It might seem like a story from long ago, but there was a time when corruption was a daily part of our society in Korea. From traffic police to local fire departments, operations were influenced by bribery. However, this kind of corruption and dishonesty is still a global phenomenon affecting various negative aspects, such as hindering the economic growth of a country and eroding its social structure. It extensively impacts not only the world of power but also the everyday lives of ordinary citizens.
Corruption appears in various forms, including embezzlement, bribery, fraud, extortion, and favoritism, with the fundamental motive behind most corruption being financial gain. This occurs not only in the public sector but also in the private sector. Some studies report that an increase in corruption leads to a decrease in the GDP per capita of developing countries and a reduction in foreign direct investment (FDI). The IMF also advises that improving corruption has a positive impact on economic growth. Corruption is often considered a problem of developing countries, but cases of corruption also occur in developed countries, such as the United States. For instance, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was indicted for helping an Egyptian meat company in exchange for gold bars, cash, and cars. These cases show that corruption remains a global issue.
One tool used to measure corruption in a country is the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which is an annual ranking of countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by Transparency International (TI). The survey began in 1994 and started being published in 1995. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring them from 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Although the CPI measures perceptions of corruption, rather than actual corruption cases, it is considered a comprehensive indicator that reflects various factors related to corruption.
In 2023, Korea scored 63 out of a possible 100 points on the CPI, placing it 32nd among the evaluated countries. This score was the same as in 2022, but its ranking dropped by one place. Among the 180 countries evaluated, Denmark ranked first with 90 points, followed by Finland with 87 points, and New Zealand with 85 points.
The following are the 30 most corrupt countries according to this index:
Somalia (13 points) South Sudan (13 points) Syria (14 points) North Korea (17 points) Yemen (17 points) Venezuela (17 points) Sudan (17 points) Libya (17 points) Democratic Republic of the Congo (18 points) Afghanistan (18 points) Eritrea (19 points) Turkmenistan (19 points) Angola (19 points) Burundi (19 points) Niger (19 points) Chad (19 points) Guatemala (20 points) South Sudan (20 points) Belarus (20 points) Ukraine (21 points) Cambodia (21 points) Russia (22 points) Kazakhstan (23 points) Mexico (23 points) Pakistan (23 points) Honduras (24 points) Kenya (25 points) Nicaragua (25 points) Lebanon (25 points) Tajikistan (25 points)
