ID :
34683
Tue, 12/09/2008 - 17:52
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34683
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S. Korean firms ranked 14th in bribery index
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean firms may have improved some in the way they conduct business abroad, but many still rely on bribes to get what they want in other nations, especially in developing countries, an international survey showed Tuesday.
Out of 22 countries, South Korea was ranked 14th along with Taiwan and South
Africa in an index intending to show the likelihood of a country's firms to offer
bribes while doing business in foreign nations, according to Transparency
International (TI).
South Korea was ranked 18th out of 19 countries in the Bribe Players Index (BPI)
in 1999 and 21st out of 30 nations in 2006.
"This shows the frequency of offering bribes by our businesses is still very
high, and that South Korean businesses' reputation in the international community
has not improved greatly," the international organization's Seoul office said in
a statement.
The index is based on the outcome of a survey that asked some 2,700 business
executives in 26 major import countries how often they had been offered bribes by
foreign businesses in their countries, according to the organization.
The 22 countries ranked in the BPI comprise the world's largest economies and
leading exporters, including the United States, Japan and China.
"We cannot compare this year's index or our country's ranking with previous
findings because the number of countries ranked or surveyed is different and the
way the study was conducted is different," Kim Geo-sung, head of Transparency
International-Korea, said in a telephone interview.
Kim noted that South Korean businesses were working very slowly in terms of
securing transparency and fighting off corruption.
Of South Korean business executives questioned as part of TI's worldwide survey,
over 90 percent said they were not aware of an anti-bribery convention by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the
Seoul office chief.
Only 2 percent answered they were aware of the OECD convention, formally named
the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in
International Business Transaction.
Belgium and Canada were ranked the highest in the index, followed by the
Netherlands and Switzerland who jointly took third place.
Chinese and Russian businesses were placed in the lowest bracket of the index,
meaning they were mostly likely to offer bribes or work around red tape while
trying to do business in other countries, TI said.
Out of 22 countries, South Korea was ranked 14th along with Taiwan and South
Africa in an index intending to show the likelihood of a country's firms to offer
bribes while doing business in foreign nations, according to Transparency
International (TI).
South Korea was ranked 18th out of 19 countries in the Bribe Players Index (BPI)
in 1999 and 21st out of 30 nations in 2006.
"This shows the frequency of offering bribes by our businesses is still very
high, and that South Korean businesses' reputation in the international community
has not improved greatly," the international organization's Seoul office said in
a statement.
The index is based on the outcome of a survey that asked some 2,700 business
executives in 26 major import countries how often they had been offered bribes by
foreign businesses in their countries, according to the organization.
The 22 countries ranked in the BPI comprise the world's largest economies and
leading exporters, including the United States, Japan and China.
"We cannot compare this year's index or our country's ranking with previous
findings because the number of countries ranked or surveyed is different and the
way the study was conducted is different," Kim Geo-sung, head of Transparency
International-Korea, said in a telephone interview.
Kim noted that South Korean businesses were working very slowly in terms of
securing transparency and fighting off corruption.
Of South Korean business executives questioned as part of TI's worldwide survey,
over 90 percent said they were not aware of an anti-bribery convention by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the
Seoul office chief.
Only 2 percent answered they were aware of the OECD convention, formally named
the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in
International Business Transaction.
Belgium and Canada were ranked the highest in the index, followed by the
Netherlands and Switzerland who jointly took third place.
Chinese and Russian businesses were placed in the lowest bracket of the index,
meaning they were mostly likely to offer bribes or work around red tape while
trying to do business in other countries, TI said.
