The Korea Tourism Organization (President Park Sung-hyuk) announced on the 23rd that it signed the "Agreement on Integrity and Ethical Management for Public Institutions Operating Overseas Networks" with five other public institutions operating overseas networks and held its first working-level consultative council meeting at the organization's Seoul Center.

This agreement was established to jointly respond to ethical risks—such as conflicts of interest and human rights violations—that may arise within the overseas networks of public institutions. A total of six public institutions participated: the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-sure), and Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA).

Because overseas networks are geographically distant from their headquarters, there is a need to carefully manage ethical risks that may arise during the execution of local operations. In response, the six public institutions agreed to share the expertise and experience accumulated by each organization and jointly address ethical risks in their overseas networks.

At the working-level consultative council meeting held that day, participants shared the current status of ethical management activities across their overseas networks and discussed ways to benchmark best practices and systems. In addition, they decided to jointly prepare a joint declaration on ethical management for overseas networks and practical checklists to establish a foundation for practical application in the field. Moving forward, they also plan to review measures to jointly promote anti-corruption campaigns regarding conflicts of interest across overseas networks, taking into account regional conditions.

President Park Sung-hyuk stated, "The overseas branches of the Korea Tourism Organization are the 'face of the Republic of Korea' that global travelers meet first when dreaming of visiting Korea." He added, "As the institution that first proposed this agreement, we will strive to gather the experience and know-how of all six institutions to take the lead in making the Republic of Korea a trusted destination for people around the world."

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