South Korea Ranks 18th Globally in Public Integrity Index... 'Asia's Best'

Up Two Ranks from Previous Survey
Kwonikwi: "Continuous Improvement in Objective Indicators"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The South Korean government has been evaluated as the most effective in corruption control among Asian countries.

According to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on the 13th, South Korea received a score of 8.09 in the recently released '2021 Public Integrity Index (IPI) Evaluation' by the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building (ERCAS), ranking 18th out of 114 countries and 1st among Asian countries.

ERCAS, located in Berlin, Germany, supported by the European Union (EU), has been measuring the independence of judicial systems, citizen participation and freedom of the press, and the control of corruption risks in administration, budgeting, and markets since 2015, publishing the IPI biennially.

South Korea ranked 23rd (8.04 points) in the first evaluation in 2015, 24th (8.02 points) in 2017, 20th (8.33 points) in 2019, and last year achieved its highest-ever ranking of 18th.

This is the highest ranking among Asian countries, with other Asian countries ranked as follows: Japan (22nd), Malaysia (40th), Thailand (41st), and the Philippines (52nd).

In detailed categories, South Korea ranked 1st in trade openness, 12th in electronic citizenship, 21st in administrative burden, 26th in government budget transparency, 34th in freedom of the press, and 48th in judicial independence.

Jeon Hyun-hee, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, said, "Our country is receiving international recognition for continuous improvement based on objective data-driven indicators," adding, "Our government will continue to strive for consistent improvement and implementation of anti-corruption policies to enter the ranks of advanced integrity countries."

ERCAS 2021 Public Integrity Index (IPI) Evaluation Results. (Data provided by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission)

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