Anchor: A survey puts South Korea as the seventh most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region. This is according to an Australian foreign policy think tank that surveyed 26 countries based on indicators like military power and economic influence.
Park Jong-hong has this report.

Report: The 2020 Asia Power Index released on Monday by Australian foreign policy think tank Lowy Institute said South Korea ranked seventh out of 26 countries surveyed, garnering 31-point-six points and dropping one spot from last year. 

The U.S. led the pack with a whopping 81-point-six points, followed closely by China with 76-point-one points. 

Figures from previous years showed that China has been catching up to the U.S. largely due to Washington’s pullout of trade and investment from the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan came in third with 41 points, followed by India with 39-point-seven points, Russia with 33-point-five points and Australia with 32-point-four points. 

The annual Asia Power Index survey measures “overall power rankings” based on eight indicators including military capability, defense networks, economic resources and diplomatic and cultural influence. 

North Korea garnered 12-point-three points ranking 17th on the list. The institute said the North fell back by a notch mainly due to a decline in diplomatic clout. 

It noted that the U.S.-North Korea summit did not bring meaningful concessions for the communist country.

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea ranked at the bottom of the list with three-point-eight points.
Park Jong-hong KBS World Radio News