Yoon's office mulls raising limit on anti-graft law

South Korea's Presidential Office is mulling a revision of the anti-graft law, also known as the Kim Young-ran law, to raise the limit on food price from the current 30,000 won ($22.82) to 50,000 won.

Unveiling the plan, Lee Do-woon, spokesperson of President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, said the revision is being discussed to prop up the local economy. Those subject to the law, including public officials, school teachers and journalists, are currently banned from being offered with meals that exceeds 30,000 won per person.

"We are looking into whether the economic stimulus measures could be discussed at the emergency meeting on people's livelihood stabilization," Lee said, referring to the meeting presided over by President Yoon.

Since the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act came into force in September 2016, exchanging a gift with value of more than 50,000 won, or money worth more than 100,000 won to show congratulations or condolences, are also a violation of the law if exchanged between those subject to the law and ordinary people.

There have been calls for the amendment of the rule as Korea has experienced steep inflation in recent years. The consumer price index for living necessaries jumped 15 percent from 2016 to 2022, according to Statistics Korea. Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the Democratic Party of Korea filed a revision to ease the limit in January 2022.

The bill was named after Kim, a former Supreme Court justice who was then head of the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission.