▲The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced Tuesday that it will abolish the 3 billion won cap on rewards for reporting unfair trade practices. The reward rate, which ranged from 1% to 20%, will also be unified at a maximum of 10%. This appears to be a follow-up measure to President Lee Jae-myung's instruction in February that "those who report should receive enough reward money to change their fortunes." Recently, seven companies were slapped with fines totaling 671 billion won for allegedly colluding on flour prices and other items. While the government should use this as an opportunity to root out collusion, it must also guard against indiscriminate reporting aimed at windfall gains that could harass companies. Policy must be carefully crafted to prevent abuse of the system, such as infringement of trade secrets.
▲Lee Seok-yeon, chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, who holds deputy prime minister-level rank under the direct authority of the president, revealed Monday that he recently received a warning email from a presidential office administrator. The email contained the position of a relevant secretary's office within the presidential office, conveying a stern notice that the submission of essential materials related to state affairs requested by the presidential office had been delayed past the deadline. Under government organization and custom, it is highly unusual for an administrator to deliver a reprimanding message to an official of deputy prime minister rank. Whatever the circumstances, presidential aides should reflect on whether there are problems with their communication style and work with a more humble attitude.
