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ACRC holds 2026 National Council of Ombudsmen
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Jung Il Yeon) held the 2026 National Council of Ombudsmen with the ACRC* on April 30 at the Korea Federation of Banks building, with the representatives of Local Ombudsmen from across the country.
* ACRC: a term referring to both the ACRC and Local Ombudsmen
Local Ombudsmen are local grievance complaints handling institutions (ombudsmen) established within local governments pursuant to Article 32 of the Act on the Prevention of Corruption and the Establishment and Management of the ACRC, in order to process grievance petitions from residents within their jurisdiction and improve unreasonable administrative systems. Since its implementation in 1995, 107 local governments across Korea have established and operate the institution.
- Jeju Island: Resolution of loan cost issue following the use rescission of national property (collaboration with the ACRC)
- Ulsan-si: Mediation on the removal of dangerous street furniture along roadsides (collaboration with the ACRC)
- Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do: Removal of dangerous factors at neglected bicycle racks
- Dalseo-gu, Daegu-si: Establishment of accident prevention measures on side roads within school zones
The ACRC has carried out a variety of activities to support the growth and substantial operation of Local Ombudsmen, including: regional councils and joint briefing sessions, public forums to share innovative, outstanding cases of handling grievance petitions, on-site outreach program, and collaboration for handling grievance petitions and institutional improvements.
The Commission presents the 2026 Plan for Vitalizing Local Ombudsmen at the Council and will continue supporting Local Ombudsmen by incorporating feedback.
- Expansion of customized consultations and one-on-one guidance for institutions that have not yet established or have insufficiently established Local Ombudsmen
- Progression of specialized education and joint training sessions to strengthen grievance handling and conflict mediation capabilities
- Promotion of joint investigations and institutional improvements to identify and resolve recurring civil complaints within the region
- Establishment of an online civil complaint reception platform (short-term) and joint utilization of the ePeople system (long-term)
At the same time, there will be a session to enhance the problem-solving capability of Local Ombudsmen through a presentation of joint institutional improvement between the Seoul Metropolitan Citizens’ Ombudsman Commission and the ACRC to improve the rights and interests of the users of Culture Nuri Card, and special session on the topic of Understanding and the Role of Local Ombudsmen.
Chairperson Jung of the ACRC said, “Local Ombudsmen are the core institutions of this popular sovereignty government that can swiftly listen to and resolve the difficulties of the public.” He added, “the ACRC and Local Ombudsmen will closely cooperate to continue providing water-tight protection for people’s rights and interests.”
Source: The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), South Korea
