World Bank "governance indicators" published Monday gave the Korean government an average 3.66 points out of 15 in six categories, including political stability and regulatory quality, placing it 60th out of 209 surveyed nations. In 2002, during the Kim Dae-jung administration, the country recorded 4.07, coming 50th.

In political stability, Korea fell from 69th (0.5 points) in 2002 to 84th (0.45 points) in 2004, a drop of 15 spots. In terms of government effectiveness, Korea's score increased from 0.91 points to 0.95 points, but fell in rank from 39th to 42nd.

Korea’s regulatory quality fell from 49th (0.84 points) to 58th (0.69 points), and in rule of law it dropped from 46th (0.83 points) to 66th (0.67 points). Control of corruption saw another weak performance, falling from 64th (0.36 points) to 78th (0.17 points). Only in the "voice and political accountability" category did the Korean government hold steady at a poor 65th.

The World Bank has evaluated the competitiveness of 209 states and autonomous governments every two years since 1996.

(englishnews@chosun.com )