It marked the lowest performance since the institute started compiling such data in 2012, even hovering below the 89th place posted in 2017 after the flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was pulled from the shelves due to batteries catching fire while being recharged.

While the Reputation Institute did not provide details on the background of Samsung's poor performance this year, industry watchers said various factors, including allegations that the firms' executives oppressed the labor union, are presumed to have hurt its reputation.

South Korea's top court also ordered a lower court to reconsider its suspended jail sentence for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong earlier this year for his involvement in a political scandal, which led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

The de facto leader of the country's top conglomerate faces charges for bribing a longtime friend of Park as he sought the government's help in securing the control of Samsung Group.

Other global brands that suffered a sharp decline in their reputations include Nestle, Amazon, Panasonic and Nissan, according to the report. (Yonhap)