Lee Jae-oh, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, urged high-ranking officials to take the lead in efforts to make the nation clean and transparent.

The top corruption fighter launched a three-day series of special lectures for senior public servants and business leaders on January 21st.

He stressed that integrity and transparency is not just an ethical issue but also a core element of national competitiveness.

"After the nation attained $20,000 in per capita GNP, what prevents our further growth now is corruption. Unless we tackle corruption, we won"t be able to join the ranks of the most advanced countries," he said.

When it comes to national transparency, Korea still has a long way to go. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International, it ranked 39th. Among OECD member countries, it ranked 22nd last year.

"We know that the nation has achieved today"s economic growth thanks to the hard work of public servants. However, you have never led social changes as well," he added, calling on attending 500 ranking officials to take the initiative and set an example for other sectors.

He proposed making 2010 a banner year for a sweeping campaign to eradicate corruption.

He delivered an address to 500 board members of state-run companies, with another morning speech scheduled for January 22nd for 300 representatives of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industries" member companies.