Articles by Nam Kyung-don
Nam Kyung-don
don@heraldcorp.com-
[Graphic News] About two-thirds of SMEs suffer sales setbacks on virus: poll
More than two-thirds of South Korean small and medium-sized enterprises have suffered setbacks in their sales following the coronavirus outbreak in February, a poll showed. According to a nationwide survey of 1,000 SMEs with sales of 100 million won ($84,300) or more, 77 percent of respondents said their sales had dipped since the COVID-19 outbreak, compared to a year earlier. Those companies reported an average decrease of 39.2 percent in sales over the cited period. Of the companies
Business Sept. 4, 2020
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[Graphic News] Korea’s total fertility rate hits record low of 0.92 in 2019
South Korea’s total fertility rate hit a record low of 0.92 in 2019, government data showed, in a clear warning to the nation’s economy that a population decline lies ahead. The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime. The 2019 figure is far below the replacement level of 2.1 that would keep Korea’s population stable at 51 million. It also represents a sharp drop from 1970, when the government began to compile relevan
Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2020
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[Graphic News] S. Korea's home transactions hit new high in July
Home transactions in South Korea reached a new all-time high in July despite government measures to rein in soaring housing prices, data showed. The number of homes changing hands nationwide stood at 141,419 last month, up 110 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The July reading was also up 2.1 percent from the previous month and is the largest monthly number since 2006, when data tracking began. In the first seve
National Sept. 1, 2020
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[Graphic News] More foreigners in S. Korea overstaying
The number of foreigners overstaying in South Korea increased 10 percent on-year in May, as travelers and migrants were stranded by strict border controls around the world due to the novel coronavirus, data showed. The number of foreigners illegally staying in the country reached an all-time high of 396,654 in the month, according to the Korea Immigration Service. Of them, about 296,000, or 75 percent, were visitors who entered the country without visas for a 90-day stay. The number o
Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2020
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[Graphic News] Vehicle registrations exceed 24m in H1
The number of vehicle registrations in South Korea exceeded 24 million in the first half, helped by strong demand for environmentally friendly models, the Transport Ministry said. Accumulated auto registrations came to 24.02 million at the end of June, up 1.4 percent from 23.68 million at the end of December, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The first-half registrations showed that 1 in every 2.16 South Koreans owns a car, it said. Robust domes
Business Aug. 28, 2020
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[Graphic News] Samsung maintains No. 1 spot in global DRAM market in Q2
Samsung Electronics maintained its dominant status in the global DRAM market in the second quarter of the year, a report showed, as the pandemic drove demand for server chips. The South Korean tech giant’s market share in the global DRAM market stood at 43.5 percent in the April-June period, down 0.6 percentage point from three months earlier, while its revenue increased 13.8 percent to $7.4 billion over the cited period, according to data from market researcher TrendForce. Its
World Business Aug. 27, 2020
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[Graphic News] Public libraries increase to 1,134 nationwide
South Korea saw the addition of 38 new public libraries nationwide last year thanks to the government‘s efforts to enhance access to libraries in recent years. According to a recent statistical survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the number of public libraries reached 1,134 as of 2019. This is in line with the average annual 3.8 percent increase in the number of public libraries registered since 2016. Th
Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2020
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[Graphic News] Instant noodle sales hit new high in H1 amid virus
Sales of instant noodles in South Korea soared to an all-time high in the first half of the year due to the coronavirus outbreak, data showed. Local shipments of instant noodles, or “ramyeon” in Korean, came to 1.13 trillion won ($950 million) in the January-June period, up 7.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Nielsen Korea and released by industry leader Nongshim. The first-half tally represents the largest half-year sales figure on record. N
Business Aug. 25, 2020
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[Graphic News] One-third of US children, adolescents eat fast-food daily
More than one-third of children and adolescents across the United States eat fast-food each day, according to new figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2018, 36 percent of young people ate fast food every day, an increase from 34 percent of in 2011, researchers said. Up to 14 percent of young people obtained 25 percent to 45 percent of their daily calories from fast-food - up from just over 12 percent in 2011, agency researchers said. The percentage is hig
World News Aug. 24, 2020
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[Graphic News] Korea’s exports of virus test kits on decline since April
South Korea’s exports of coronavirus test kits have declined since their peak in April, leading to a plunge in stock prices of test kit makers, data showed. With the coronavirus pandemic raging across the globe, many countries had scrambled to import Korean COVID-19 test kits, in a boon to local manufacturers. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, the value of test kit exports came to $214 million in April, a more than eightfold jump from $24 million in March. Howe
Business Aug. 20, 2020
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[Graphic News] Shinzo Abe under fire for coronavirus response: survey
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received the lowest approval rating in a recent survey covering six countries and their response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The poll conducted by US-German communications consultancy Kekst CNC shows Abe is under fire for his handling of the health crisis as speculation grows in Japan that Abe could leave office before the end of his term in September 2021. The survey, which polled 1,000 respondents from the US, Britain, Germany, Sweden, France
World News Aug. 19, 2020
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[Graphic News] 1 in 4 parental leave takers are dads: data
One in 4 parents who took parental leave in the first half of the year were fathers, data showed, as more men opted to stay home to take care of their children when schools closed in response to the new coronavirus outbreak. The number of men who went on parental leave in the January-June period reached 14,857, accounting for 24.7 percent of 60,206 parental leave takers in the private sector, according to the data from the Labor Ministry. The data excludes public servants and teachers.
Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2020
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[Graphic News] Korean teens suffer from lack of sleep: survey
The average South Korean teen gets 7 hours and 18 minutes of sleep per night, one hour short of the average in developed countries, according to a survey by the state-funded National Youth Policy Institute. More than half of them suffer from sleep deprivation, mostly due to study and internet surfing. The study found that the average teenager sleeps 7 hours and 18 minutes a night, with elementary, middle and high school students averaging 8 hours and 41 minutes, 7 hours and 21 minutes a
Social Affairs Aug. 13, 2020
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[Graphic News] Pandemic workday is 48 minutes longer and has more meetings
Employees are logging longer hours, attending more meetings with more people and sending more emails. From New York City to Tel Aviv, the telecommuting revolution has meant a lot more work, according to a study of 3.1 million people at more than 21,000 companies across 16 cities in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The researchers compared employee behavior over two 8 week periods before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. Looking at email and meeting meta-data, the group calculated
World News Aug. 12, 2020
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[Graphic News] Korea rated 28th out of 35 for raising family
South Korea placed 28th and received a grade of C minus on Asher & Lyric’s Best Countries for Raising a Family in 2020. The best country to raise a family was once again a Nordic country, Iceland, which got an A plus and a 1093.07 index score. Norway ranked second, followed by Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg. The study ranks 35 OECD nations in six categories: safety, happiness, cost, health, education and time.
World Aug. 11, 2020
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