South Korea has decided to remove the current 3 billion won ($2.2 million) cap on rewards for whistleblowers who report corruption and violations of the public interest, allowing bonuses of up to 30% of recovered funds. According to Sina Finance, the revision to the enforcement decree of the Anti-Corruption Act was approved at a Cabinet meeting.

Officials said the move is intended to encourage people to report corruption by offering rewards that match the contribution of the report. Under current rules, the reward rate for funds recovered after a corruption report ranges from 4% to 30%, and critics say the larger the recovery amount, the lower the applicable reward rate. The maximum reward amount is also set at 3 billion won.

Under the revised rules, the reward calculation will be based on 30% of the recovered funds regardless of the total amount recovered. Officials said the final reward may still be reduced depending on the contribution and accuracy of the report. The revision will take effect next Tuesday.