South Korea’s transparency ranking has slipped for the second consecutive year, placing the country 45th among 176 nations analyzed by Transparency International.

According to the Transparency International, Korea’s Corruption Perceptions Index came in at 56 points out of a possible 100. Last year the country scored 5.4 out of 10 to come in at 43rd.

In 2009 and 2010, the country was perceived as the 39th least corrupt country.

The fall in South Korea’s ranking is thought to have been caused by corruption scandals involving President Lee Myung-bak’s family and associates.

Among the 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea’s rank remained the same as last year at 27th.

The least corruption nations were Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, followed by Sweden and Singapore.

Among East Asian nations, Japan took the highest spot at 17th place, while China was 80th.

North Korea was perceived as the most corrupt nation along with Afghanistan and Somalia, scoring only 8 points.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)