th of March, 2023. There are various views on the democracy summit, but the anti-corruption topic was highly welcomed as the central theme of this summit.
In particular, the main topics covered at this second Democracy Summit included: strengthening the role of civil society, financial transparency, anti-money laundering, technology and corruption, and international cooperation in fighting against corruption, which was appropriate in light of the current global situation.
At the meeting, there was some comments that Seoul Declaration adopted by the government representatives of the participating countries did not go through the appropriate procedures for the purpose of the meeting. Despite the cooperation between the government and civil society – being the main focus of the discussion – civil society was excluded from the process of adopting the Seoul Declaration.
Although there are some regrets in the discussion process, it is meaningful enough in the regional meeting and declaration context. Moreover, it is even more meaningful and significant in the Korean context.
The declaration includes contents such as anti-money laundering and asset recovery efforts, international cooperation, strengthening the role of civil society, strengthening anti-corruption education, and utilization of technology. In addition, many of the crucial policies are included in the declaration.
In the issues of the Seoul Declaration, we focus on strengthening the role of civil society and expanding participation of civil society, and preventing money laundering because these are the most critical assignments in Korea.
The cooperation between the private sector and government is currently the most important topic on the agenda of international discussions to combat corruption and create a fair society. To this, the government must ensure the activities of civil society and should be active in cooperating with civil society.
What is the context in South Korea?
The public-private partnership program, which has been working in various facets since the Kim Dae-jung administration, is suspended under the current government. Almost one year has passed since the government’s inauguration, but the government’s blueprint for anti-corruption activities through public-private cooperation has not been created.
We ask the Korean government to faithfully carry out the commitments made in the Seoul Declaration to strengthen the role of civil society and expand participation. It is necessary to demonstrate its status as a host of the summit and to express its commitment to implementing the declaration not only to the participating countries of the Indo-Pacific Regional meeting but also to the world. This will significantly help Korea’s position as the host of the next summit on democracy.
The next thing we are paying attention to is anti-money laundering. As a member of the FATF, Korea should become a leader among Indo-Pacific countries in strengthening the transparency of beneficial ownership, which was resolved at the General Assembly of FATF in February.
In addition, we demand that the government show active leadership in implementing anti-corruption education and using technology to prevent corruption and enhance transparency.
Republic of Korea’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI, 2022) ranks 31st, which is shameful considering the country’s global economic status. In particular, it is still in the lower middle bracket among OECD countries. Therefore, it is time to put more effort into combatting corruption.
We hope South Korea will become the leader in anti-corruption activities in the Indo-Pacific region by implementing the Seoul Declaration at the forefront. Furthermore, we expect Korea to be a country with more advanced integrity and fairness country.
Transparency International-Korea Chapter