2009 Assessment

This peer-reviewed country report includes:

Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.

Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.

Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.

South Korea has a tight legal framework to support the coordination of its national anti-corruption system. Recent governance reforms include the restructuring of the national anti-corruption agency and the creation of an online system of information distribution which has increased citizen access to government information, especially around the government procurement process. However, citizens still do not have access to itemized budget allocations or viable ways to engage in the budget formulation process. Improvements have also yet to be made to effectively address conflicts of interest around the close linkages between lobbyists, businesses, and government officials. In 2005, the president established a commission to investigate how the cultural legacy of respect for judges (as shown through gifts and hospitality) may be impacting the impartiality of the bench; the independence of the South Korean judiciary remains in question.