South Korea held the fourth-largest number of Starbucks stores around the globe as of last year, data showed, driven by solid demand from local consumers. South Korea held 1,893 Starbucks stores as of 2023, up 116 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the US coffee giant. The figure falls just behind Japan’s count at 1,901, despite the Asian neighbor having a population twice the size of South Korea’s. The Seattle-based coffee giant introduced its first store in Se

World News March 4, 2024

More than 240,000 Korean artifacts are currently located outside of the country including those that have been stolen, plundered and sold or given as gifts. According to Korean Cultural Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 803 museums and art galleries in 29 countries around the world hold an estimated 246,304 artifacts as of January. This was a slight increase compared to January last year (229,655 artifacts). By country, Japan held the highest number

Culture March 1, 2024

According to the Korea Press Foundation, South Korean children were exposed to media three times longer than the duration recommended by the World Health Organization The average time that children aged 3 to 4 used media such as TV, smartphones, tablet PCs, and computers last year was 184.4 minutes per day. The WHO recommends that media use by 2 to 4-year-olds be limited to 60 minutes per day, but Korean children aged 3-4 spend an average of 80.4 minutes watching TV, 52.6 minutes on smartphones,

Social Affairs Feb. 29, 2024

About 50 percent more earthquakes with a magnitude of 2 or stronger struck the peninsula and its surrounding seas last year than in previous years, a weather agency report showed. The sharp increase is attributable to a series of quakes reported in the East Sea from April to October last year, as well as those in the North Korean county of Kilju, where a nuclear testing site is located, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s annual 2023 earthquake report. The report showed

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2024

The number of new cancer cases will rise to more than 35 million in 2050 - 77 percent higher than the figure in 2022, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency has warned. The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer cited the rapidly growing global cancer burden reflects both population aging and growth, as well as changes to people’s exposure to risk factors, several of which are associated with socioeconomic development. Tobacco, alcohol and obesity are key fact

World News Feb. 27, 2024

Ukraine has marked 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and Western aid hangs in the balance. A somber mood hangs over the country as the war against Russia enters its third year, and Kyiv’s troops face mounting challenges on the front line amid dwindling ammunition supplies and personnel challenges, and having withdrawn from a strategic eastern city that handed Moscow one of its biggest victories. Kyiv International Instit

World News Feb. 26, 2024

Exports of soju, distilled Korean liquor, topped $100 million for the first time in 10 years in 2023, data showed. According to the Korea Customs Service, outbound shipments of soju reached $101.4 million in 2023, an increase of 8.7 percent from 2022. The last time soju exports surpassed $100 million was in 2013. Soju is a distilled liquor made of ethyl alcohol and water, with the addition of sweeteners. An industry source said soju sold overseas had been mostly consumed by South Korean resident

Market Feb. 23, 2024

The annual income declared by single-person media creators, such as YouTubers and internet broadcast hosts (BJs), was found to have exceeded 1 trillion won ($7.5 million) in South Korea. A total of 39,366 individuals reported their annual income as single-person media creators in 2022, with the total amount reaching 1.14 trillion won, according to the National Tax Service. The total income of 393 single-person media creators who were in the top 1 percent, was 333.3 billion won, accounting for 29

Market Feb. 22, 2024

Although the implementation of a four-day workweek is slowly on the rise globally, with new studies showing it to have overall positive effects on both the company and the workforce, it still remains a hot topic in South Korea where many businesses are hesitant to accept a change in the norm. According to a survey done by online employment platform Catch, 1,076 Generation Z job seekers were asked how they would feel about the four-day workweek system with pay cuts. Fifty-three percent of respond

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024

South Korea came in 32nd in an annual global corruption index, down a notch from a year earlier, Transparency International said, the first drop in seven years since an anti-graft law came into force in 2016. South Korea scored 63 out of 100 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index that ranks countries by levels of public sector corruption based on expert assessments and surveys. A higher score and ranking indicate a lower assessed level of corruption. Among 51 Asia-Pacific countries, South Ko

World News Feb. 20, 2024

Sales of cigarettes in South Korea inched down in 2023 for the first time in four years, but demand for electronic cigarettes logged a marked growth, the Finance Ministry said. South Koreans purchased 3.61 billion 20-cigarette packs last year, down 0.6 percent from the previous year’s 3.63 billion packs, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It was the first on-year fall since 2019, when sales lost 0.7 percent on-year. But sales of duty-free cigarettes surged 60.7 percent on-ye

Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024

South Korean exports of red pepper paste and sauces reached an all-time high last year on the back of the growing popularity of Korean food and cultural content, the Korean customs agency said. Overseas shipments of gochujang, soy sauce and various kinds of seasonings amounted to $384 million in 2023, rising 6.2 percent on-year, according to the Korea Customs Service. In terms of volume, the country shipped 131,800 metric tons of such items last year, the second-largest amount ever after 2021, w

Food Feb. 16, 2024

Another round of football mania has swept the US, culminating in the victory of the Kansas City Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 12. For decades, the Super Bowl has been America’s most-watched television program, as football remained the most popular sport since 1972. In comparison, baseball is seeing a general decline in popularity. In 1960, 34 percent of Americans said baseball was their favorite sport, compared to 21 percent for football and 9 perc

More Sports Feb. 15, 2024

Shakespeare’s Juliet said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But what about the flower's color? Here’s what the roses you give this Valentine’s Day really mean according to the American Rose Society.

World News Feb. 14, 2024

South Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood posted the biggest on-year decline last year since 2012, a year after the Fukushima nuclear accident, data showed. South Korea imported Japanese fish and shellfish worth a combined $151.9 million in 2023, down 12.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The drop was the biggest since 2012, when South Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood plunged 33.3 percent on-year due to safety concerns after the

Market Feb. 13, 2024