South Korea Toughens Anti-Corruption Legislation for Officials

South Korea toughened its anti-corruption laws, obliging any public official taking bribes worth more than one million won (some $850) to be removed from office without exception, the country's government said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The revised corruption legislation stipulates that if the bribe was obtained by coercion, the official can be expelled or dismissed even if the amount is less than a million won, the South Korean Ministry of Personnel Management was cited by the Yonhap news agency.

The corresponding decree will enter force on Tuesday, according to the ministry.

South Korea has the third highest corruption rank in East Asia, after Japan and Taiwan, according to the global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.

In March, then-Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo declared a war on corruption following a series of graft cases involving government officials and businessmen. Within a month, Lee resigned after being embroiled in a corruption scandal, which also affected the public reputation of the president, Park Geun-hye.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), following such corruption scandals, some 70 percent of South Koreans "distrusted their government."

Earlier this month, Seoul said it was going to introduce additional guidelines to fight against corruption in the country, especially in defense procurement.