Anti-graft law takes beefy freebies off menu

SEOUL: Lavish free meals, rounds of golf and expensive gifts of beef and ginseng will soon be off-limits for civil servants, teachers and journalists in South Korea under a law aimed at clamping down on graft that has long been pervasive in professional life.
The anti-corruption law that takes effect next month imposes spending limits on entertainment and gifts, curbing a tradition of hospitality that many restaurants, retailers and farmers worry will deal a blow to business.
Boxed sets of beef, especially the prized domestic hanwoo variety, can cost hundreds of dollars and are a staple of gift-giving during the Chuseok holiday next month, as well as during Lunar New Year.
The anti-corruption law had been debated since 2011 and has been welcomed as a tool to clean up professional life in a country that ranks 37th out of 168 on Transparency International's corruption perceptions index.
Gifts, meals and entertainment that are paid for in a personal capacity are not covered by the law. It does not apply to members of parliament or much of the private sector.
According to a survey by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission last year, 59.2% of South Koreans believed the country was corrupt.
Graft scandals are common.
Last year, former prime minister Lee Wan-koo was convicted after receiving 30 million won (RM108,939) in a shopping bag during a parliamentary election in 2013, according to prosecutors. He is appealing. — Reuters