[Graphic News] Lack of sleep linked to depression

The head of the Mental Health Institute at Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center surveyed 202,629 workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s who had visited the hospital for a health checkup in 2014. The study showed that among people who sleep four hours or less a day, the prevalence of depression was 9.1 percent, compared to 2 percent among people sleeping seven hours, the base condition set for the survey. Prevalence of anxiety and suicidal thoughts for the same group were 16 percent and 12.7 percent, respec

World NewsFeb. 26, 2017

[Graphic News] Volume of banknotes in circulation hits record high

The amount of banknotes currently in circulation in South Korea reached a record high in January, the central bank said Wednesday.Outstanding banknotes came to 103.5 trillion won ($90.6 billion) as of the end of January, up 6.1 trillion won from the end of 2016, according to the Bank of Korea.Outstanding banknotes refer to actual bills in circulation and are different from cash in circulation, which partly reflects market liquidity.The BOK attributed the rise in the amount of banknotes in circul

World NewsFeb. 23, 2017

[Graphic News] Half of new businesses go bankrupt within 2 years

Some 800,000 small businesses open shop annually, but about half of them go bankrupt within two years, statistics showed Monday.A report said that among businesses that started in 2013, 62.4 percent were still in operation a year later. The rate fell to 47.5 percent after two, and further dipped to 38.8 percent in three years. Lodging and restaurant businesses were among the quickest to shut down, only about one-third of them still being in place three years later. The rate isn‘t much better for

World NewsFeb. 22, 2017

[Graphic News] Global arms trade at highest since Cold War

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said Monday that more weapons were delivered between 2012 and 2016 than any other five-year period since 1990. The United States remains the top weapons exporter with a 33 percent market share, ahead of Russia, China, France and Germany. These five countries account for almost 75 percent of the global export of heavy weapons.The United States and France are the main weapons providers for the Middle East, while Russia and China are the main exp

World NewsFeb. 21, 2017

[Graphic News] Underground economy accounted for 8% of GDP in 2015: think tank

The Korea Institute of Public Finance said in its latest report that the shadow economy here was estimated at 124.7 trillion won ($108.8 billion) as of 2015, making up 8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product worth 1,558.6 trillion won.The proportion has declined slightly compared to 2013 when it was 8.7 percent of the GDP, it added.However, the figure is far lower than the earlier projection of 24.7 percent calculated by Friedrich Schneider from Austria in 2010.

World NewsFeb. 20, 2017

[Graphic News] China's oil consumption is top ranked

Three countries -- China, India and Japan -- account for more than 63 percent of Asia’s total oil consumption, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy report.Even though China’s consumption growth slowed to 1.5 percent, the country continued to occupy the top slot in oil consumption.India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s third-largest oil consumer, according to BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Japan has slipped to the fourth spot as it is recording the largest decli

World NewsFeb. 19, 2017

[Graphic News] South Koreans world's top fish eaters

South Koreans were found to be the top seafood consumers among 24 countries with high demand for the products, a report showed Monday.Statistics contained in “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” from the Food and Agriculture Organization showed that South Koreans consumed an average 58.4 kilograms of seafood a year per person in the 2013-2015 period, ranking it No. 1 among the countries measured by the organization. Norway came next with 53.3 kg, followed by Japan with 50.2 kg, China a

World NewsFeb. 16, 2017

[Graphic News] North Korea's ruling family tree

  

World NewsFeb. 15, 2017

[Graphic News] South Koreans’ rising fat intake

The amount of fat consumed daily by South Koreans has continued rising since 1998, when the state first conducted the survey, data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the daily fat intake for men was 58.9 grams in 2015, an about 30 percent increase compared to 17 years ago. In the same year, women consumed 43 grams of fat daily, a 22 percent increase over the same period. By age group, men and women between 19 and 29 showed the highest amount of dail

World NewsFeb. 14, 2017

[Graphic News] New North Korean missile

North Korea says it has successfully completed the launch of a new type of strategic weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.The Pukguksong-2, a medium long-range ballistic missile, was test-fired Sunday under the supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency. It was propelled by a solid fuel engine and was an upgraded, extended-range version of the Pukguksong-1, a submarine-launched ballistic missile that was tested successful

DefenseFeb. 13, 2017

[Graphic News] World’s largest nuclear plants differ across spectrums

There are currently 449 nuclear reactors operating in 31 countries, with total installed generating capacity of more than 390,000 megawatts, based on data from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear power plants differ in various ways, including reactor types, vessel containments, cooling methods and dispatch purposes. The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, located on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, is currently the world’s largest operating nuclear power plant. Bruce has eight reactors c

World NewsFeb. 12, 2017

[Graphic News] More South Koreans see movies alone

South Korea has seen a rapid increase in the number of people going to see a movie alone over the past five years, a market report showed Wednesday.Men in their 30s and women aged 50 or older made up the largest portion of lone moviegoers.The survey showed they prefer watching movies alone because “they can focus on the film” (57.4 percent), “it‘s troublesome to decide when and where to watch when there is a companion,” (20.3 percent) and “it’s annoying to find a companion” (13.1 percent).The re

World NewsFeb. 9, 2017

[Graphic News] Offshore fisheries output hits 44-year low in 2016

South Korea’s offshore fisheries output sank to a 44-year low in 2016 due to tumbling fish stocks caused by a combination of Chinese illegal fishing, climate change and overfishing, a report showed Tuesday.The country’s inshore and offshore fisheries production came to 923,000 tons last year, down 12.7 percent from the previous year and the lowest yearly catch since 1972, according to the report by the Korea Maritime Institute.The KMI said Chinese fishermen’s illegal fishing in South Korean wate

World NewsFeb. 8, 2017

[Graphic News] Korea to attract 2 million cruise tourists in 2017

South Korea will intensify overseas marketing and build more maritime facilities in an effort to lure 2 million cruise tourists from all over the world, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it will hold the so-called “Port Sales” event in cities of the United States, China and Japan starting from March, with major cruise liners and travel agencies attending.It will also build five additional cruise docks in four seaports including Busan and Incheon, adding to the

World NewsFeb. 7, 2017

[Graphic News] Koreans’ overseas spending hits record high in 2016

South Koreans spent a new record high abroad last year on increased outbound travel, despite an economic slump and sagging domestic consumption, data showed Saturday.Expenditures on ordinary foreign trips, excluding stays for study, jumped 7.4 percent on-year to $23.1 billion for the year, according to the Bank of Korea and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Koreans’ overseas spending has been on a constant rise from $15.5 billion in 2011 to $16.5 billion in 2012, $17.3 billion in 2013

World NewsFeb. 6, 2017

[Graphic News] Beijing remains Asia’s busiest airport

Eight Asian airports are among the world’s busiest passenger airports. Beijing Capital International Airport remains the busiest airport in the region, according to the recently released data by Airports Council International.Beijing Capital International Airport handled the most international traffic in 2015 in Asia, adding 3.8 million over the previous year to reach 89.9 million.Worldwide passenger traffic increased 6.4 percent in 2015 to almost 7.2 billion, with increases in all the world’s s

World NewsFeb. 5, 2017

[Graphic News] Nearly 9 in 10 South Koreans use internet: poll

According to the poll of 61,238 people older than 3 years old in 25,000 households by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in 2016, 88.3 percent of South Koreans used the internet, with the number of users estimated at 43.64 million, up 3.2 percentage points, or 1.7 million, from the previous year. Nearly 9 out of 10 South Koreans use the internet, the survey showed.By age, the internet usage rate reached 100 percent for teens and those in their 20s, followed by 99.8 percent for thos

World NewsFeb. 2, 2017

[Graphic News] Middle class shrinking worldwide

The shares of many countries’ populations who are on middle incomes has fallen and particularly in advanced countries, statistics gathered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed.The share of South Korea’s population that was in the middle income group -- defined as those with household disposable income of between 75 and 200 percent of the median -- came in at 60 percent, lower than the OECD average.The middle income groups have been declining since 1980. Countries s

Feb. 1, 2017

[Graphic News] Is time on President Park’s side?

President Park Geun-hye has reasons to fight any attempt to fast-track her impeachment trial. A delayed trial at the Constitutional Court, or more precisely the preordained departure of justices in its nine-member judge panel, increases her chances of surviving the impeachment, while giving her more time to muster support outside the courtroom. With Monday’s retirement of the court’s president, Justice Park Han-chul, the top court now must proceed with the trial with eight justices. Another just

PoliticsJan. 31, 2017

[Graphic News] New Zealand, Denmark deemed the ‘least corrupt’ countries

The following is a list of the top- and bottom-ranked nations on graft watchdog Transparency International‘s 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index.For its 2016 index, the watchdog ranked 176 countries on a scale of 0-100, where zero means very corrupt and 100 signifies very clean.The data is based on surveys from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Economist Intelligence unit and other bodies.New Zealand and Denmark shared the number one spot with a score of 90 points, with Finland, Sw

World NewsJan. 30, 2017