On the 10th, Gu Yeon-hee, acting superintendent of the Sejong Office of Education, delivered an integrity training lecture in the agency’s second-floor auditorium and urged staff to adopt a proactive approach to public administration.
To prepare for the session, Gu completed an internal instructor training program run by the National Institute for Integrity and Rights Education under the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
She began by introducing passages from British travel writer Isabella Bird Bishop’s Korea and Her Neighbors. The book critiques corruption and incompetence within the Joseon-era bureaucracy while praising Koreans’ diligence and potential.
Gu noted that roughly 130 years after the book’s publication, South Korea has established institutional foundations for a clean public service, citing laws such as the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
“Today, integrity means more than simply avoiding corruption; it means actively serving the public,” she said, urging officials to pursue proactive administration by reforming unreasonable rules and customary practices.
Gu emphasized that public servants must engage in self-reflection, place the public interest first, act with integrity, perform their duties creatively and proactively, and provide responsible governance for citizens.
The Sejong Office of Education received a Grade 3 ranking in last year’s comprehensive integrity evaluation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
