Gyeongsangbuk-do Integrity Scores Rise at 23 Invested and Contributed Institutions... Dokdo Foundation Ranks Last with Grade 5

For the first time since assessments began, the comprehensive integrity score of institutions invested in or established by Gyeongsangbuk-do and its subsidized institutions has reached the 9-point range.

Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on November 10 that 23 such institutions received an average score of 9.18 in the “2026 Comprehensive Integrity Assessment of Gyeongsangbuk-do Invested, Contributed-to, and Subsidized Institutions.” This was up 0.32 points from last year and 0.76 points from 2021, when the assessment began.

Under the Gyeongsangbuk-do Ordinance on Improving Integrity, the province has conducted comprehensive integrity assessments since 2021 to gauge the integrity of its affiliated public institutions and address factors that can lead to corruption. Gyeongbuk Development Corporation, which is assessed by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, was excluded. The three regional medical centers have been assessed separately from general institutions since 2025, taking into account differences in their operational characteristics and the scope of the assessments.

The comprehensive integrity score was calculated by combining external perceptions, as assessed by residents; internal perceptions, as assessed by institution employees; and integrity efforts, based on the implementation of anti-corruption and integrity policies, and then applying deductions for corruption incidents. Institutions were assigned grades from 1 to 5 based on their scores.

The integrity efforts score rose the most, increasing 0.64 points from 8.45 last year to 9.09 this year. By contrast, the external perceptions score fell 0.21 points, from 9.74 to 9.53, and the internal perceptions score fell 0.41 points, from 8.80 to 8.39. The decline in internal perceptions remains an issue to address, requiring a review of and improvements to the overall organizational culture and internal anti-corruption efforts.

By grade, seven institutions received Grade 2, nine received Grade 3, six received Grade 4, and one received Grade 5. No institution received Grade 1, but 70% of all institutions earned Grade 3 or higher. The gap between the highest and lowest scores among institutions also narrowed to 1.36 points.

The institutions receiving Grade 2 were the Gyeongsangbuk-do Transportation Culture Training Institute, Gyeongsangbuk-do Sports Association for the Disabled, Gyeongsangbuk-do Agriculture and Food Distribution Education Promotion Agency, Gyeongbuk Research Institute, Gyeongsangbuk-do Human Resources and Lifelong Education Foundation, and Gyeongbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation. Among the medical centers, Gimcheon Medical Center received Grade 2.

Grade 3 went to the Korean Studies Institute, Gyeongsangbuk-do Sports Association, Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Organization, Gyeongbuk Women's Policy Development Institute, Gyeongbuk Economic Promotion Agency, Gyeongbuk Bio Industry Research Institute, Gyeongbuk Technopark, and Gyeongbuk Happiness Foundation. Grade 4 went to the Gyeongbuk Comprehensive Volunteer Center, Gyeongbuk Patriots and Veterans Foundation, Gyeongbuk Environmental Training Institute, Gyeongbuk Culture Foundation, and Saemaul Foundation. The only institution receiving Grade 5 was the Dokdo Foundation.

Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to notify the institutions and the departments responsible for their oversight of the results, analyze detailed indicators to identify areas of weakness, and support improvements through tailored integrity consulting. The results will be reflected in management performance evaluations for local government-invested and contributed-to institutions and in performance evaluations of regional medical center directors. Outstanding institutions will receive awards.

Lee Seungtae, Gyeongsangbuk-do’s Inspector General, said, “We view the decline in internal perceptions as an issue that calls for closer attention to organizational culture. We will continue to address each institution’s areas of weakness so that integrity becomes something employees and residents can genuinely experience, rather than something pursued just for the assessment.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.