South Korea placed ninth in terms of national defense science and technology out of 16 countries regarded to be advanced in the area of defense in 2021. 

The Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement disclosed the assessment in a report released on Monday. 

South Korea ranked eleventh in 2008 when the institute first began to conduct the survey. It then saw its ranking move up to tenth in 2012 and ninth in 2015 and 2018. 

South Korea saw high scores in the areas of artillery and command systems which are based on unmanned and smart weapon systems utilizing high-tech ICT, including artificial intelligence and big data.

The report found that South Korea scored low in terms of radar and space weapons systems. 

The U.S. topped the list followed by France and Russia. China came in sixth, its same ranking from 2018. Japan saw its ranking slip a notch to eighth.

The institute conducts the survey every three years and distributes its findings to defense-related agencies.