Transparency, communication prominently in Moon's policy

Transparency and communication are among the key objectives of the policy road map that President Moon Jae-in's advisory panel unveiled Wednesday, raising the prospect of enhanced democracy during his five-year term that ends in 2022.

The objectives are in line with citizens' calls to shore up the country's social justice and democratic system that they say have been marred by a massive corruption scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from office in March.

The State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee announced the blueprint entailing 100 priority policy tasks, including a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign to improve transparency in state governance and restore public trust.

Under the motto of the "transparent and competent" government, a set of tasks seek to directly involve citizens in the policy formulation and implementation processes, and enhance access to public services through cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data.

The tasks include opening a "government innovation platform" later this year to overhaul the way it provides and manages public service data and records, and establishing Government 24, an online website that offers detailed policy information around the clock.

To ensure fairness and transparency in the appointment of high-level officials, and public trust in officialdom, the blueprint also calls for strengthening vetting standards, work ethics and the officials' mandatory disclosure of personal assets.

As the liberal president has repeatedly stressed, communication with citizens also figured prominently on the policy list.

One related task is relocating the presidential office to an area near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, a venue where citizens staged candlelight rallies for Park's resignation for months until early this year.

Another is publishing all of the major daily schedules of senior government officials, including the president, on a government website later this year.

To improve citizens' liberty and human rights conditions, some of the 100 policy tasks involve expanding the state human rights watchdog, rooting out any state surveillance of civilians and strengthening protection of personal data.

The anti-corruption campaign has been envisioned as citizens have become more acutely aware of its need in the wake of the unprecedented scandal involving the disgraced former president.

Under it, the government is to form a state anti-corruption consultative panel this year and an independent anti-corruption body next year to craft and implement related policies, and strengthen preventive measures.

The government is also to create a special investigation agency to deal with corruption involving senior public officials, including prosecutors and judges, which is one of Moon's election pledges to revamp state power organs and ensure their political neutrality.

Other tasks include strengthening the protection of whistleblowers this year and introducing a system next year under which taxpayers have the right to sue government authorities for any illegal use of public funds. Also among them is toughening punishments for those convicted of bribery, embezzlement and other malpractices.