[Graphic News] Number of N. Korean hackers rises to 7,700: report

North Korea has been reinforcing its cyberwarfare capabilities and its number of professional hackers is estimated to have reached about 7,700, according to a report issued Friday in Seoul. North Korea currently has 1,700 well-trained troops belonging to seven hacking organizations under the ruling Workers’ Party and the Korean People’s Army, it said.In addition, the North is believed to be operating about 10 cyberwarfare support organizations, which employ in total about 6,000 professional hack

World NewsMarch 26, 2017

[Graphic News] Salvage operation procedure

  

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2017

[Graphic News] Norway ranked world’s happiest country

Norway has trumped Denmark as the world’s happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 by the United Nations, which calls on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the wellbeing of their citizens.Nordic nations ranked the most contented. The remaining countries in the top 10 were Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Meanwhile, South Korea ranked 56th. At the bottom were South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, T

World NewsMarch 22, 2017

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s birthrate among lowest in world

South Korea’s total birthrate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- stood at 1.25 in 2016, according to the CIA World Factbook.South Korea ranked No. 220 out of 224 countries by birthrate. South Korea‘s total birthrate is also the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 35 mostly rich nations.Hong Kong ranked No. 221, with its birthrate standing at 1.19, followed by Taiwan at 1.12, Macau at 0.94 and Singapore with 0.82. In c

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2017

[Graphic News] Former President Park Geun-hye‘s grilling by the prosecution

  

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2017

[Graphic News] Overseas tuition fees fall 6% in 2016

Overseas tuition fees spent by South Koreans fell 6 percent last year from a year earlier, due to the won‘s weakness and the slowing economy, the central bank said Friday. In 2016, tuition fees for South Koreans studying overseas declined to $3.52 billion from $3.74 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea.The US dollar rose to an average of 1,160.5 won in 2016 from 1,131.49 won a year earlier, according to BOK data.

World NewsMarch 19, 2017

[Graphic News] Singapore tops Tokyo as Asia's best city to live in

Singapore tops the ranks in Asia as the city with the best quality of living, well ahead of Tokyo and Hong Kong because of its efficient infrastructure.The city-state gained one spot from last year and came in at No. 25 on a global ranking of 231 cities by consulting firm, Mercer.In Asia, Tokyo was at 47 and Seoul at 76, with both declining slightly in the index.Singapore was top of the list on quality of city infrastructure, which includes supply of electricity, drinking water and phone service

World NewsMarch 16, 2017

[Graphic News] Environmental risks kill 1.7m kids under 5 a year

More than 1 in 4 deaths in children under 5 are linked to polluted environments, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization.Each year, environmental risks such as indoor and outdoor pollution, secondhand smoke, unsafe water and poor sanitation kill around 1.7 million children between the ages of 1 month and 5 years, the reports found.Harmful exposure can start in the mother‘s womb, increasing the risk of premature birth, which can lead to lifelong health problems.When childr

World NewsMarch 15, 2017

[Graphic News] Cigarette sales drop for 3 straight months

Sales of cigarettes in South Korea fell for three straight months in February, following the government’s push to imprint health warning graphics on packages, government data showed Monday.Some 240 million packs of cigarettes were sold last month, down 14 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.The monthly sales have been on a decline since November last year, when 290 million packs were sold.The ministry attributed the sales drop to a

World NewsMarch 14, 2017

[Graphic News] Small businesses heavily dependent on China

South Korea’s small and mid-sized businesses in some industries are heavily dependent on China for their exports, and are continuing to suffer from Beijing’s trade retaliation for Seoul’s hosting of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system.Exports by small businesses to China reached $22.5 billion last year, up 1.9 percent from the previous year, according to the Korea Customs Service and the Small and Medium Business Administration.While industries exporting parts and materials to

March 13, 2017

[Graphic News] Park Geun-hye loses perks of former presidents

Park Geun-hye became South Korea’s first president removed by impeachment in a historic Constitutional Court ruling Friday.The conservative leader has not only lost her title as president, the impeachment also deprives her of privileges normally provided to a sitting or former president. According to the Law on Privileges for Former Heads of State, as an impeached president, Park is no longer entitled to a presidential pension, free medical care or state support for commemorative projects. The d

PoliticsMarch 12, 2017

[Graphic News] Four possible scenarios

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2017

[Graphic News] Switzerland ranked world’s ‘best country’

Switzerland is the best country in the world based on its attitude towards education, democracy, business and quality of life, according to a poll.Canada came second in the annual “best country” survey external link of 60 nations released by US News & World Report, along with Y&R’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.Britain was ranked third overall, followed by Germany and Japan. The United States came seventh. South Korea ranked 23rd. Serbia is the lowest ov

World NewsMarch 8, 2017

[Graphic News] Book purchases hit record low last year: data

South Koreans’ purchases of printed books hit a record low in 2016, official data showed Saturday, in another sign they are reading fewer books due to factors such as falling income, the growing use of mobile devices to read and more time spent on social media. Households with two or more members spent an average of 15,335 won ($13.25) per month on printed books in 2016, according to Statistics Korea. It represents a 7.7 percent drop from 16,623 won in 2015.A survey by the Culture Ministry showe

World NewsMarch 7, 2017

[Graphic News] North Korea faces diplomatic crisis with Malaysia

North Korea maintains diplomatic ties with 161 countries in the world, but it may soon lose one - Malaysia.Ever since Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of the North’s leader, died on Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in an apparent assassination, the relationship between the two Asian countries has deteriorated to an extent that some say the termination of their four-decade diplomatic ties is likely. On Feb. 24, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he would “reconsid

North KoreaMarch 6, 2017

[Graphic News] Smartphones boost use of internet banking

The number of South Koreans who used internet banking services rose last year, due mainly to increased access via smartphones, a survey showed Wednesday.The ratio of South Koreans aged over 12 who used internet banking services stood at 57.5 percent in 2016, up 5.0 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the survey.Among internet banking service users, 87.1 percent said they used their smartphones for internet banking in 2016, up 11.5 percentage points.

World NewsMarch 5, 2017

[Graphic News] 1 in 10 foreigners staying in S. Korea without permission

According to data released by the Ministry of Justice, 211,320, or 10.5 percent of foreign residents living here as of the end of January, were staying without a valid visa. The total shot up to 223,464 in 2007 and dropped to 177,955 in 2009. Since 2014, the number has hovered around 200,000.The percentage of those living in Korea without legal permission, meanwhile, has been declining, from 12.3 percent in 2012 to 11.3 percent in 2015 and 10.2 percent in 2016, in step with the overall rise in t

World NewsMarch 2, 2017

[Graphic News] Tiny plastic particles clogging oceans: report

Invisible particles washed off products like synthetic clothing and car tires account for up to a third of the plastic polluting the oceans, impacting ecosystems and human health, a top conservationist body warned Tuesday.Unlike the shocking images of country-sized garbage patches floating in the oceans, the microplastic particles that wash off textiles and roadways leave the waterways looking pristine.But they constitute a significant part of the “plastic soup” clogging our waters -- accounting

World NewsMarch 1, 2017

[Graphic News] Men still dominate in global IT firms

A recent survey showed that men still dominate major tech companies.Among the eight leading tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, none of them had workforces that were more than 50 percent female, according to German-based research firm Statista. The company with the most balanced workforce was PayPal, at which 44 percent of workers were women. This was followed by eBay, Amazon.com and Twitter. Microsoft came at the bottom among the surveyed companies at 26 percent.The imbalance is

TechnologyFeb. 28, 2017

[Graphic News] Los Angeles takes title of world's most congested city

The “Global Traffic Scoreboard” study was published by Inrix, which dubs itself the world leader in transportation analytics. It examined 1,064 cities across 38 countries in one of the largest traffic studies ever conducted.Inrix found that 11 of the top 25 cities worldwide with the worst traffic congestion were in the US.Los Angeles took the top spot for the most congested city, with drivers spending 104 hours in traffic last year during peak times.Moscow came second (91 hours), followed by New

World NewsFeb. 27, 2017