Most Popular
-
1
[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
-
2
[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
-
3
[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
-
4
‘Kim desperately wanted to denuclearize,’ Moon writes in memoirs
-
5
Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
-
6
N. Korea slams US subcritical nuclear test, vows measures to bolster nuclear deterrence
-
7
Korea set to finalize medical school expansion plans
-
8
S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
-
9
Seoul City to open 'hotel' on river bridge
-
10
Korean builders nervous about possible setbacks in Middle East
-
[Graphic News] Asylum seekers in EU doubled in 2015
The number of people seeking asylum in the European Union in 2015 reached 1,255,640 -- more than double that of the previous year, new figures suggest.Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans topped the list of applicants, with more than a third going to Germany, Eurostat says.In 2015, the highest number was registered in Germany, with 441,800 first-time applicants, followed by Hungary, Sweden, Austria, Italy and France. Compared to the previous year, the number of first-time asylum applicants in 2015 increa
World NewsMarch 6, 2016
-
[Graphic News] North Korea’s trade deficit widens
The U.N. Security Council’s tougher economic sanctions against North Korea is expected to deal a serious blow to North Korea’s economy as they include a ban on the North’s major export items like coal and iron ore.According to a report released by South Korea’s Trade-Investment Promotion Agency on Thursday, North Korea’s external trade amounted to $7.6 billion in 2014 but its deficit widened to $1.29 billion, a 41 percent increase from a year earlier.North Korea’s major export goods included min
March 3, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Bill Gates tops world’s billionaires list: Forbes
Microsoft founder Bill Gates took the crown as the world’s richest person for three straight years, according to Forbes 2016 World’s Billionaires list released on Tuesday.Despite the worth of his net assets decreasing by $4.2 billion to $75 billion due to weak stock markets and plunging oil price, Gates ranked first in the list of 1,810 billionaires in the world. Fashion retailer Zara founder Amancio Ortega ranked second with $67 billion, up two places from last year, and investment genius Warre
March 2, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Jobs in electric, waterworks paid most, food services paid least
The average monthly nominal wage of laborers in South Korea increased slightly by 3.5 percent last year over the year before, statistics by the Employment and Labor Ministry showed.The highest paid jobs were those in electric, gas and waterworks businesses, threefold the lowest paying jobs in the lodging and food industries. The ministry surveyed the wages of about 25,000 sample businesses in all fields excluding agriculture.Other high-paying jobs included those in finance, insurance, science an
Social AffairsMarch 1, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Debts dominate spending of households in deficit
Debt-to-income ratio of deficit households, whose spending is higher than their disposable income, reached 42 percent 2014, according to a report released by the LG Economic Research Institute on Monday. The proportion of income spent on debt repayments is far higher than the overall figure for all households of 28.3 percent.The ratio for households in deficit has risen steeply since it exceeded 30 percent for the first time in 2009, peaking in 2013, when their DTI ratio hit 42.7 percent. “Consi
Feb. 29, 2016
-
[Graphic News] North Korea’s trade volume with China decreases
With a new set of unprecedented sanctions against North Korea by the U.N. Security Council looming, North Korea is expected to suffer a major setback in its trade, the majority of which depends on China.According to the Korea International Trade Association, the amount of exports from North Korea to China reached $2.48 billion last year, marking a 12.6 percent decline from the year before. The volume of imports also showed a decrease of 16.4 percent to $2.95 billion.The officials said those are
North KoreaFeb. 28, 2016
-
[Graphic News] About 3 percent of salaried workers are high-wage earners: report
About three out of 100 wage earners in Korea receive an annual salary of more than 100 million won (about $80,000), according to a report by Rep. Lee No-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday.The report, which was based on tax authorities’ year-end tax adjustment, showed that high-wage earners number at 526,689 out of the total 16.68 million salaried people here. By region, Ulsan, the nation’s southeastern industrial city, topped the proportion of high-wage earners at 8.5 percent. There we
Feb. 25, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Coffee can reduce risk of osteoporosis: study
Drinking up to two cups of coffee a day can significantly reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that can lead to higher risk of fractures, a South Korean study showed Wednesday. Organized and published by the Seoul National University Hospital, the research only analyzed symptoms among menopausal women. It conducted research on 4,066 menopausal women who had been tested for bone density between 2008 and 2011. According to the study, those who drank less than a single cup of coffee dail
Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2016
-
[Graphic News] AI takes on human in Go
Anticipation is growing as the showdown between top Korean Go player Lee Se-dol and artificial intelligence software AlphaGo will take place in Seoul early next month. The Go match, consisting of five games scheduled between March 9 and 15, has been garnering attention from the public, enthusiasts of the game and the technology sector.Jung Jae-seung, a bio and brain engineering professor of KAIST, said, “The match between Lee Se-dol and AlphaGo is more than just a challenge posed by an AI progra
TechnologyFeb. 23, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Domestic beef prices surge on falling supply
Prices of beef produced in Korea soared 7.3 percent last year, the highest growth rate in five years, due to a reduced supply of cattle, according to government data released Monday.Statistics Korea said last year’s increase was the largest annual gain since 2010 when prices surged 10.5 percent on-year.In particular, the fourth-quarter of last year saw a double-digit rate of increase with growth of 12.7 percent in December.Industry watchers said rising beef prices were due to the 2012 government
IndustryFeb. 22, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Skyscrapers change Seoul skyline
Seoul’s skyline is rapidly changing with the skyscrapers -- already built or under construction -- in major commercial and residential districts.According to a report by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the tallest building in Seoul is the International Finance Center in Yeouido, the capital’s financial district, at 279 meters. But the title will be transferred to Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, when its construction is completed next year.IFC is followed by Tower Palace in Do
Feb. 21, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Government to give 15,000 nonregular workers to regular positions by 2017
The government plans to additionally transform about 15,000 nonregular employees working at the public sector into by next year, according to its task force team on labor reform.Under the plans released Wednesday, the status of a total of 15,262 nonregular workers in the central government, local governments, state-run corporations and other public workplaces will be changed into regular positions.The Park Geun-hye administration has pushed for the gradual transformation of nonregular workers to
Feb. 18, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Most gifted children learning math, science
Of all elementary, middle and high school students in South Korea, 1.8 percent of have been deemed gifted children and are receiving specialized education, the Education Ministry said Wednesday. Of 110,053 gifted children nationwide, 81.2 percent of them are receiving specialized education in the fields of mathematics and science, the ministry said. Others included invention (4.0 percent), humanities and social sciences (3.5 percent), information-related studies (2.9 percent) and various foreign
Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Seoul on course to become super-aged by 2033
Due to a low birthrate and increased life expectancy, the number of senior citizens in Seoul will reach 2.393 million by year 2033, statistics showed Tuesday.This means that by that time 1 out of every 5 citizens will be aged 65 years or older, according to the report released by the Seoul Metropolitan government.The median age will consequently rise, from the current 39 as of 2013 to 48.6 in 2033.The city’s number of economically active people aged between 15 and 64 will continue to decline fro
Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Korea's donations as share of GDP
Despite the spread of charity activities in South Korea, the country still lags far behind advanced countries in terms of the ratio of donations to Gross Domestic Product, showed data on Sunday.According to a report released by the private Hyundai Research Institute, the nation’s donation amount continued to rise from 8.14 trillion won in 2006 to 12.49 trillion won in 2013. But its share in gross domestic product showed an immaterial increase during the same period. The share was 0.87 percent, n
Feb. 15, 2016
-
[Graphic News] KBO releases top pro baseball salaries for 2016
Hanwha Eagles’ first baseman Kim Tae-kyun is the highest-paid pro baseball player in Korea this year, according to statistics released by the Korea Baseball Organization last Thursday.Kim’s annual contract with the Eagles landed him a 1.6 billion won ($1.3 million) salary. Broken down by position, the highest-paid pitcher was Kia Tigers’ Yoon Suk-min with 1.25 billion won, while Samsung Lions’ Lee Seung-yeop took top spot among designated hitters with 1 billion won, the same as SK Wyverns’ third
BaseballFeb. 14, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Gaeseong complex closes after 12 years
The Gaeseong industrial park had been in operation for 12 years as a relatively sturdy institution among otherwise volatile inter-Korean relations until the Feb. 7 decision to shutter the joint project.A total of 124 South Korean companies had been operating inside the complex located in the northern part of the border with some 55,000 North Korean laborers.A majority, or 58 percent, of the businesses dealt with textiles, followed by machinery and metals (19 percent), electronics (11 percent) an
North KoreaFeb. 11, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Prices of baby products soar
The prices of products and services targeted toward infants increased 6.6 times higher than consumer prices last year, according to the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education on Thursday. The infant price index was 91.8 in September last year, a 3.61 percent increase from the previous year’s 88.6, the institute said. This increase rate was 6.6 times higher than the growth of the consumer price index of 109.4 in 2014 to 110 in 2015. Education-related services, such as child care and toys, in
IndustryFeb. 4, 2016
-
[Graphic News] Korea’s credit ratings at highest levels
Despite the dark clouds gathering over Korea’s economy, its sovereign ratings are at the highest levels on record, data shows. Standard & Poor’s, one of the world’s big three credit ratings agencies, on Wednesday decided to maintain Korea’s rating at AA-, the fourth highest level in its evaluation scheme, with an outlook of “stable.” A stable outlook means the rating is most likely to stay at the same level for the time being. An AA-, the highest rating given to Korea, is where the country was b
Feb. 3, 2016
-
[Graphic News] 3 in 10 Koreans feel unsafe
Three out of 10 South Koreans feel that society is unsafe, according to a survey released by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security this week. But nearly an equal number, or 33.5 percent, of respondents said they felt safe, the highest since the biannual survey was first conducted in July 2013. The level of safety felt by Koreans had dipped to 23.9 percent in the first half of 2014, following the Sewol ferry sinking disaster that occurred in April of that year, killing 304.The ministry also
Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2016