"Increase in CPI Leads to Rise in GDP Per Capita"

Integrity Education for Future Generations to be Strengthened

- Last 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 teacher’s colleges to make integrity lectures mandatory, and sign MOUs with major universities.

(28, March. 2025, ACRC)

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.

For example, in Denmark, which has maintained the top position in CPI for seven consecutive years, education emphasizes "fair processes" rather than "results" and "cooperation"rather than "competition"from a young age. Similarly, in Singapore, which ranks first among Asian countries in the index, "Character and Citizenship Education (CCE)" is implemented from elementary school, highlighting the values of respect, honesty, and consideration to spread a culture of integrity throughout society through integrity education.

In line with this, the ACRC plans to further solidify the anti-corruption system for the continued development of a transparent Korea and will focus on strengthening integrity education at the frontline educational settings to foster a sense of integrity among students and young people who will lead the future of Korea.

Firstly, ACRC plans to expand the inclusion of integrity-related educational content in elementary, middle, and high school textbooks. Currently, some textbooks at these levels include content related to anti-corruption and integrity, but it is not offered as a separate subject, and its proportion is not significant.

ACRC plans to consult with relevant agencies to ensure that integrity-related educational content is expanded in future curriculum revisions. It also intends to develop and distribute new digital integrity education learning materials based on case studies.

Additionally, there are plans to encourage the establishment of integrity-related liberal arts courses in the formal education programs of universities. Collaboration will be sought with not only public servant training institutions such as military academies and the Police University, but also teacher training universities like education colleges, to ensure that prospective public officials and teachers complete integrity education as a mandatory requirement. Furthermore, general universities will be supported to activate integrity education through the establishment of regular liberal arts courses.

In particular, to ensure that integrity education becomes a regular liberal arts course in universities, specific curriculum development is necessary, and the Commission plans to conduct relevant research and produce various educational content to support this effort.

At the same time, the Commission is actively supporting integrity education in frontline educational settings by signing MOUs with major universities across the country.

Last month, the Commission signed an MOU with Cheongju National University of Education to jointly develop an integrity education program that will be provided not only to prospective teachers studying at education and teacher training colleges but also to students at general universities. Additionally, MOUs will be signed with institutions such as Korea National University of Education and Hoseo University to promote the establishment of courses focused on integrity.

In particular, Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology has already started offering a credit-bearing liberal arts course related to integrity this semester. MOUs with major universities and local education offices will continue in the future.

Chairperson Ryu Chul Whan of the ACRC stated, "As the integrity awareness of students and the younger generation increases, we expect it will enhance transparency throughout our society and ultimately create a virtuous cycle that drives improvements in national integrity and economic growth," adding that, "Since the survey results targeting foreign businesspersons have a significant impact on national integrity assessments, we plan to continuously strengthen our promotion of the Korean government’s anti-corruption commitment and efforts, including holding meetings with executives of foreign chambers of commerce in Korea."