Articles by Nam Kyung-don
Nam Kyung-don
don@heraldcorp.com-
[Graphic News] S. Korea's corruption awareness ranking rises 6 notches to 45th in 2018
South Korea rose six notches in an international corruption awareness ranking to No. 45 of 180 countries in 2018, a report from a global anti-corruption watchdog showed. South Korea scored 57 out of 100 points in the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index report issued by Berlin-based Transparency International. The index evaluates countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be, using corruption-related data collected by governance and business experts, according to Transparen
World News Feb. 10, 2019
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[Graphic News] Hong Kong illegal wildlife trade on rise
Illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong is booming, according to a new study. In a report, conservation groups said Hong Kong has become a hub for wildlife crime, as millions of animals, plants and their derivatives are trafficked through the city every year by organized smugglers who rarely face stiff penalties. According an analysis of seizures for three commonly trafficked species since 2013, the volume of animal parts could equate to the death of 3,000 elephants, 65,000 pangolins and 51 rhino
World News Feb. 7, 2019
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[Graphic News] Asian tourists favor Myeong-dong, but Americans and Europeans prefer Seoul’s palaces
Foreign tourists in Seoul prefer different sightseeing spots depending on nationality, a research paper showed. Visitors from Asia prefer Myeong-dong, one of the capital’s main shopping districts, while European and American tourists are most impressed by royal palaces, according to the paper jointly published by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Kyung Hee University. Chinese and Americans gave high marks to Seoul for safety, while Japanese said they were satisfied with the food and Europea
Travel Feb. 6, 2019
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[Graphic News] Koreans had more leisure time last year
Koreans are surveyed to have had more leisure time and spent more money on leisure activities on average in 2018 than previous years. On average, people had 3.3 hours of free time per weekday and 5.3 hours per weekend, the Culture Ministry said, citing the outcome of its 2018 survey on national leisure activities of 10,498 people aged over 15 in 17 cities across the nation via one-on-one interviews. The figures were increases from 3.1 hours and 5 hours in 2016, respectively, according
Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2019
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[Graphic News] Planes operated by S. Korea LCCs hit 140 in 2018
The combined number of passenger planes operated by South Korea’s six low-cost carriers extended to 140 airplanes last year, challenging the 167 airplanes owned by the national flag carrier Korean Air Lines, the government said. The six LCCs -- Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet and T’way Air -- have aggressively expanded their fleet to meet growing travel demand on short-haul routes to Asian cities. The budget carriers and two full-service carriers -- Korean Air and Asiana A
Business Jan. 30, 2019
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[Graphic News] No. of Japanese visitors to S. Korea jumps more than 28% in 2018
The number of Japanese visitors to South Korea increased at the fastest rate in nine years in 2018. According to data from Statistics Korea, the number of Japanese visitors to the country spiked 28.1 percent on-year to more than 2.92 million in 2018. The rate of increase was the highest since 2009, when the figure rose 28.7 percent from the previous year. On the other hand, the rise in the number of South Korean visitors to Japan slowed from a year earlier, according to data from the Japanese
National Jan. 29, 2019
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[Graphic News] "Living Coral" is 2019 color of the year
Following 2018’s dramatic Ultra Violet, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2019 is Living Coral. Pantone Color Institute describes the color that “Living Coral is a bright pink-orange hue with a soft, golden undertone, making it a more livable shade of coral than we’ve seen in the past.” Pantone announces a new color of the year every December, based on its trend-forecasting research.
World Jan. 28, 2019
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[Graphic News] S. Korea 3rd-largest importer of US weapons
South Korea bought US weapons worth a total of $6.73 billion from 2008 to 2017, becoming the third-largest importer of arms produced by its ally, according to an annual analysis of the defense market. According to the 2018 Global Defense Market Yearbook by the state-run Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, Saudi Arabia topped the list of importers of US weapons, followed by Australia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. In the decade starting 2008, Saudi Arabia imported $10.63 billi
Defense Jan. 27, 2019
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[Graphic News] More than 8 in 10 foreigners have positive image of Korea
According to an online survey of 8,000 people in 16 countries, including South Korea, 80.3 percent of foreign respondents positively rated the nation’s image. Notably, 34.6 percent expressed a “very positive” impression of the nation, the survey showed. It was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the affiliated Korea Culture and Information Service. Forty percent of foreign respondents said Korea’s most representative image was in Korean cuisine, 22.8 percent in
National Jan. 24, 2019
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[Graphic News] London retains tech startup crown
London is Europe’s most attractive city for technology startups, despite a sharp slowdown last year, a study showed. With Brexit looming, the mayor’s promotional agency, London & Partners, said 1.8 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) had been invested in fledgling tech businesses in 2018. That represented a near 30 percent slump compared with 2017 and was the first slowdown in six years, L&P said in a statement. But London’s 2018 total was still double that of Berlin, which stood in second place, whi
World Business Jan. 23, 2019
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[Graphic News] Eating out declined in 2018: survey
South Koreans dined out less frequently in 2018 compared with 2017, according to a recent survey. The survey involved 3,014 people aged 20-69, and revealed that Koreans dined out an average of 20.8 times per month last year. The comparable figure a year earlier was 21.8. They made an average of 13.7 visits to restaurants per month, with delivered or takeout meals accounting for the remainder. Average spending on eating out stood at 292,689 won ($260.40) per month, about 11,000 won lower than la
National Jan. 22, 2019
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[Graphic News] Poll shows 8 in 10 exposed to secondhand smoke from neighbors
As many as 8 in 10 South Koreans have experienced exposure to secondhand smoke from neighbors, but most refrained from complaining, a poll showed. The survey of 1,542 residents of Gyeonggi Province -- the nation’s most populous province, which surrounds Seoul -- found that 1,197 respondents, or 78 percent, had been subjected to harm as a result of smoking by their neighbors. The poll was conducted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government from Dec. 21-27 last year on its online site. Seventy-four p
Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2019
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[Graphic News] S. Korea to increase defense spending
South Korea will increase defense spending by an average of 7.5 percent each year over the next five years, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry announced its defense blueprint for the 2019-2023 period, when it intends to spend 270.7 trillion won ($241 billion) -- 94.1 trillion won on improving defense capabilities and the rest on managing troops, equipment and facilities. Under the plan, the ministry seeks to increase the country’s defense budget, which stands at 46.7 trillion won this ye
Defense Jan. 20, 2019
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[Graphic News] Number of abandoned pets increases in S. Korea
The number of abandoned animals continued to increase in South Korea, amid the growing number of households raising pets, government data shows. The number of abandoned animals stood at 102,593 in 2017, gradually rising from 81,147 in 2014. The number of households raising pets also increased from 4.57 million in 2015 to 5.39 million in 2017, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On average, 281 pets were abandoned every day in 2017. In the wake of a
Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2019
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[Graphic News] US shutdown sends economy into uncharted waters
The US government shutdown became the longest in history when it entered its 25th day Tuesday. Trump was unmoved in the White House, his border wall unbuilt, and around 800,000 federal workers were still without pay and facing mounting hardships.
World Jan. 16, 2019
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