Voices from the field – Wook Jin Rha

Wook Jin Rha
Yulchon, Seoul

In your professional experience, what is the most significant anti‑corruption risk or enforcement challenge currently affecting your country or region?

In South Korea, sophisticated corruption utilising virtual assets or complex financial structures is increasing. Furthermore, during the recent process of depriving the prosecution of its investigative powers and establishing new investigation agencies, such as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, concerns over the potential weakening of corruption investigation capabilities are emerging as practical challenges.

How is this issue being addressed in your organisation, sector or jurisdiction?

Recently, the digital forensic investigation capabilities of investigation agencies have been dramatically strengthened, and in response, corporations are adopting 'continuous monitoring systems' and 'digital compliance.' In particular, following the strengthening of the Public Interest Whistleblower Protection Act, companies are enhancing their internal whistleblower protection systems and establishing a culture of self-correcting risks through internal investigations before the initiation of an investigation.

Based on your experience, what is one practical lesson, implementation challenge or effective approach that may be relevant to practitioners in other jurisdictions?

The lesson to be learned from the case of South Korea is the importance of the effective operation of the whistleblower protection system. South Korea operates some of the most robust reward and protection systems in the world, which serve as a powerful driver for exposing internal corporate misconduct to the outside world.

Looking ahead, what emerging development, regulatory shift or risk area are you monitoring most closely?

We are closely monitoring the scope of application of the Attorney-Client Privilege (ACP) recently introduced in South Korea, as well as the related court precedents and interpretative theories expected in the future. The introduction of ACP is anticipated to bring fundamental changes to corruption investigations and defence strategies related to South Korea.