The North Gyeongsang Provincial Government building. [North Gyeongsang Province]
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Government building. [North Gyeongsang Province]

Public agencies under North Gyeongsang Province have recorded a composite integrity score in the 9-point range for the first time since the assessment was introduced.

The provincial government announced Tuesday that 23 agencies under its umbrella received an average score of 9.18 points in the 2026 integrity assessment for its invested, contributed and subsidized institutions.

The figure marks a 0.32-point improvement from last year and a 0.76-point gain from 2021, when the assessment was first conducted.

Among the individual categories, the integrity-effort index — which measures progress on anti-corruption policy — rose 0.64 points, climbing from 8.45 last year to 9.09 this year.

The external perception score, reflecting assessments by provincial residents, fell 0.21 points to 9.53, while the internal perception score, based on responses from agency staff, dropped 0.41 points to 8.39.

By rating, seven agencies placed in the second tier, nine in the third, six in the fourth and one in the fifth. No agency reached the top tier, though 70 percent of all institutions earned a third-tier rating or better.

Second-tier agencies included the Gyeongbuk Transportation Culture Training Institute, the North Gyeongsang Province Disabled Sports Association, the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Food Retail Education Promotion Agency, the Gyeongbuk Research Institute, the Gyeongbuk Human Resources Lifelong Education Foundation and the Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation. Among medical centers, Gimcheon Medical Center also placed in the second tier.

The Dokdo Foundation finished in the fifth tier, the lowest rating in the composite integrity assessment. Fourth-tier institutions were the North Gyeongsang Province General Volunteer Center, the North Gyeongsang Province Patriots and Veterans Foundation, the North Gyeongsang Province Environmental Training Institute, the Gyeongbuk Culture Foundation, the Saemaul Foundation and Andong Medical Center.

The provincial government said it will notify each agency of its results and provide integrity consulting in areas identified as weak. The scores will also factor into management performance evaluations for local invested and contributed institutions and into performance reviews for directors of regional medical centers. High-performing agencies will receive commendation grants.

"The composite integrity score surpassing 9 points for the first time since the assessment began reflects the efforts of our affiliated agencies to make integrity a core value in how they operate," North Gyeongsang Province Inspector General Lee Seung-tae said. "We will work to address weak areas, including the decline in internal perception scores, and spread a culture of integrity that both residents and agency staff can feel."


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