[Kim Young-ran Act] External Meeting Response Standards for HR to Verify

Issues regarding the Kim Young-ran Act must not be viewed solely in terms of monetary limits; they require the simultaneous management of job-relatedness, reporting procedures, internal records, and pressure on employees. In particular, for public institutions, educational institutions, medical facilities, and organizations conducting public-interest projects, external meetings, meals, gifts, requests for lectures, and contact with partner companies can lead to organizational risks.

Thinking "this much should be okay" is the most dangerous judgment.

The Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and Acceptance of Bribes and Gifts, known as the Kim Young-ran Act, aims to ensure fair performance of duties and secure trust in public institutions by prohibiting improper solicitation and the acceptance of bribes and gifts by public officials.

In actual practice, rather than asking "Is this amount acceptable?" In what situation, to whom to confirm, and how to record This is more important. This is because problems often arise after the fact when an individual makes a decision on their own.

Rather than directly confirming legal judgments, HR managers ensure that employees do not make decisions on their own in ambiguous situations. You must first design internal inquiry and reporting procedures.

Representative situations requiring a response to the Kim Young-ran Act

situation	Organizational risk	HR verification criteria
Partner Company Meal Proposal	Misunderstanding of job-relatedness and value criteria	Check internal approval and inquiry procedures
Receiving holiday gifts	Misunderstanding of exception scope	Guide to Return and Reporting Standards
External lecture request	Omission of reward money and reporting procedures	Check pre-notification and approval criteria
Contact with complainants	Possibility of misunderstanding regarding improper solicitation	Use official response channels
Manager's instructions	Pressure that members find difficult to refuse	Guide to Reporting and Consultation Channels

4 Organizational Response Standards HR Needs to Organize

First, internal standards that members can quickly verify are needed.

The approach of "decide for yourself whether you can accept it" is difficult to implement in practice. There must be a checklist asking about the amount, job relevance, provider relationship, repetition, timing, and potential for misunderstanding regarding quid pro quo, so that team members can make a quick judgment.

Second, the record standards must be simplified.

For recurring situations, such as external meetings, receiving gifts, or requests for lectures, you should pre-determine a format to record the inquiry details, provider, relationship, and results of the action taken. Without records, individuals will be at a disadvantage when evidence is needed later.

Third, protection of reporters and inquirers is necessary.

Employees often hesitate to speak up regarding issues related to the Kim Young-ran Act for fear of being seen as someone who "needlessly escalates the problem." HR must clearly inform them that making an inquiry itself does not lead to any disadvantages.

Fourth, psychological pressure should also be viewed as an organizational risk.

Employees who must decline requests from partners, supervisors, or external stakeholders may experience anxiety and burden. In such cases, while an EAP does not replace legal judgment, it can connect employees experiencing increased stress due to ethical issues to external support channels where they can seek assistance.

72-hour response flow

hour	Response phase	Checklist
0~24 hours	Inquiry and Report Receipt	Records of the provider, details of the money/request, and potential job-relatedness
Within 24 hours	Internal review	Confirmation of Audit, Legal, and HR collaboration lines
24~48 hours	Summary of Action Directions	Review of processing directions such as return, refusal, report, and hold
48~72 hours	Member Guide	Guide to Prevention of Disadvantage, Inquiry Channels, and Response Standards for Similar Situations
After 72 hours	Prevention of recurrence	Training, FAQ, Administrator Guide, EAP Support Channel Maintenance

Checklist to check right now

We confirmed with internal audit and legal officials whether the Anti-Graft Act applies.
We established internal judgment criteria that members can quickly verify.
We established inquiry and reporting procedures regarding requests for external meetings, gifts, and lectures.
We established record formats and storage standards.
Messages were provided to protect reporters and inquirers.
Provided the manager with a member connection sentence.
Connected EAP counseling channels with ethical issue responses.

Responding to the Kim Young-ran Act is not just about checking monetary standards.

To ensure that team members do not have to make decisions alone in ambiguous situations, you must design a comprehensive system that includes inquiry procedures, record-keeping standards, manager guidance, and support for psychological burden. If you are curious about how the employee support system operates, please check below.

👉 Go to EAP Implementation & Operation Board →
👉 Inquire about organizational risk response →

This content is for general informational purposes only; for specific matters, we recommend consulting with audit, legal, labor, or EAP experts.
Note: Article 8 of the Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and Acceptance of Bribes and Gifts (Anti-Corruption Act), Enforcement Decree of the said Act

Kim Young-ran Act #Anti-graftAct #OrganizationalRisk #HRPractice #EthicalManagement #EAP #ReportingResponse

Related Posts

Organizational Risk Management