Yongin City Expands Legal Support for Public Officials Who Act on Their Convictions... Up to KRW 20 Million After Final Acquittal

Yongin City to expand legal support for public officials engaged in proactive administration
Proposes raising investigation-stage support from KRW 5 million to KRW 10 million
Introducing proactive administration protection officer... public comments on rule revision accepted through October 12

Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sang-il), is overhauling its legal support system to protect public officials who face civil or criminal lawsuits, complaints, or accusations while actively carrying out their duties.

A view of Yongin Special City Hall. Provided by Yongin City.

Yongin City announced on October 7 that it had issued a legislative notice for a complete revision of the “Rules on Support for Litigation by Public Officials Engaged in Proactive Administration” and would collect public comments through October 12.

The revision reflects changes to the presidential decree, the “Regulations on the Operation of Proactive Administration by Local Public Officials,” and aims to create an environment in which public officials can work according to their convictions without legal or psychological burdens.

The proposed revision would increase support for public officials facing criminal complaints or accusations during the pre-indictment investigation stage from KRW 5 million to KRW 10 million. It would also extend support to cover trials after indictment, providing up to KRW 20 million in costs to officials who receive a final acquittal.

Under the existing rules, officials received KRW 5 million for criminal cases during the pre-indictment investigation stage. The rules also provided for attorney fees in civil lawsuits and up to KRW 2 million when disciplinary action was sought.

The newly introduced proactive administration protection officer will be the head of the Policy Planning Division. The officer will be responsible for ensuring that procedures, from applications for support through deliberation and decisions, proceed quickly and smoothly when a public official who has pursued proactive administration becomes subject to civil or criminal liability. The aim is to ease officials’ legal and psychological burdens from the initial stages of an investigation or lawsuit.

A Yongin City official said, “Proactive administration is not about words; it is about action. Through this complete revision of the rules, we will ease public officials’ legal burdens and create an environment in which they can confidently pursue proactive administration that citizens can feel.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.