"World at Most Dangerous Since WWII... South Korea Relatively Peaceful"

At Least 56 Conflicts Occurred in 50 Countries Last Year
Severe Situation in Palestine... South Korea Rated "High" for Peace

Analyses indicate that global levels of violence and conflict have reached their highest point since World War II, due to armed clashes occurring in countries such as Ukraine and Myanmar. In particular, Palestine was identified as the area with the most severe "conflict index."

The British newspaper The Telegraph recently reported this, citing data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a conflict-monitoring NGO, and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Last year, at least 56 distinct conflicts were reported across 50 countries, including the war in Ukraine, the war in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, the civil war in Myanmar, and clashes among Mexican drug cartels. This figure is the second highest since 1964. The record high was 59 conflicts, set just one year earlier in 2023.

ACLED predicted that the level of conflict in 2025 could increase by as much as 20% compared to last year. The risk of conflict remains high, as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue, and relations between India and Pakistan deteriorate.

The head of ACLED stated, "More organized violence is occurring in more places," adding, "The level of violence is the highest since World War II." It is estimated that at least one in six people on Earth has been exposed to some form of violence, whether large or small.

The scene of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, Palestine, damaged by Israeli airstrikes Photo by Yonhap News

This trend is also reflected in statistics on the number of deaths. Over the past five years, the number of fatalities has increased in most regions, including Europe, North and South America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.

According to data from ACLED and UCDP, a total of 953,000 people died in armed conflicts between 2010 and 2019. However, The Telegraph reported that the number of deaths already exceeded 1 million in just the five years from 2020 to last year.

In particular, the number of deaths surged in 2021, when the military coup occurred in Myanmar, and in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Siri Aas Rustad of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) stated, "The number of civilian victims not included in the casualty figures is also increasing," adding, "These people have lost access to healthcare and educational facilities and are living in fear and food insecurity."

By country, ACLED's conflict index showed that Palestine was the most severely affected last year. Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, more than 35,000 people have been killed in Palestine due to Israeli attacks, and over 80% of the population has been exposed to violence.

Myanmar ranked second, Mexico fourth, Ukraine fourteenth, and Russia nineteenth.

South Korea was evaluated as a relatively safe and peaceful country. According to the Global Peace Index (GPI) published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an Australian think tank, South Korea scored 1.848, placing it in the "high" peace category. In contrast, North Korea scored 3.055 and was classified in the "very low" peace category.