Seoul City was ranked as the sixth-most competitive city for the second consecutive year in a survey by the Mori Memorial Foundation of Japan.

According to the 2013 Global Power City Index, Seoul showed general improvements in all categories, especially in economy in which it jumped from 13th to 8th, the Japanese urban studies research center said.

It has annually rated 40 cities since 2008 in the six categories: economy, research & development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and transportation accessibility.

London topped the chart, followed by New York, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore.

Seoul’s ranking has moved up from 13th to 6th over the past six years.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)