Cornell University

Rough Work: Adoree Kim, Ph.D. student, Government

Loopholes for Lawmakers: Symbolic Prohibition of Bribery

Adoree Kim writes: This chapter process-traces the enactment of the 2016 Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in the wake of the Sewol Ferry tragedy. The Improper Solicitation Act, as introduced by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), was intended to reduce public official corruption. National Assembly lawmakers revised provisions they believed would restrict their access to political resources or increase their likelihood of becoming targets of enforcement. Stripped of restrictions on third-party petitioning, the law became a “cheap signal” with limited ability to constrain politician corruption. Indeed, the majority of those investigated and prosecuted for violating the Improper Solicitation Act are low-level public officials. This chapter uses legislative records and in-depth interviews with South Korean National Assembly members and ACRC officials to demonstrate how lawmakers discreetly shape institutions to reflect status-quo preferences.

ROUGH WORK: Discussing research in progress, hence the term, rough work.  This rough work session is hosted by the East Asia Program's Graduate Student Steering Committee (GSSC).

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