October 4 2016
A pair of aspiring paparazzi staked out two weddings in Seoul’s high-end Gangnam district recently, but they weren’t looking for celebrities. Their target: officials receiving gifts that might violate South Korea’s tough new anti-corruption law. About 4 million people are estimated to be directly covered by the law – civil servants, employees at state-owned enterprises, teachers, journalists – which limits the value of meals and gifts that can be accepted.
With rewards worth up to 200 million won (US$181,691), it is also fuelling a cottage industry of camera-wielding, receipt-scavenging vigilantes targeting expensive restaurants and fancy weddings in a country with a deep tradition of entertaining and gift-giving.