And with the protracted economic slump,... last year was a bad year for Korean companies in another aspect. br In 2014,... the number of Korean firms recording a decline in their credit ratings... reached a 15-year high.br The Korea Investors Service on Monday says,... only 15 of some 3-hundred-70 companies saw their credit ratings rise last year,... while about 40 suffered a downgrade.br The figures represent the lowest and highest within a 15-year period since 1999.br By industry,... manufacturing companies saw the largest number of ratings downgrades,... followed by the service and financial sectors.