[Graphic News] Avian Influenza outbreaks

Despite the government’s stepped up quarantine measures to contain the outbreak of bird flu, a highly pathogenic aviation influenza virus appeared to be spreading rapidly throughout the nation.Following new reported cases in Yangju in Gyeonggi Province and Sejong in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend, some 200 chickens were found dead on Monday morning in Eumseong, South Chungcheong Province, quarantine authories said.So far, a total of 15 poultry farms were confirmed with AI cases, whi

Social AffairsNov. 28, 2016

[Graphic News] HIV treatment soars, but young African women suffer: UN

The number of HIV patients receiving anti-retroviral medicine has doubled in five years, the UN said.A new report by UNAIDS said it was on course to hit a target of 30 million people on ARV treatment by 2020.In just the last two years the number of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy has increased by about a third, reaching 17.0 million people -- 2 million more than the 15 million by 2015 target set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011. Since the first global treatment tar

World NewsNov. 27, 2016

[Graphic News] Military information sharing between Seoul, Tokyo

Under the General Security of Military Information Agreement that came into effect Wednesday, South Korea and Japan are to share military information classified as second-degree or less.

DefenseNov. 24, 2016

[Graphic News] Terrorism deaths fall in 2015: Annual global index

Terrorism deaths fell last year thanks to a weakening of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Boko Haram in Nigeria, but both groups expanded their geographic reach, a new index revealed Wednesday.Some 29,376 people died from terrorism in 2015, down 3,389 on the previous year and the first fall since 2010, according to the Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.The Global Terrorism Index is a study that accounts for the direct and indirect impact of terrorism in

World NewsNov. 23, 2016

[Graphic News] Only 2 in 10 manager positions filled by women

Only two in 10 employees in management positions at South Korean companies are women, highlighting the continued gender disparity at work, government data released Monday showed. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, women account for 37.79 percent of the total workforce in the country, with 20.9 percent of management posts being held by women at the 2,040 state-run and private firms that were surveyed. Firms with more than 1,000 staff members had a higher level of female managers,

Social AffairsNov. 22, 2016

[Graphic News] Six countries produce 91% of gold in Asia

China is the largest gold-producing country in the world, with 91 percent of gold in Asia produced by six countries.China became the top producer of gold in 2012. The production rose from 12 tons in 2004 to 397 tons in 2013. In 2015, according to GFMS Gold Survey 2016, China produced 458.1 metric tons of gold. The survey says China recorded a 14 percent on-year gain to reach the record high. China is followed by Indonesia. The archipelago in Southeast Asia, according to GFMS Gold Survey 2016, pr

World NewsNov. 21, 2016

[Graphic News] Quality of life hurt by economic slowdown: report

The quality of life for South Koreans ranks 47th in the world, as the country’s economic conditions are undercut by long working hours and unemployment, a local report said Friday.The annual report from the Institute for International Trade, a research arm of the Korea International Trade Association, said South Korea scored 4.95 on a scale of 1 to 10 in quality of life in 2015. The score placed South Korea 47th, down seven notches from the previous year. IIT releases the report annually based o

World NewsNov. 20, 2016

[Graphic News] The world’s nuclear arsenals

Though the US maintains an edge in global military force, it continues to face threats from not only member states of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, like China and Russi, but also non-members such as North Korea which is developing its own arsenal. In its latest index of US military strength, the Heritage Foundation assessed threats to US interests.While Russia and China remain “most worrisome” given their ongoing modernization of their respective arsenals and defiant beh

Foreign AffairsNov. 17, 2016

[Graphic News] Number of convenience stores surpass 30,000

The number of convenience stores nationwide surpassed 30,000 as of the end of last month, with their offerings becoming more diversified to include prepackaged meals, brewed coffee as well as financial and delivery services.There are currently 10,634 CU branches, followed by GS25 with 10,486, 7-Eleven with 8,486, Ministop with 2,326 and Withme, operated by Shinsegae, with 1,615.Convenience stores have been seeing soaring popularity in line with the rise of one-person households and the aging pop

IndustryNov. 16, 2016

[Graphic News] Multicultural population triples since 2006

The number of people in South Korea with multicultural backgrounds has more than tripled in the past decade to reach 1.71 million as of November 2015, latest government data showed Tuesday. This marks 3.4 percent of the county’s total population of 51 million. The multicultural population has risen steadily, moving from 540,000 in 2006, to 1.57 million in 2014 and 1.71 million last year. The tally includes foreign nationals, naturalized Koreans as well as their children. Fifty-seven municipaliti

Social AffairsNov. 15, 2016

[Graphic News] Laos is world’s greenest country

Among Asian countries, Laos has the highest percentage of forest area at 92.1 percent of the total area of the country. On the other hand, India, Bangladesh, Mongolia and Pakistan are among those with the least forest area. Bhutan (81.5), Brunei (79.7) and South Korea (63.7) are also among Asian countries that have a sizable proportion of land occupied by forests. Malaysia and Indonesia also have significant proportions of forested land.Asia-Pacific has lost around 10 million hectares of forest

World NewsNov. 14, 2016

[Graphic News] Comparison: How much S. Korea, Japan pay for US Forces

US President-elect Donald Trump’s claims that Washington’s allies are “freeloading” on defense could foreshadow bumpy negotiations over sharing the cost of stationing US forces here.As of 2016, South Korea pays about 944.1 billion won ($808 million) for the US Forces Korea, which covers for a little less than half of its estimated operating costs. Japan, which hosts more US troops of some 54,000 in military personnel alone, agreed in 2015 to spend about 189.9 billion yen annually, according to t

DefenseNov. 13, 2016

[Graphic News] How Trump’s win will affect Korean industries

Nov. 10, 2016

[Graphic News] Number of fertile women continue to decline

The number of women in the age group considered fertile has decreased by 820,000 over the past 10 years, with the trend significantly impacting overall birthrate, a report by the National Assembly Research Service showed Wednesday.The number of newborns in Korea began to drop significantly from the late 1990s and the birthrate is expected to continue dropping as women born in this timeframe reach fertile age.Fertile women refer to those aged between 15 and 49. The report said that this age group

Nov. 9, 2016

[Graphic News] State-by-state U.S. Electoral College results

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency capturing at least 288 Electoral College votes, according to media reports. As of 2:40 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Democratic rival Hillary Clinton trailed by 59 votes. There are 538 Electoral College votes allotted to the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It takes 270 votes to win. Forty-five states have been called so far. Clinton has won 18 states to Trump‘s 27, plus Trump won at least four Electoral Votes in Nebraska

World NewsNov. 9, 2016

[Graphic News] S. Korea, Singapore and Taiwan provide better access to mental health treatment

Millions of people suffer from mental or neurological disorders in Asia, but the related health care is still not a priority in most Asian countries. In a ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan performed better than other countries in terms of making mental health care available. It was the first such ranking by the EIU. Based on the EIU’s study, the three nations ranked ahead of Japan, Malaysia and Thailand in terms of access to health care and social serv

World NewsNov. 8, 2016

[Graphic News] US polls show Clinton ahead but battleground states up for grabs

Just two days before the bitter US presidential election, national polls gave the edge to Hillary Clinton, with results too close to call in some key battleground states where the race will be won or lost.Battleground Tracker polls showed Clinton’s lead evaporating. CBS gave Trump a one point lead in Ohio (46 to 45 percent) and showed a tied race in Florida (45 to 45 percent). Florida is the mother of all swing states, with 29 electoral votes in the electoral college, where a victor must reach 2

World NewsNov. 7, 2016

[Graphic News] Singapore top destination for expanding Asian businesses

Singapore has retained its top spot as the favorite destination for Asian enterprises to expand their businesses, according to the United Overseas Bank Asian Enterprise Survey 2016. Asian companies are drawn to Singapore’s stable political and economic climate, its large and growing customer demand, and its favorable tax and regulatory environment, the survey showed.One-third of Asian enterprises surveyed chose the city state as the market that they would expand into in the next three to five ye

World NewsNov. 6, 2016

[Graphic News] South Koreans live 11 years longer than N. Koreans

　South Koreans live about 11 years longer than their counterparts in North Korea, statistics showed Thursday, with the gap appearing to have significantly widened due to flooding and famine in the North in 1990.　According to a health report released by OECD Korea Policy Center, the average life span of South Korean women and men was 84.6 years and 78 years, respectively, as of 2015. 　The average life expectancy of North Korean women was 73.3 years, while that of men was 66.3 years. There was a d

World NewsNov. 3, 2016

[Graphic News] Korean shipbuilding industry’s outlook remains grim

The South Korean government is moving to help local shipbuilders suffering from declining new orders. On Monday, the Finance Ministry said that the government would order over 250 public vessels worth more than 11 trillion won ($9.6 billion) in total by 2020. The ministry has also encouraged the industry to restructure their businesses and focus on value-added ship services. The industry as well as the opposition parties, however, criticized the latest measures, calling them an insufficient reha

IndustryNov. 2, 2016