[Graphic News] Messi named best player of 2022

A panel of 206 judges have selected the world’s top-100 male soccer players of 2022. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory for the first time since 1986, was voted the No. 1 player of 2022, with Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe coming in at second place and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema at third, according to British newspaper The Guardian. South Korea’s Son Heung-min placed at 26th, climbing 13 ranks from 39th place the previous year.

SoccerFeb. 7, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korean population falls for 3rd consecutive year in 2022

South Korea’s population shrank last year, continuing its downward trend for three years in a row with the number of single-person households close to 10 million, government data showed. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said the country’s registered population stood at 51,439,038 as of Dec. 31 of last year, down 0.39 percent from a year earlier. Single-person households continued to rise to 9,724,256, accounting for 41 percent of the total of 23,705,814 households. Combined with t

Social AffairsFeb. 6, 2023

[Graphic News] Exports of soju up 13.2%

Exports of soju, South Korea’s traditional distilled liquor, increased 13.2 percent in 2022 from a year earlier, data showed, rebounding for the first time in three years. Outbound shipments of soju reached $93.3 million in 2022, rising sharply from $82.4 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. In terms of volume, exports advanced 12.7 percent to reach 67,104 metric tons, the data showed. Soju is a clear, distilled liquor made with grain

ConsumerFeb. 3, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Koreans become world’s biggest spenders on luxury goods

South Koreans consumed the most luxury goods in the world last year, according to a report. Morgan Stanley estimated that total spending on luxury goods by Koreans on-year grew around 24 percent to $16.8 billion, or $325 per capita, which is much more than the $55 and $280 on luxury goods spent per capita by Chinese and Americans, respectively. Moncler said sales in Korea more than doubled in the second quarter of last year compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Cartier owner Richemont Group

World BusinessFeb. 2, 2023

[Graphic News] 7 out of 10 S. Koreans support independent development of nuclear weapons: poll

Seven out of 10 South Koreans see the need for Seoul to independently pursue its own nuclear weapons development program, a survey showed, amid concerns over escalating military threats from Pyongyang and a lack of trust in denuclearization negotiations with North Korea. According to a Gallup Korea poll of 1,000 adults, commissioned by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, 76.6 percent replied that the South needs to develop nuclear weapons independently to counter Pyongyang’s intensify

DefenseFeb. 1, 2023

[Graphic News] About 1 in 20 young Seoul residents live in social isolation due mainly to unemployment

About 1 in 20 young people in Seoul live in isolation or seclusion from society due mainly to difficulties in finding a job or mental problems, a survey by the city government showed. An estimated 4.5 percent, or about 129,000, of Seoul residents aged between 19-39 were surveyed to be in social isolation or seclusion, the city government said following a survey conducted last year on 5,513 Seoul citizens in the age group. The corresponding number for the entire country may reach 610,000 if the s

Social AffairsJan. 31, 2023

[Graphic News] Global chip revenue up only 1.1% in 2022: report

Global semiconductor revenue grew only around 1 percent on-year last year, a recent report showed, with the memory chip sector suffering the most. According to tech research firm Gartner, worldwide chip revenue is estimated to have risen 1.1 percent to $601.7 billion in 2022, a significant drop from a 26.3 percent annual growth seen the previous year. While 2022 got off to a relatively good start due to lingering chip shortages, Gartner said “by the second half of 2022, the global economy

World BusinessJan. 30, 2023

[Graphic News] Air traffic rises 16% last year but still below pre-pandemic levels

South Korea’s air traffic rose 16 percent in 2022 from a year earlier on unleashed pent-up demand for travel amid eased COVID-19 virus curbs, the Transport Ministry said. Airlines, domestic and foreign, made a total of 539,788 flights over South Korea last year, up from 465,469 flights a year ago, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The ministry said the 2022 number of flights still stood at 65 percent of the pre-pandemic levels. Air traffic in the count

MarketJan. 27, 2023

[Graphic News] UN decries ‘intolerable’ loss of 5 million children in 2021

An estimated 5 million children under the age of 5 died in 2021, the United Nations said, urging health care investment in underserved communities around the globe to avoid this “immense, intolerable and mostly preventable loss of life.” Some 2.3 million deaths in 2021 occurred in the children’s first month, mostly due to being premature or from complications related to childbirth. After a child’s first month, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria

World NewsJan. 26, 2023

[Graphic News] Portugal rated best country to retire to in 2023

The combination of an inexpensive cost of living, beautiful scenery and traveler-friendly visa options make Portugal the best country to move to in 2023. International Living's Annual Global Retirement Index lists the 10 countries that are the best retirement destinations for the year, but they are not just for retirees. As remote work becomes more common and people seek a simpler way of life, the countries on the list may be appealing to younger generations as well. In 2022, Portugal was r

World NewsJan. 25, 2023

[Graphic News] 5.3m people per day move during Lunar New Year

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year holiday, or Seollal in Korean, many people travel across the nation to reunite with family in their hometowns or pay respects to their ancestors. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, an average of 5.3 million people nationwide are expected to travel per day during the upcoming holiday. Between Friday and Tuesday, the ministry will implement special measures to ensure safe and convenient holiday travel, such as expressway toll exem

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korea's coffee imports jump 45.1% in 2022

South Korea’s imports of coffee soared nearly 45.1 percent in the first 11 months of 2022 from a year earlier. The value of the country’s coffee imports came to $1.19 billion in the January-November period, up 45.1 percent from the previous year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. It marks the first time that South Korea’s yearly coffee imports have exceeded $1 billion. Last year’s amount was up 16.7-fold from 20 years earlier. With coffee consumption s

IndustryJan. 19, 2023

[Graphic News] 2022 9th warmest year on record in S. Korea

Last year was the 9th warmest year on record in South Korea, data showed. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the average temperature throughout 2022 was 12.9 degrees Celsius, 0.4 C higher than the average of 12.5 C during the baseline period from 1991 to 2020. It was also the ninth-highest temperature since the country began nationwide weather monitoring in 1973. Adding to evidence that the planet is heating up, all but two of the country’s 10 warmest years have occurred this cen

Social AffairsJan. 18, 2023

[Graphic News] Canada’s polar bear population plummets

Canada’s Western Hudson Bay polar bear population has fallen 27 percent in just five years, according to a government report, suggesting climate change is impacting the animals. Every fall, bears living along the western edge of Hudson Bay pass through the sub-Arctic tourist town of Churchill, Manitoba, as they return to the sea ice. This has made the population not only the best studied group in the world, but also the most famous, with the local bear-viewing economy valued at $5.3 millio

World NewsJan. 17, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korean content industry exports hit all-time high in 2021

South Korea’s exports of cultural content hit an all-time high of $12.4 billion in 2021, boosted by the global boom of Korean pop culture, a government report showed. According to a 2021 research study on the cultural content industry released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the industry’s exports increased 4.4 percent to $12.45 billion in 2021 from $11.92 billion in 2020. The content industry is an umbrella term for organizations that produce copyrighted works availa

PerformanceJan. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] Korean mask dance added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

The traditional Korean mask dance, or “talchum” in Korean, was inscribed onto a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Nov. 30. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to put “Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 17th session in Rabat, Morocco. Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music

CultureJan. 13, 2023

[Graphic News] Number of English-language kindergartens in Seoul rises to 311

Seoul has more than 310 English-language kindergartens known for their high cost, about twice as much as annual college tuition, a civic group said. The number of English-language kindergartens in the capital totaled 311 as of the end of last year, an increase of 17 from the previous year, according to the group named World Without Private Education Worries. Two southern Seoul wards of Gangnam and Seocho accounted for 86 of the total, with 54 located in adjacent Gangdong and Songpa wards. The av

Social AffairsJan. 12, 2023

[Graphic News] Iran pushes global list of imprisoned journalists to record high

Iran’s protest crackdown has helped push the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide to a record high of 533 in 2022, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders. The figure is up from 488 in 2021, already a record, according to the France-based NGO. More than half are detained in just five countries: China, which remains “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with 110, followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31). Iran is the only cou

World NewsJan. 11, 2023

[Graphic News] South Korean art market surpasses 1tr won in 2022

The South Korean art market surpassed 1 trillion won ($782 million) in total sales for the first time in 2022 on strong sales of artworks through galleries and art fairs, the Culture Ministry said. The trade volume of artworks increased 37.2 percent from 756.3 billion won in 2021 to 1.037 trillion won in 2022 despite the global economic woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. By sector, art fairs experienced the largest growth of 59.8 percent from

CultureJan. 10, 2023

[Graphic News] More than 70% of S. Koreans use streaming services: survey

More than 70 percent of South Koreans use online streaming services last year amid the protracted pandemic, a government survey showed. According to the annual poll conducted by the Korea Communications Commission, 72 percent of 6,708 respondents said they are using at least one over-the-top media service in 2022, up slightly from 69.5 percent last year. Among them, 95.7 percent said they use the service once or more per week, while 60.7 percent said they watch content five days a week on the pl

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2023