For South Koreans 2007 was the Year of Living Deceptively, according to a survey published Monday in the wake of scandals involving fake academics, the nation's top conglomerate and politicians.

A survey of 340 professors selected the Chinese phrase "ja-gi-gi-in" (deceiving yourself and others) from several candidates when asked to sum up the year, newspapers reported.

"Ja-gi-gi-in is the behaviour resulting from one's excessive desire," Professor Ahn Dae-Hoe told the Korea Herald.

"Forging degrees, plagiarising theses and the moral insensitivity of politicians and big corporations have shaken up Korean society for the past year."

The news that a high-profile art curator had faked her degrees prompted a series of similar disclosures, both voluntary and involuntary. The Samsung group is being investigated over claims it operated a massive slush fund for bribery.

Several government officials have quit over corruption claims and president-elect Lee Myung-Bak faces an independent probe into allegations he was linked to a 2001 stock manipulation scam. He denies any involvement.

Koreans still use some Chinese characters alongside the indigenous Hangeul script.