Government legislation ministry bars excess condolence money for officials

The government legislation ministry said Tuesday that public officials cannot accept condolence or congratulatory gifts exceeding the statutory limit.

Seoul had asked whether gifts surpassing the value limits set by the Anti-Graft and Improper Solicitation Act could still be accepted under exceptions for socially allowed practices. The ministry answered that such excess payments remain prohibited.

Under current enforcement decrees, the maximum allowable amount is 50,000 won. The ministry noted that allowing exceptions based on social norms would undermine the legal stability of these clear value standards.

The interpretation stressed that exceptions to the ban on gift-taking must be read strictly. Accepting the city's proposed interpretation would render the detailed value criteria in the enforcement decree meaningless.

The ministry cited the law's legislative intent to eradicate gift-giving customs and ensure fair job performance as the driver for the ruling. It warned that applying the 'social norms' exception to amounts exceeding the cap would destroy the predictability of the legal standards.

"Such an opinion is not valid," the ministry stated, noting that it would violate the purpose of clearly defining monetary limits in the enforcement decree.