transparent-society-2014

Transparent Society Award

Transparent Society Award

Since 2001, TI-Korea has been awarding various groups, organizations, and individuals who demonstrated brave and laudable acts by practicing virtues of honesty, integrity, and transparency. In general, we award recipients who fight against corrupt practices in various sectors in the Korean society.

Transparency Society Award is being given annually by TI-Korea with special or well-established prizes provided or donated by various institutions that are supportive to our anti-corruption activities. Usually, the awarding ceremony takes place in the first week of December. Various individuals, business representatives, government officials, civil society organization representatives, media/reporters, among other guests, may partake in this celebration.

The recipients of the award have to pass through a series of the selection process to be conducted by TI-Korea staff and board members. A research or study on the background of the recipient and the nature of the anti-corruption action will be conducted as points for qualifications or criteria to be considered for the award.

So far, the most common recipients of the awards were those who divulged irregularities in both public and private sectors. ‘Whistleblowing’ is the most popular expression being used recently to describe this honorable act, especially when talking about anti-corruption issues.

2017 Transparent Society Awardees

Young-Gab Choi (Policeman who investigated and revealed a grand corruption case in Seoul’s urban redevelopment sector)

Jong-Min Oh (Auditor of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education who conducted special investigations on private kindergartens in Gyeonggi province for the first time in Korea)

Kwang-Ho Kim (Former department head of Hyundai Motor Company who disclosed several car defects at his company)

Seung-Il Noh (Former head of K-Sports Foundation who has submitted and disclosed information about the Choi Soon-sil scandal to prosecutors and Members of Parliament)

2016 Transparent Society Awardees

Park, Young-goon

Mr. Park is a professor at Myongji University, Seoul, who publicly exposed irregularities at his university. Due to his brave and laudable act, the university’s president was later dismissed, what made the university’s new administration more transparent. Professor Park’s action made him a recipient of TI-Korea’s 2016 award.

Jeon, Phil-geun

As an expert and an independent journalist, Mr. Jeon was the first one to cover various corruption and bribery scandals both at private universities (such as the University of Suwon, Konkook University, Duksung Women’s University and Gyeongju University) and educational institutes (e.g. after school programs). His investigations and reports have been a great contribution towards more transparency and integrity in the private schooling system in Korea.

Jeon, Gyeong-won

Mr. Jeon is a teacher at Hana Academy, a private High School in Seoul, who reported the organized score manipulation at his school to the Seoul City Council in August 2015. In order to maintain the gender ratio, Hana Academy allegedly offered additional points in the admission exams to male students, while academically skilled female students lost their chances of being admitted. Mr. Jeon’s action confirms that public disclosure of such illicit acts and establishing fair and transparent selection process of students is necessary for stirring up public opinion. Due to his report to Seoul City Council, Mr. Jeon has lost his job as a teacher at Hana Academy.

 Kim, Ue-gyeom; Ryu, Lee-geun; Pang, Jun-ho; Ha, Oh-yong

These awardees are journalists at the daily newspaper “The Hankyoreh” and have been selected because they were the first ones to report that Mir Foundation and K-Sports Foundation are related to the scandals involving Ms. Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of President Park Geun-hye. The recipients have also contributed greatly to discovering the present reality of the government-run institutions related to Choi Soon-sil’s scandals.

JTBC (TV Channel) News Department II

The recipients have been selected as awardees for being the first ones to reveal that Choi Soon-sil is meddling with state affairs through the contents of the PC tablet discovered. Specifically, the tablet computer contained files of major presidential speeches and other important national security and diplomatic documents. The continuous coverage of the case reveals the deeper reality of this corruption scandal.

The following is the annual listing of recipients starting from the latest down to the commencement of this event.

And, the following are the recipients since 2001 when TI-Korea commenced this annual event.

2015: Transparent Society Award Recipients
Kim Nam-kyun (Journalist of Chungcheong Review)
Bae Jae-heum, Son Byung-don, Lee Sang-hun, Lee Won-young, Lee Jae-ik, Jang Kung-uk (dismissed Professors of the University of Suwon)
Jung Dae-hwa (Professor of Sangjii University)
Seoul ‘Daegeum e-Baro’ system

2014: 14th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Ahn Jong-Hoon (Teacher at Donggu High School)
Korea Energy Management Corporation (PR Department)
‘The Whistleblower’ (Korean movie/film)
Nae-Son Lee (Professor at Kyeongpook National University)
Bu-Seon Kim (Korean Actress)
Kang-Sook Lee (Integrity class teacher at Ansan Transparent Society and Anti-Corruption Convention)
Kwang-Jin Kim (Member of the Parliament)

2013: 13th Transparent Society Award Recipients
In-geol HWANG (Capital Defense Command Military Police Group, Chief Investigator)
KBS Panorama ‘A League of Their Own, Corruption Network’
Jin-heui HONG (Father of an International Middle School student)
Eun-sun PARK (Gangwon Foreign Language High School, Teacher)

2012: 12th Transparent Society Award Recipients
NewsTapa (Investigative news website: www.newstapa.com)
Mr. Ju Jin-Woo (Journalist of Sisa-IN magazine, Korean weekly news magazine)
Korean movie “Whirlpool” (One school’s whistle blowing story)
Mr. Jung Guk-Jeong (Employee of LG Electronics)

2011: 11th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Lee, Sang-Deon (Incheon City, Investigation Ombudsman)
Choo, Jin-Woo (Shisa IN Reporter)
Movie: ‘Dogani’ (about abuses in school by officials)
SBS Special Topic: ‘Questioning Justice in Korea’

2010: 10th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Kim, Lee Tae (Staff at Korea Institute of Construction Technology)
Lee, Jae-Sul (Daegu City Parliamentarian, Vice-Chairperson)
Seo, Jeong-Min (Chosun University English Department Professor)
CBS Radio Program: ‘Let’s Play with News’

2009: 9th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Hwang, Young-Soo (Cyber Action Network’s Administrator)
Kim, Hyeong-Tae (Yangchon Elementary School Teacher)
Choi, Seung-Heo & Park, Geon-Shik (MBC PDNotebook Producers)

2008: 8th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Park, Joo-Won (Ansan Mayor)
Planning & Investigation Office of Yangju City
Audit/Investigation Office of Korea Railway Construction Co.
Hyeon, Joon-Hwe (Former Investigation Officer)
Media Focus by KBS 1TV Report Center

2007: 7th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Cho, Yoo-Haeng (Gyeongsangnam Province’s Hadong Country Governor)
Hur, Joon (Defense Acquisition Program Administration Investigation Office)
Lee, Jae-Il (Former Korea Institute of Construction Technology Researcher)
KBS 1TV Program’s ‘Lee Young-Deun’s PD Consumer Complaint’
X X X (A teacher acted as informer of a corruption in a school)

2006: 6th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Kim, Jin-Hoon & Kim, Myeong-Sang of Hangwang Institutes (Hangwang Elementary School, Hangwang Girls’ High School Teachers)
You, Sang-Geun (former Korea Telecom’s Vice Chair)
Park, Gyoung-Euk (National Workers’ Alliance of Science & Technology, Korea Fashion Center’s Regional Chairperson)

2005: 5th Transparent Society Award Recipients
Park, Seung-Jin, Eum, Young-Seo & Cho Youn-Hee (Dongil Girls High School Teachers)
Lee, Sang-Hoe (MBC TV Channel Reporter)
Kim, Joong-Nyeon (former Youngdeok Girls High School Administrative Office Investigator)
Seol, Dong-Geun (Busan City Education Superintendent)
Shim, Soon (Prosecutor’s Office of Investigation Inspection Department Investigator)
Nam, Goong-Min (Government Communications Department’s Investigator)

2004: 4th Transparency Society Award Recipients
Gyeonggi Provincial Investigation Office
Kim, Young-Hwan; Lee, Kang-Woo; Im, Jae-Gwang; Choi, Deok-Soo (Daehan Red Cross Society)
Kim, Lee-Seop (former Yonsei University Lecturer)
Kim, Tae-Jin; Kim, June; Seong, Joo-Eu (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning, Researchers)
Baek, Cheol-Woo (Gyeongnam Provincial District’s Agricultural and Fishery Department Director)
Citizen’s Budget Watch Group
Lee, Young-Jin (Yeongju Police Sergeant)
Lee, Jeong-Goo (Goseong County Office Employee)
POSCO Business Ethics Application Department

2003: 3rd Transparent Society Award Recipients
‘Corruption Is Power of Competition’ – KBS’ Trilogy Special Project Program
Law-Abiding Watch Team (Kookmin Bank)
Kim, Beong-Gu (Gyeonggi Province, Ansan City Regional Land Investigator)
Jin, Eung-Yeong (Seoul Younghwa Girls High School Teacher)

2002: 2nd Transparent Society Award Recipients
Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union
Viewer’s Column (KBS Special Program)
Choi, Hyeon-Sook (Seong-buk Chief of Public Health & Medicine Office)
Yoo, June-Il (Section Head of Korean Electric Power Corporation)

2001: 1st Transparent Society Award Recipients
Anti-Corruption Awardees:
PD Diary (MBC Current Events Program)
Seo, Jin-Hee (Guri Namyangju Citizen’s Group Vice Chair)
Park, Jeong-Gyu (former Cheongju University Professor)

Integrity Award Recipients:
Kang, Seok-In (Youngdo Police Investigation Office)
Kwon, Soon-Heo (Ministry of Construction Housing Administration Construction and Investigation Department)
Kim, Tae-Hyeong (National Tax Service Investigation Office)
Lee, Doo-Ahn (Seoul District Police Agency Information Administration Department)

Return to Activities Page