The BBC of the U.K. on April 1 said Korea this year ranks sixth worldwide in agility. Shown here is Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-chul, who is concurrently first deputy director of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, at Government Complex-Seoul on April 1 announcing a relaxation of social distancing measures. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Jihae

Korea ranks sixth worldwide in agility, the British public broadcaster BBC said on April 1.

A BBC article headlined "The world's most agile countries" covered this year's agility index as released by the American magazine US News and World Report.

The index gauges a nation's ability to respond to obstacles such as a pandemic, global conflict and overall uncertainty.

The five criteria are adaptability, dynamism, modernity, progressivism and responsiveness.

Korea ranked sixth out of the 78 countries surveyed, scoring high in dynamism and progressivism.

"South Korea received accolades early in the pandemic for keeping its case counts low, with aggressive testing and isolation for the infected," the report said.

"Yet, with cases now hitting record numbers, the country continues to move forward with its plan to roll back many restrictions, confident in the collective vaccination rate and its ability to handle hospital load."

The BBC also quoted Ha Hye-song, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, as saying, "The Korean government implemented quick tests, tracing and treatments, and established (the) KCDC (Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention), an agile headquarters with professionalism, independence and authority to coordinate crisis response."

The report added that the Korean government from April 1 exempted from quarantine fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in the country.

jihlee08@korea.kr