[Graphic News] Manufacturing competitiveness

According to the competitive industrial performance index released by the U.N. Industrial Development Organization last week, Japan has the strongest competitiveness in the manufacturing sector, followed by Germany, the U.S., Korea and Taiwan. Korea has maintained fourth position since 2005.

Nov. 24, 2013

[Graphic News] Korea‘s life expectancy stood at 81.1 years in 2011

South Korea‘s life expectancy stood at 81.1 years in 2011, one year above the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average, according to the health data from the OECD.

Social AffairsNov. 21, 2013

[Graphic News] OECD’s economic growth outlook

OECD revised down its global economy outlook for this year from 3.1 percent to 2.7 percent and next year from 4.0 percent to 3.6 percent, expecting lower economic growth in emerging markets. The Paris-based club of advanced countries also revised downward Korea’s 2014 economic growth outlook from 4 percent to 3.8 percent.

Nov. 20, 2013

[Graphic News] Global sales of tablet PCs

Samsung Electronics’ sales of tablet PCs in the third quarter reached 10.5 million units, accounting for 20.2 percent of the global market share, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. Samsung narrowed the gap with front-runner Apple, which shipped 14.1 million units in the same period.

Nov. 19, 2013

[Graphic News] Korean firms’ civilian helicopters

Korean Air, the nation‘s flag carrier, holds six civilian helicopters, topping the list of the number of company-held choppers for private use, according to the Transport Ministry. Samsung Techwin, a defense equipment maker, came in second with four helicopters.

Nov. 18, 2013

[Graphic News] Details of chopper crash into apartment

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2013

[Graphic News] Myeong-dong, world’s 9th highest commercial rental prices

Myeong-dong in central Seoul was ranked ninth on a list of the world’s priciest shopping districts in terms of real estate, according to a survey conducted by Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate consulting firm. The district’s monthly rental prices posted an average of 750,000 won per square meter. The world’s most expensive retail address was Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay.

Foreign AffairsNov. 14, 2013

[Graphic News] Korea’s relief aid to disaster-hit countries

The amount of aids includes assistance in cash, relief goods and cost of dispatching relief workers

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2013

[Graphic News] Domestic game makers’ royalty earnings

Korea’s game makers earned $680 million in royalties from overseas in 2012, an increase of 19.3 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the central bank.The income accounts for 87 percent of the total earnings from hallyu-related intellectual property.

Nov. 12, 2013

[Graphic News] Korea ranks 20th in welfare in OECD

South Korea ranked 20th in a composite index on health and welfare among the 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2010. The survey conducted by the state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs analyzes data on more than 26 areas, including health, life expectancy, employment, suicide, economic growth and the environment.

Social AffairsNov. 11, 2013

[Graphic News] World’s top brands

Apple Inc. topped the world’s most valuable brands list selected by Forbes magazine with a brand value of $104 billion. With a $29.5 billion brand value, Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics came in ninth, becoming the only Asian company in the top 100

IndustryNov. 10, 2013

[Graphic News] Gender gap in workforce participation

Korea had a 22.4 percentage point gender gap in workforce participation rates last year, the fourth-widest in the OECD, according to a report from the Paris-based club of rich countries. Korea’s male economic participation rate was 77.6 percent and the female rate was 55.2 percent. Turkey had the biggest gender gap, with 43.5 percentage points, while Finland had the smallest, with 4.0 percentage points.

Nov. 7, 2013

[Graphic News] Regional patients head for big hospitals in Seoul

The portion of regional patients visiting five major hospitals in Seoul exceeded 60 percent last year, indicating a deepening imbalance in medical care nationwide.

Social AffairsNov. 6, 2013

[Graphic News] S. Korea among U.S. wiretapping targets: report

Secret 2007 documents of the U.S. National Security Agency released by The New York Times showed that South Korea was designated as one of the focus areas for its wiretapping mission, called SIGINT, on the subjects of foreign policy, foreign intelligence and counterintelligence.

Foreign AffairsNov. 5, 2013

[Graphic News] 66% of Korea‘s arms imports brokered by private dealers

About two-thirds of Seoul’s weapons imports were brokered by private dealers, according to data from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The government purchased foreign weapons systems worth 16.7 trillion won ($15.7 billion) in total from 2007-12. Of the total, weapons worth some 11.41 trillion won, or 66.1 percent, were purchased through private dealers, while the rest were acquired through government-to-government transaction programs.

DefenseNov. 4, 2013

[Graphic News] Level of toxic smog from China

The level of fine particulate matter in the air, known as PM2.5, on Saturday stood at between 31-80 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul city areas. But meteorologists say this week it will exceed the daily safe level of 100 micrograms per cubic meter due to smog blown in by northwesterly winds from China.

Social AffairsNov. 3, 2013

[Graphic News] Share of university lectures by full-time faculty increases

The share of university lectures given by full-time faculty members increased slightly to 58.9 percent in the second semester in 2013, according to Education Ministry data released Thursday. By region, universities in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province have fewer lectures by full-time professors, with an average rate of 54.9 percent, compared to 61.1 percent in other areas.

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2013

[Graphic News] Global terrorism fatalities

The number of terrorist attacks and fatalities soared to a record high in 2012. More than 8,500 terrorist attacks in 85 countries killed nearly 15,500 people last year.

Foreign AffairsOct. 30, 2013

[Graphic News] World’s best and worst places for business

Singapore and Hong Kong rank as the world’s best places to run a business, while mainland China remains far down the list, according to the World Bank’s annual competitiveness survey Tuesday.The Southeast Asian entrepots and finance centers topped the survey for the eighth straight year, with New Zealand, the United States and Denmark rounding out the top five, as a year ago.The lower ranks of the 189-country list was populated with African countries like Chad, the Central African Republic and L

World NewsOct. 29, 2013

[Graphic News] Women’s economic activity

The economic participation rate of Korean women measured 49.9 percent in 2012, lagging far behind advanced European countries, according to a report from the Korea International Trade Association. Iceland topped the table with 77.1 percent. Korea came in 25th.

Oct. 28, 2013