South Korea’s barley output fell 1.1 percent in 2023 from a year earlier, data showed, due to the adverse effects of heavy rainfall over recent months. The production of barley in the country came to 97,794 metric tons this year, down 1,042 tons from 2022, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The harvest season for barley spans from mid-June to early July. The decrease came as frequent heavy rains disrupted production, with the output per 1,000 square meters falling 7.4 perc

Social Affairs July 24, 2023

　South Korea has been ranked as 43rd most peaceful country in the world, while North Korea is positioned at the 149th spot out of the 163 surveyed countries. 　According to the 2023 Global Peace Index conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the top 10 most peaceful countries are predominantly in Europe and Asia. Iceland claimed the top spot, maintaining its position since 2008, followed by Denmark, Ireland and New Zealand. 　On the other hand, Afghanistan ranked the least peaceful c

World News July 21, 2023

South Korean travelers using Korean air carriers reached nearly 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the first half of this year, government data showed. From January to June, the number of passengers on domestic and international routes amounted to 53.4 million, or 83.9 percent of the tally reported during the same period in 2019, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release. The number of passengers on domestic routes in the first half of 2023 stood at 32.7 millio

Industry July 20, 2023

The proportion of 40-year-olds in the US who are not married is at an all-time high, according to a survey. As of 2021, 25 percent of those aged 40 had never been married. This figure was a significant increase from 20 percent in 2010. The percentage of Americans at age 40 who have never married has increased steadily since 1980. Only 6 percent of 40-year-old Americans were unmarried at that time. Pew Research Center said people born after the 1960s are increasingly delaying marriage, and the pe

World News July 19, 2023

Foreign direct investment pledges to South Korea jumped 54.2 percent on-year in the first six months of this year to reach a record high for any first-half period, data showed. The country received $17.09 billion of FDI commitments in the January-June period, compared with $11.09 billion logged a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This year’s figure is the largest ever for any January-June period, with the previous record being $13.14 billion in 2021. Fo

Economy July 18, 2023

The number of apprehended drug offenders surged to a record high of 18,395 last year, driven by crimes among young people and foreigners, a prosecution report showed. According to the 2022 white paper on drug crimes published by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the figure marks an upsurge of 45.8 percent from 2018, when the corresponding number reached 12,613. The number of apprehended drug offenders stood at 16,044 in 2019, 18,050 in 2020 and 16,153 in 2021, the report also showed. The of

Social Affairs July 17, 2023

The K-pop sensation BTS enjoys the most loyal fanbase based on how far its supporters are willing to travel, a survey by a US travel information site showed. Upgraded Points released the results of its poll titled, “How Far Would You Travel to See Your Favorite Artist?” on its website, based on answers from 3,200 American music fans. On the website’s 100-point loyalty index, BTS scored 88.4 points to lead all artists. The score was based on survey questions that included how fa

K-pop July 14, 2023

Japanese topped the list of inbound travelers to South Korea in the first five months of this year, data showed. A total of 662,579 Japanese nationals visited Korea between January and May, accounting for 19.2 percent of total inbound travelers to the country, according to data compiled by the Korea Tourism Organization. It marked a dramatic hike from 11,425 during the same period of 2022, when Japanese tourists accounted for only 2 percent of the inbound travelers to South Korea. By gender, 34.

Travel July 13, 2023

　The number of double-income households in South Korea moved up in 2022 from a year earlier, data showed, amid the eased COVID-19 restrictions. 　Double-income households came to 5.84 million in October 2022, up 20,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. They made up 46.1 percent of the 12.69 million married households, up 0.2 percentage point over the period. 　Among them, 87.7 percent lived together, which indicates a 0.5 percentage point rise from the previous y

Social Affairs July 12, 2023

Approximately 16,000 elderly South Koreans are presumed to have died over the past five years while awaiting reunions with family members in North Korea who were separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, data showed. According to data from the Unification Ministry, around 3,400 to 3,700 people have died every year since August 2018, when the last face-to-face family reunion event was held, with the estimated total number of deaths coming to around 16,000. The data was released by Rep. Yang Kyung-sook

North Korea July 11, 2023

A majority of South Koreans hold a positive view of the United States and President Joe Biden while more than 7 out of every 10 South Koreans also believe the US contributes to global peace and stability, a poll showed. In a 23-nation survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, 79 percent of those polled in South Korea said they hold a positive opinion of the US, significantly higher than the 23-country median of 59 percent. The reading for South Ko

World News July 10, 2023

Vienna has been ranked the world’s most liveable city for the second year in a row, while Seoul and Busan respectively claimed the fourth and sixth spots among Asian cities. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Vienna achieved a score of 98.4 out of 100 on the annual Global Livability Ranking, followed closely by Copenhagen in Denmark and Melbourne with scores of 98 and 97.8, respectively. Seoul and Busan fell slightly short of the 90-point threshold, placing them lower than Londo

World News July 7, 2023

A Research Center poll shows 60 percent of Americans believe gun violence is a very big and growing national problem. But the poll also shows an even split as to whether gun ownership increases or decreases safety. The majority, 58 percent, said US gun laws should be more strict. A bare majority of 51 percent of white Americans wanted stricter laws, while 77 percent of Black Americans supported stricter gun laws. The vast majority - 88 percent - supported keeping mentally ill people from buying

World News July 6, 2023

The number of chargers for electric vehicles in South Korea has surpassed 240,000, data showed, amid the growing popularity of eco-friendly cars in the country. Fast chargers accounted for 10.6 percent of the 240,695 installed electric vehicle charging stations in South Korea, Rep. Park Sang-hyuk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said, citing data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Environment in May. Considering chargers that are n

Social Affairs July 5, 2023

Billionaires in Asia faced the steepest drop in membership in 2022 at 7.1 percent, more than any other region, according to data firm Wealth-X Analytics. This decline, when contrasted with North America’s modest 2.3 percent dip, reflects a year of heightened economic volatility. South Korea and Taiwan’s tech sectors bore the brunt of Asia’s decline, while market sentiment was constrained by China’s stringent zero-COVID policy, the report explained. Against a backdrop of g

World News July 4, 2023