BackLast year, Korea achieved its highest-ever ranking (30th) on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) aims to maintain the upward trend through strengthened integrity education for future generations.
ACRC to expand the inclusion of integrity content in elementary, middle, and high school textbooks, work with military academies, the Korea National Police University, and teachers’ colleges to make integrity lectures mandatory, and sign MOUs with major universities.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan) announced plans to further strengthen integrity education for youths and university students in order to sustain the upward trend in Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which reached its highest level last year.
According to the 2024 CPI released by Transparency International (TI), Korea scored 64 out of 100, ranking 30th among 180 countries.
* (2020) 61 points, 33rd →(2021) 62 points, 32nd → (2022) 63 points, 31st → (2023) 63 points, 32nd → (2024) 64 points, 30th
In the 2024 CPI, Korea saw an increase of 1 point and an improvement of two places from a year earlier, marking the highest score and rank since the first release of the index in 1995.
ACRC analyzed this ranking could be attributed to the Korean government’s continuous anti-corruption efforts, such as strengthening the protection of whistleblowers and actively addressing corruption issues like hiring irregularities, which have been positively evaluated by the international community.
CPI is closely related to economic growth. According to the Korean Association for Public Administration, when a country’s CPI score and ranking rise, GDP per capita also increases. In fact, from 2016 to 2023, Korea's CPI score increased by 10 points, while GDP per capita grew by 15.3%, indicating that for each 1-point increase in the index score, GDP per capita increased by an average of 1.53%.
This suggests that national efforts to enhance overall societal integrity can positively impact the economy by driving economic growth.
However, despite the upward trend, Korea ranks 21st among the 38 OECD member countries, indicating that further improvement is necessary relative to Korea’s international standing.
Particularly, from a long-term perspective, raising the integrity awareness of future generations and establishing a culture of integrity across various sectors of society are highlighted as important tasks.
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Source: Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), South Korea
