Cybercrimes up 20.7% in 2019: data

The number of cybercrimes reported to police jumped 20.7 percent from the previous year to more than 180,000 cases in 2019, data showed Monday. Cybercrimes reported to police totaled 180,499 cases in 2019, compared with 149,604 in 2018, according to an annual report compiled by the National Police Agency. By type, crimes using online networks -- such as phishing and smishing -- accounted for 84.2 percent, while crimes related to illegal content, such as production and distribution of sexually

Social AffairsApril 13, 2020

Unemployment allowance payments hit new high in March

The amount of state allowances paid to those unemployed or seeking jobs soared to a record high of nearly 900 billion won ($738 million) in March, data showed Monday, due largely to the negative economic impact from the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government paid 898.2 billion won in allowances to those struggling to find jobs last month, which marked an increase of 40.4 percent from 639.7 billion won paid in the same month last year. The previ

Social AffairsApril 13, 2020

Popularity of S. Korea as tourist destination grows for 6th year in a row: poll

A government poll showed Monday that the global popularity of South Korea as a tourist destination increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2019, thanks to the promotional effects of the country's globally loved cultural content sector. According to the 2019 poll on the effect of tourism marketing, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the level of foreigners' recognition of South Korea as a tourist destination rose by 1.1 percent

ConsumerApril 13, 2020

Moon's approval rating hits 17-month high on coronavirus response: poll

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose to a 17-month high last week on the back of positive assessment of the government's handling of the new coronavirus, a poll showed Monday. Moon's support reached 54.4 percent last week, up 0.7 percentage point from the previous week, according to a Realmeter survey of 2,522 voters nationwide. The poll was conducted between last Monday and Friday. It marked the highest rating since November 2018, when Moon's rating hit 55.4 percent. "The asses

PoliticsApril 13, 2020

WINNER's Lee Seung-hoon to start military service this week

Lee Seung-hoon, a member of K-pop boy band WINNER, will start his mandatory military service this week, the band's management agency said Monday. The 28-year-old is scheduled to start a four-week training program Thursday at an Army boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, as part of the fulfillment of the national defense duty. After the initial military training, he will start his two-year term as a public service worker at a public institution, according to YG Entertainment. Lee i

K-popApril 13, 2020

Man caught breaking quarantine twice in a day

Police said Monday that they had apprehended a man in his 60s for allegedly violating self-quarantine rules twice in one day and were considering whether to seek an arrest warrant. All overseas travelers are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arriving in South Korea, regardless of their nationality, to prevent an influx of the novel coronavirus. The 68-year-old man in custody, who landed here Friday from the US, was first caught breaking quarantine Saturday afternoon and was subsequent

Social AffairsApril 13, 2020

‘Demand for quality sleep rises amidst coronavirus blues’

The consumer market in Korea is experiencing a hiked interest for products that support deep sleeping, simultaneously with the increased sense of social unrest amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Korea Ginseng Corp. on Monday, its health supplement pill Alpha Project Sleep Support’s revenue in March increased 32 percent compared to the month before. “It appears that the prolonged COVID-19 situation is disrupting sleep for many,” said Korea Ginseng Corp. “Whil

IndustryApril 13, 2020

New uncertainty haunts S. Korea-US defense cost-sharing talks

Renewed uncertainty is hanging over defense cost-sharing talks between South Korea and the United States after President Donald Trump's reported rejection of a tentative deal to end their monthslong impasse feared to erode the alliance. The prolonged tug of war between the allies has fanned concerns that it could undercut their efforts for robust defense, as thousands of Korean workers of US Forces Korea (USFK) have been furloughed in the absence of a deal to fund their wages. Trump has turne

DefenseApril 13, 2020

Improvisation dance festival kicks off April 21

The 20th Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival is to take place this month, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year, as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus, the festival’s performances and workshops will be held separately.  Shows will be staged April 21-26 at the Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno, central Seoul. Workshops will take place June 28-30 at the Dancers’ Career Development Center in the same area. As a safety measure, only 40 percent

PerformanceApril 13, 2020

LG Display’s transparent OLED to debut at general elections

LG Display said Monday that its transparent organic light-emitting diode screen will debut through MBC broadcasting station’s general election ballot counting show slated for Wednesday. A transparent OLED is a next generation see-through screen that allows viewers to look beyond the panel even with the power turned on. LG Display and LG Electronics had commercialized the transparent OLEDs last year, but this is the first time the product will be revealed to the public through a TV show

IndustryApril 13, 2020

[News Focus] As 'remote' gains momentum, how will medical system change?

  The unprecedented spread of the novel coronavirus in the past months has forced medical professionals to seek ways to minimize their contact with patients in testing while maximizing the scope of tracking the infection. Industry watchers say that the South Korean Health Ministry’s smartphone applications, for instance, are an applied form of rudimentary telemedicine by allowing people to self-test during quarantine to report their conditions to medical professionals. In Korea, wh

IndustryApril 13, 2020

State debt sales hit record high amid virus outbreak in Q1

South Korea's state bond sales reached a new high in the first quarter of the year due to more fiscal spending to cushion the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak, data showed Monday. The government issued 62.4 trillion won ($51.5 billion) in state bonds and Treasurys in the January-March period, up 29.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association. The tally is up a whopping 156 percent from the previous quarter and marks

EconomyApril 13, 2020

N. Korea increases budget for health, construction projects amid anti-virus efforts

North Korea has increased its health budget for this year and set aside nearly half of the total spending plans for economic construction projects amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in an economy faltering under global sanctions. During a session of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) in Pyongyang on Sunday, the North forecast that its revenue will grow 4.2 percent on-year this year with its expenditures projected to increase 6 percent over the same period, the official Kor

North KoreaApril 13, 2020

Korean Air suspends flights to Washington, DC amid virus fallout

Korean Air Lines Co. suspended flights on the Incheon-Washington route Monday due to the impact of the coronavirus. South Korea's national flag carrier did not provide a time frame when it will lift the temporary suspension. The move came amid the rising coronavirus death toll and infections in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 22,100 people in the US, including 50 in Washington, DC. Currently, Korean Air flies from Incheon to only five US cities -- Los Angeles, N

MobilityApril 13, 2020

Despite dip in cases, social distancing likely to continue

South Korea recorded its 12th straight day with less than 100 new cases of the novel coronavirus, prompting hopes of a gradual return to status quo ante. Twenty-five people were newly confirmed with COVID-19 on Monday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea’s cumulative cases totaled 10,537, of whom 7,447 -- 70.7 percent  -- have recovered. Three more people died, putting the death toll at 217. Korea’s fatality rate now stands at over 2 perce

Social AffairsApril 13, 2020

All US arrivals to get tested within 3 days of self-isolation

All arrivals from the United States are to be tested for the new coronavirus within three days of self-isolation, starting Monday, health authorities said. The strengthened measure against COVID-19 began midnight, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It comes as confirmed cases from the US have been increasing steadily despite a gradual decline in domestic cases. KCDC data showed that 228, or 49.7 percent, out of a total of 459 imported cases came from th

Foreign AffairsApril 13, 2020

[Graphic News] Internet banking transactions at new record high in 2019

　South Korea’s internet banking services continued to grow in 2019, with the number of users and daily transactions climbing to new highs, central bank data showed. 　The number of internet and mobile banking users came to about 159.2 million as of end-2019, up 8.6 percent from a year before, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. 　The figure is the simple sum of all registered users at 18 internet and mobile banking service providers in the country, meaning the same person may

BusinessApril 13, 2020

Weekend box office hits new low

The number of weekend moviegoers continued its downside trend to hit a new low this week as the novel coronavirus scare has battered the South Korean film industry, data showed Monday. A total of 79,711 people went to cinemas on Saturday and Sunday, down from the previous record low of 80,180 tallied a week earlier, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the first time that a weekend figure dropped below 80,000 since KOFIC started to compile local box office data in 2

FilmApril 13, 2020

Seoul stocks open lower despite US gains

South Korea's exports fell sharply from a year earlier in the first 10 days of April amid the economic fallout from the new coronavirus, customs data showed Monday. The country's outbound shipments came to $12.2 billion in the April 1-10 period, down 18.6 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The daily average exports during the cited period also slipped 18.6 percent on-year. The data came amid growing concerns that the coronavir

MarketApril 13, 2020