Yoon says corruption threatens democracy

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday all forms of corruption that go against the truth threaten democracy and suppress freedom, calling for a fight against corruption at the international level.

Yoon made the remarks at the Indo-Pacific meeting of the second Summit for Democracy in Seoul. South Korea is one of five co-hosts for this year’s summit, along with the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.

“Essentially speaking, all that goes against the truth and against the true principles is corruption,” Yoon said. “It threatens democracy and suppresses freedom.”

Yoon touted democracy as a community’s decision-making system that guarantees freedom and human rights.

However, the health of democracy has been at risk of weakening due to the spread of false information, Yoon said.

“The dissemination of false information led by certain groups and forces, the incitement based on it, violence and intimidation and covert and fraudulent rent-seeking activities are distorting and neutralizing the community’s decision-making system of democracy,” Yoon said.

Yoon stressed the importance of the international fight against corruption.

“It is also important to respond to corruption on an international level,” Yoon said. “Countries that share the universal values of freedom, human rights, rule of law and democracy should unite together to deal strongly with transnational corruption crimes.”

Attendees at the event held at a hotel in central Seoul included Foreign Minister Park Jin, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

“Corruption undermines public trust, compromises the integrity of our institutions and exacerbates inequality,” Minister Park said during the opening ceremony of the session with the theme of “Challenges and Progress in Addressing Corruption.