South Korea's National Integrity Ranking Drops One Place to 32nd Worldwide

22nd Among OECD Countries... Same as Last Year
Denmark Ranks 1st Among 180 Countries

In a survey evaluating the national integrity of countries around the world, South Korea ranked 32nd out of 180 countries. This is one rank lower than last year.

Yoo Cheol-hwan, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the '2023 National Integrity (CPI)' report released by Transparency International (TI) on the 30th, South Korea scored 63 out of 100 points, placing 32nd. Among OECD countries, it ranked 22nd, the same as last year.

Among the 180 countries evaluated, the top five in national integrity were Denmark (90 points), Finland (87 points), New Zealand (85 points), Norway (84 points), and Singapore (83 points). Following them, Japan and Uruguay tied for 16th place (73 points), the United States ranked 24th (69 points), Bhutan 26th (68 points), Taiwan 28th (67 points), and Chile 29th (66 points).

2023 National Integrity Index (CPI) Rankings.
[Photo by Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission]

National integrity has been assessed annually since 1995 by Transparency International as an indicator of the level of corruption in the public and political sectors, with higher scores indicating greater integrity. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) analyzed that the score did not improve compared to the previous year due to corruption issues that deepen the public’s relative deprivation, such as preferential hiring of children of senior officials in the Election Commission, negatively affecting domestic and international perceptions.

The ACRC plans to focus its capabilities on promoting anti-corruption policies. It will actively respond to important and urgent corruption issues such as vested interests and cartel corruption, and inspect and improve habitual local corruption practices. Additionally, it will strengthen management to prevent fraudulent claims of public funds to avoid waste of national finances. Furthermore, it aims to rationalize parts of anti-corruption behavioral norms, such as the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, that are disconnected from reality and enhance the effectiveness of institutional operations.

Yoo Cheol-hwan, Chairman of the ACRC, stated, “We will do our best to implement a clean and fair society that adheres to laws and principles and aligns with the common sense of the people to improve the country’s integrity.”

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