South Korea was ranked 42nd in a worldwide peace index released Thursday, slightly up from last year but still bogged down by its long-festering standoff with its northern neighbor.

The Sydney-headquartered Institute for Economics and Peace has since 2007 been gauging the peacefulness of 162 countries based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators on the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarization.

In its ninth edition, South Korea saw its position up 10 notches from last year, reflecting a relative easing of cross-border tensions. North Korea was placed 153rd, among the bottom 10.

Topping the list for the second straight year was Iceland, followed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland. Japan was deemed the most peaceful nation in East Asia, ranking eighth, while the scores of China and some Southeast Asian countries declined due to their territorial brawls in the South China Sea.

Of the total 162 countries, 81 have become more peaceful and 78 less. The most substantial changes in the index were recorded for the Middle East and North Africa on the back of an upsurge in violence related to sectarian strife and civil conflicts, as well as a rise of the Islamic State extremist group.

“(The Asia-Pacific) contains the most diversity, with three countries in the top 10 and a single country, North Korea, in the bottom 10 of the overall rankings. The South China Sea remains a potential area for conflict, with countries involved in the dispute ― China, Vietnam and the Philippines ― all showing a worsening of their scores in the 2015 index,” the independent think tank said in the report.

“The laggard of the region, North Korea, remains a concern for global peace with continued belligerence and isolation.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)