omonatheydid | S. Korea picked as 15th best country in world

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By Lee Hyo-sik

South Korea has been ranked the world’s 15th best country by U.S. magazine Newsweek, which cited its high level of education and strong economic dynamism.

The magazine also rated President Lee Myung-bak as one of the world’s 10 most respected leaders, saying his leadership made it possible for Asia’s fourth largest economy to successfully recover from the recent worldwide economic crisis.

In an assessment of five categories covering national well-being ― education, health, quality of life, economic dynamism and the political environment, Newsweek said in its online edition Monday that Korea ranked 15th among 100 nations by receiving 83.28 points out of 100.
Finland topped the list with 89.31 points, followed by Switzerland and Sweden. In Asia, Korea was rated as the second best country after Japan, which ranked ninth worldwide.

By category, the nation received 96.72 points in education, the second highest in the world, thanks to its 99-percent literacy rate and average 16.2 years of schooling. In economic dynamism, it ranked third (73.02 points) for strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth, an improvement in productivity and the ease of doing business.
But Korea performed relatively poorly in advancing its political environment, public health and quality of life. It ranked 19th in political environment, with its public health and quality of life standing at 23rd and 29th, respectively.

``Many organizations measure various aspects of national competitiveness. But none attempt to put them all together. We set out to answer a question that is at once simple and incredibly complex ― if you were born today, which country would provide you the best opportunity to live in a healthy, safe, reasonably prosperous and upwardly mobile life?’’ Newsweek asked.
While admitting its list was not perfect, the magazine said it reveals several important things about the world.

``For starters, smaller is often better. While there’s no denying the vitality of emerging-market giants like China or Brazil or Turkey, they are often bested by tiny nations like Slovenia or Estonia, according to the data, simply because it takes less effort for these countries to improve their overall levels of well-being,’’ it said.
It also said a good, broad-based educational system is crucial, reasoning that it is very closely linked to future economic prosperity, and one of the most important aspects why the U.S., Western Europe, and rich Asian nations like South Korea and Japan score well.
Additionally, the magazine ranked President Lee seventh among the world’s 10 most respected leaders, calling him the CEO-in-charge.

``Drawing on his experience as a former Hyundai CEO, Lee guided Korea Inc. through the global financial crisis, slashing interest rates to historic lows, setting up funds to save troubled banks and companies, and striking currency-swap deals to secure dwindling foreign-currency reserves.’’
It said Lee’s talent will again be on display at the upcoming G20 summit in November in Seoul, which South Korea will host and chair.
source: www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/08/117_71588.html

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S. Korea picked as 15th best country in world

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