Korea Ranked 43rd on World Culture of Peace Index

The World Peace Forum, headed by Chairman Kim Jin-hyun, a former president of University of Seoul, reported on September 22 that Korea received a mark of 71.0 out of 100 points, ranking 43rd on the World Culture of Peace Index (WCPI) among 76 countries covered. It is 11 spots higher than its 54th rank in 2002, recovering to near the 2001 level of 44th. A member of the forum said, “There were a number of peace-threatening issues in 2002, starting with the armed conflict in the West Sea, the deaths of two schoolgirls by U.S. armored vehicle and anti-American protests, and mounting tension over the nuclear capabilities of North Korea, but these threatening elements were either resolved or improved,” and added, “This does not indicate that there were any significant events that enhanced the state of peace.”

In terms of WCPI, Sweden was named the most peaceful country with 89.6 points, and the top 10 includes: Denmark (87.3), Canada (86.9), New Zealand (86.7), the Netherlands (86.3), Germany (86.2), Luxemburg (85.9), Switzerland (85.9), Austria (85.2), and Japan (84.5). Pakistan was ranked 76th, the lowest, with 43.1 points.

The WCPI for the countries involved in the war in Iraq dropped significantly. The WCPI for the United States dropped six places to 51st from 2002 when it was ranked 45th, while Great Britain slid down to 41st from 25th place.

The four countries closely related to the Korean Peninsula were all ranked below 50th, with the exception of Japan in 10th place. China was ranked at 57th place, with Russia at 66th, following the U.S. at 51st.

The World Peace Forum informed that WCPI was constructed for only those countries where data in terms of politics, military and diplomacy, and socio-economy are available in measurable quantities that will enable a proper analysis.

Hyong-gwon Pu bookum90@donga.com