“Quality of Life” in Seoul Ranks 90th in World

It has been determined that the “quality of life” in Seoul ranks 90th among 215 worldwide cities. Zurich and Geneva of Switzerland have been selected as the most favorable cities to live in. Baghdad, Iraq sits at the bottom of the rankings.

Mercer Human Resource Consulting (MHRC), a global consulting company, has disclosed that as a result of the “life quality” assessment carried out on the targeted 215 worldwide cities, centering on 39 items of appraisement such as economy, environment, health, education, transportation, and safety, Zurich and Geneva of Switzerland shared the top spot in the rankings with a total score of 106.5. The scores were aggregated on the basis of setting New York at 100. Vancouver, Canada and Vienna, Austria shared the third spot, and Auckland, New Zealand; Bern, Switzerland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Frankfurt, Germany; and Sydney, Australia occupied the joint fifth position. For the 2003 rankings, Geneva and Vancouver jointly ranked second, but this year, Geneva, which was confirmed to possess the best educational background, has ascended to the number one spot. In Asia, Singapore and Tokyo received the highest scores, occupying the 33rd spot jointly. Seoul scored the same as that of 2003, receiving 81.5, but plunged two spots from 88th to 90th. The reason for Seoul’s lower rank is due to the North Korea nuclear problem, pollution, and heavy traffic. In particular, Seoul’s score of “Sanitation and hygiene condition” remained at 104th due to the terrible pollution. “We’ve surveyed to suggest the guidelines for foreigners to live rather than the local people,” disclosed MHRC, adding “Due to the unstable political and economic conditions in Africa and terror intimidation, the gaps between the higher and lower ranked cities have become more serious than that of last year.”