The South Korean government initiated a crackdown on the practice of hiring favoritism in public enterprises amid rising public anger over reports of illicit employment at the request of influential politicians and public officials at a time youth unemployment is at the worst.

An ad-hoc organization will be established to look into public enterprises` recruitment records in the past five years, and any individual found involved in violations will face severe disciplinary action, according to the government.

The decision was made on Friday at an emergency ministerial meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, with the attendance of heads of 12 government ministries, including education, science and justice ministries.

The movement came after some public companies, including a state-run casino operator, were found to have hired new employees at the request of powerful politicians, business leaders and government officials.

The government decided to take a zero tolerance approach to such employment corruption in the public sector, and hiring-related documents will be kept until the end of the inspection regardless of the expiry date.

The government will also step up a crackdown campaign even after a defined inspection period whenever there are tips on hiring irregularities from whistleblowers. Multiple government agencies, including the finance ministry, Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, Office for Government Policy Coordination, and the National Police Agency will join the campaign.

The government plans to punish violators regardless of their ranks or offices. A bonus paid to individuals or organizations involved in hiring corruption will be confiscated and the name of illicit employment solicitors will be unveiled, said Kim.

By Cho Si-young and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]