South Korea came in 32nd in an annual global corruption index, down a notch from a year earlier, Transparency International said, the first drop in seven years since an anti-graft law came into force in 2016.

South Korea scored 63 out of 100 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index that ranks countries by levels of public sector corruption based on expert assessments and surveys. A higher score and ranking indicate a lower assessed level of corruption.

Among 51 Asia-Pacific countries, South Korea was in ninth place, with New Zealand topping the list at third with 85 points, followed by Singapore in fifth place with 83 points, and Australia and Hong Kong both coming in 14th place with 75 points.

The 2023 index put Denmark as the most corruption-free nation with 90 points, followed by Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Singapore. North Korea was judged one of the most corrupt countries, scoring 17 points and ranking 172nd place out of 180 countries. (Yonhap)