Parties reach agreement on anti-corruption bill

Rival political parties agreed Monday on the details of a controversial anti-corruption bill following months of wrangling over whether it violates an individual's constitutional rights, among other issues.

The so-called Kim Young-ran Law, named after the former Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission chief who proposed the legislation in August 2012, was a top priority during February's extra parliamentary session ending on Tuesday. Under Monday's bipartisan deal, the bill will be passed through a plenary session on Tuesday.

The new law will subject public officials, journalists and private school teachers to a maximum penalty of three years in prison or five times the amount they accepted in money or valuables if they take money or valuables worth more than 1 million won ($908) from one person in one installment, regardless of whether it was in exchange for favors or related to their work.

Passage of the bill has been delayed amid wrangling over its details, including a clause that requires public officials to report a family member's acceptance of a bribe.

Critics have argued that the clause violates the freedom of conscience and destroys family relationships.

On Monday, the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed to remove that clause and limit the scope of another clause to apply the law only to an individual's spouse, not their immediate and extended family members.

The parties also agreed to allow a 18-month grace period for enforcement of the law from the date of its passage as proposed by the government.

The bill, which is designed to tighten loopholes in existing anti-corruption rules, stirred up a heated debate about whether it would make civil servants reluctant to perform their duties from fear of punishment.(Yonhap)