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| Korean guards of honor perform during an inaugural ceremony of the new Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the the National Assembly in Seoul, in this May 10, 2022 file photo. AP-Yonhap |
Korea came in 31st in a key international transparency index assessing corruption levels of each country in 2022, up a notch from a year earlier, a nongovernment organization said Tuesday.
Korea scored 63 in the 2022 Corruption Perception Index, ranking 31st among the 180 nations assessed, said Transparency International, the compiler of the index.
The annual index ranks countries on a 100-point scale by levels of public sector corruption, as defined by abusing entrusted power for private interests, via expert assessments and surveys.
Korea's 2022 standing marks a notch up from 2021 and the sixth consecutive annual rise since the country ranked 52nd with 53 points in 2016.
"The number marks the highest points ever for Korea," the Korean branch of Transparency International said, attributing the rise to "an increased level of civic awareness and efforts by the government and other economic entities."
The 2022 index put Denmark as the most corruption-free nation with 90 points, followed by Finland and New Zealand, both with 87 points, Norway with 84 points, and Singapore and Sweden, both with 83 points.
Somalia came in last with 12 points, trailing Syria and South Sudan, both with 13 points. (Yonhap)
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