With the Introduction of the 'Gong-su-cheo'... South Korea Ranks 6th in Integrity Among 16 Asian Countries, Rising for 2 Consecutive Years

2020 Asia Corruption Index: Singapore, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan Followed by 6th Place

Chairperson Eunjeong Park of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission is announcing the results of the regular comprehensive survey on public institution recruitment practices and improvement measures at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] South Korea ranked 6th among 16 Asian countries in the corruption index.

On the 27th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced the results of the "2020 Asia Corruption Index." For the second consecutive year, the ranking improved, placing South Korea 6th out of 16 countries. A higher ranking indicates greater integrity.

According to the survey results released on the 25th by Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC), an international corporate consulting firm based in Hong Kong, South Korea scored 5.54 out of 10. A lower score indicates higher integrity.

South Korea received favorable evaluations for ▲ weakening the dominance of conglomerates and strengthening inheritance tax (National Tax Service) ▲ enacting the three kindergarten laws (Ministry of Education) ▲ adjusting investigative authority between the police and prosecutors and establishing the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (Ministry of Justice).

The evaluation score improved by 0.62 points from last year's 6.16. It entered the 5-point range for the first time in nine years since 2011's 5.90.

PERC's "Asia Corruption Index" is an individual source index reflected in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by Transparency International (TI). It is internationally recognized for its credibility.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission judged that, following the CPI results released by Transparency International in January, the recent improvement in the Asia Corruption Index also indicates a positive shift in the international community's perception of South Korea's corruption level.

A commission official added, "According to this Asia Corruption Index report, South Korea, along with Hong Kong, was recognized as a country that made significant progress in improving corruption perception among the evaluated countries."

Chairperson Park Eun-jung of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said, "South Korea's favorable evaluation in PERC's Asia Corruption Index is the result of joint anti-corruption reform efforts by both the public and private sectors," adding, "We will not be complacent with the results and will do our best to fulfill our role in anti-corruption and fairness reforms to enhance national integrity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.