Korea ranks 20th in rule of law index: report

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Korea ranks 20th among nations in its adherence to legal standards, with some flaws in the system of checks and balances on government power, a nonprofit group in Washington said Wednesday.

The group, which calls itself the World Justice Project (WJP), issued a report on the rule of law index after a far-reaching survey on the situation in 97 countries.

It said the survey included interviews with more than 100,000 experts and other people about the limits on government power, corruption, security, fundamental rights, open government, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

"The Republic of Korea (South Korea) presents a strong and fairly even picture across most of the dimensions measured by the Index," the WJP said. "Administrative agencies are perceived to be transparent and free of corruption, although slightly lax in enforcing regulations."

It added, however, Korea needs to enhance government accountability, especially by preventing "political interference within the legislature and the judiciary."

The WJP's report did not cover North Korea, apparently due to lack of information available about the secretive communist nation.

Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore lead the East Asia and Pacific region in most dimensions of the rule of law, according to the report.