Offering gifts or offering bribes? Code of ethics in South Korea

Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2001 by Chang, Chan Sup, Chang, Nahn Joo, Freese, Barbara T

The Linking-pin

Koreans place great value on an informal network that includes the family system, the schools one attended (alumni), and regionalism. This FAR (family, alumni, regionalism)28 is critically important to Koreans for their career success, because Koreans help each other through this network.This system often works constructively, but it can also work destructively.

It is not an easy process to obtain licenses, permits, and certificates of inspection from the government as mentioned before. In many cases, the applicant uses the connections of FAR to achieve these goals. The applicant usually can locate one member of FAR who is close to those government officials who have the authority to grant licenses or permits. This member then acts like a linking-pin between the applicant and the government official. Instead of handing over a white envelope with cash inside directly to the government official, the applicant delivers the envelope to the linking-pin who, in turn, gives it to the government official. In many cases, the linking-pin becomes an intermediary, purely for friendship or special relation gratis, between government officials and the applicants. The behavior itself is unethical; however, Koreans are able to justify their behavior because by using this linking-pin they did not participate directly in unethical behavior.

Inadequately Defined Life Pattern

In the United States, Americans honor gender rights by changing expressions like "chairman" to "chairperson." Likewise, instead of using the term "he," Americans use "he or she" as a personal pronoun. In English, there is a clear distinction of gender. In Korea, however, there are no terms that assign gender as in "chairman" versus "chairlady." There is only one expression of "chairperson," the term "person" signifying both "male" and "female." No pronouns expressing "he" or "she" exist in the Korean vocabulary.

There seem to be clear distinctions in many aspects of life in the United States because Americans demand it. Unethical behavior is clearly distinguished from ethical behavior with little overlap. In South Korea the world is not so clearly defined as it is to Americans. Koreans definitely distinguish unethical behavior from ethical behavior in many occasions. However, through their less clearly defined life pattern, a neutralizing force allows unethical behavior to occur, the linking-pin case discussed above being a typical example.

COUNTER-MEASURES FOR UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR

The prevailing corruption and bribery are a serious social problem in South Korea because of the confusion between gifts and bribes among Koreans. However, this issue of corruption and bribery must be addressed and solved in order for South Korea to prosper. In 1997, the government initiated a movement to solve the problem of bribery by proposing a guideline for ethically allowable amounts for gifts or donations by government officials. The government guidelines included:

It is understandable for the government to struggle to eliminate corruption and bribery by enacting regulations and laws. It is, however, not clear whether government officials literally honor this regulation, even though they understand that violation could result in a prison term of up to three years. In essence, current practice regarding application of the government regulations is questionable.