Korea in May this year received a far higher ranking (17th) than Japan (36th) in the control of strategic materials trade, according to the U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security. The map shows the 200 countries surveyed by the institute for this year's Peddling Peril Index, with the darker ones indicating those with higher rankings.



By Yoon Sojung
Photos: ISIS homepage 

Despite Japan's suspicions over Korea's control of strategic materials and their bilateral spat over the former nation's export restrictions on the latter, a U.S. think tank has ranked Korea considerably higher in such control than its neighbor. 

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), in its Peddling Peril Index (PPI) released in May this year, ranked Korea 17th with 897 points, considerably higher than Japan (36th) with 818 points among the 200 countries surveyed. 

ISIS studies strategic trade control systems worldwide and ranks that of each nation accordingly. Its five major criteria are international commitment to preventing strategic commodity trafficking, legislation, ability to monitor and detect strategic trade, capacity to prevent proliferation financing and adequacy of enforcement. A perfect score is 1,300. 

In the last PPI posted in 2017, Korea (32nd) trailed Japan (29th) but the former has since shot up in the rankings thanks to higher scores in international commitment and legislation. 

The U.S. topped the latest survey with 1,019 points, followed in order by the U.K., Sweden, Germany and Australia. Singapore (sixth) was the only Asian country to make the top ten, while North Korea was ranked last. 

The latest PPI can be downloaded from the ISIS homepage. 
http://isis-online.org/ppi/detail/peddling-peril-index-for-2019 
 

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