A state anti-corruption watchdog has set a new guideline for public officials who are paid for presenting guest lectures, advising them not to give a "high-paying lecture," officials said Tuesday.

The new standard, released by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, sets an upper limit of payment per hour for public officials giving guest lectures, depending on their rank.

A minister-level official is advised not to receive more than 400,000 won ($340) per hour while a vice minister-level one's limit is set at 300,000 won, commission officials said. For officials with mid-rank of Grade 5, the limit is 120,000 won.

The new standard does not cover public officials who give guest lectures unrelated to their duties.

Commission officials said they set the new guideline amid complaints that some officials received "high payments" for giving guest lectures related to their duties.

"For officials who present a lecture to private companies or affiliated organizations, the practice of receiving several hundreds of thousands of won should be rooted out," a commission official said.

South Korea has received average rankings in international corruption surveys. According to a 2011 survey by Transparency International on corruption perceptions, Korea ranked 43 with a score of 5.4 out of 10.