[Graphic News] 1 in 6 S. Korean women quit jobs after marriage

　More than 1 in 6 South Korean married women suffered a career break this year, quitting their jobs due to child rearing and getting married, data showed. 　The number of women aged 15-54 who have stopped working after marriage reached 1.45 million in April, down 3.8 percent, or 57,000, from the previous year, according to data from Statistics Korea. 　These women accounted for 17.4 percent of the total 8.32 million married women here, down from 17.6 percent a year earlier. 　The 2021 tally was

NationalDec. 9, 2021

[Graphic News] Tel Aviv ranked world’s priciest city for first time

　Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city to live in, as soaring inflation has pushed up living costs globally, according to a survey.  　The Israeli city climbed five rungs to top the list for the first time in the authoritative ranking compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. 　The Worldwide Cost of Living Index is compiled by comparing prices in US dollars for goods and services in 173 cities.  　Tel Aviv climbed the rankings partly due to the strength of the national

WorldDec. 8, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s employment rate of university grads ranks low among OECD: report

　South Korea ranks low among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of the employment rate for university graduates due mainly to a severe mismatch between their majors and job openings, a report showed. 　The employment rate for South Koreans aged 25-34 with university diplomas came to 75.2 percent in 2020, 31st lowest among 37 comparable OECD member countries, according to the report from the Korea Economic Research Institute. 　The figure is much lower

WorldDec. 7, 2021

[Graphic News] No. of Koreans with assets over W1b climbs 10%

　Amid liquidity-driven booms in the real estate and stock markets during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people with assets of more than 1 billion won ($838,000) increased by over 10 percent last year from a year earlier, a report showed.  　The number of Koreans with financial assets worth over 1 billion won stood at 390,000 last year, taking up 0.76 percent of the total population, according to the Korea Wealth Report 2021 released by KB Financial Group Research Institute. 　The lat

BusinessDec. 6, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s 2021 rice output rises for first time in 6 years

　South Korea’s rice output rose for the first time in six years due mainly to favorable weather conditions and an increase in the cultivation area, data showed. 　The country’s rice production reached 3.88 million metric tons in 2021, up 10.7 percent from a record low of 3.51 million tons the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the first rebound since 2015 when rice output rose 2 percent on-year to 4.33 million tons. The figure declined for

NationalDec. 3, 2021

[Graphic News] Korea’s birthrate hits record low in September

　The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed, underscoring the country’s bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birthrate. 　A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. 　In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reached an

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s EV sales nearly double this year, 7th-largest worldwide

　Sales of electric vehicles in South Korea almost doubled in the first three quarters of this year from a year earlier, ranking seventh in the world, data showed. 　A total of 71,006 EVs were sold in Asia’s fourth-largest economy in the January-September period, up 96 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Automotive Technology Institute. 　The figure was the seventh-largest in the world. China sold the largest number of EVs with 1.76 million units in the nine-m

World BusinessDec. 1, 2021

[Graphic News] South Korea’s household debt-GDP ratio highest worldwide: report

　South Korea has the highest ratio of household debt to gross domestic product among major economies in the world, a report showed, indicating it could crimp consumption and weigh on the economy down the road. 　The country’s household debt stood at 104.2 percent of its GDP as of end-June this year, the highest among 37 economies, according to the report by the Institute of International Finance. 　Hong Kong came next with 92 percent, followed by Britain with 89.4 percent, the United Stat

BusinessNov. 30, 2021

[Graphic News] Paul Rudd is People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’

　Paul Rudd, 52, the affable actor best known for playing “Ant-Man,” was named People magazine’s sexiest man alive, joining the likes of Idris Elba, George Clooney and Bradley Cooper. 　Rudd played the kind boyfriend of Lisa Kudrow’s wacky Phoebe on TV comedy “Friends” and later took larger roles in comedies like “Knocked Up” before playing Ant-Man in the Marvel superhero movie, followed by a sequel and appearances as the character in “Captai

WorldNov. 29, 2021

[Graphic News] No. of multicultural marriages hits record low in 2020

　The number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses fell to a record low last year as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted people’s cross-border movements, data showed. 　The number of multicultural marriages came to 16,177 last year, down 34.6 percent, or 8,544, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. 　It marked the lowest reading since 2008 when the statistics agency started to compile the related data. 　The number of international marriages sharply

NationalNov. 25, 2021

[Graphic News] Posco named world’s most competitive steelmaker for 12th year

　South Korea’s top steelmaker Posco said it was named the world’s most competitive steelmaker in a global industry report for the 12th consecutive year. 　In an annual assessment of 35 steelmakers worldwide, global steel information service provider World Steel Dynamics gave Posco the top mark of 8.54 points out of 10, according to the South Korean company. 　The WSD report, which ranks the steelmakers based on 23 categories, gave top scores for Posco in eight segments, including te

World BusinessNov. 24, 2021

[Graphic News] Carmakers’ sales fall 22% amid chip shortages

  South Korean carmakers’ sales fell 22 percent last month from a year earlier as an extended global chip shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to weigh on vehicle production and sales, industry data showed. The country’s five carmakers - Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and SsangYong Motor - sold a combined 548,192 vehicles in October, down from 705,047 units a year ago, according to data from the companies. Their domestic sales declined 21 percent

BusinessNov. 23, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea posts 1st decline in foreign population since 2006

　South Korea saw its foreign population shrink by 3.2 percent in November last year from the previous year, the first such decline since 2006 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Interior Ministry said. 　According to a report by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the number of foreign residents, defined as foreign nationals residing in the country for more than 90 days or naturalized Koreans and their children, stood at 2.15 million in November in 2020, compared with 2.22 million the same mo

NationalNov. 22, 2021

[Graphic News] 4 out of 10 North Koreans undernourished: FAO

　More than 4 out of 10 North Koreans are suffering from undernourishment, a recent UN report showed, as the impoverished country struggles from chronic food shortages. 　According to the report from the Food and Agriculture Organization, 10.9 million people, or 42.4 percent of North Korea’s total population, were estimated to have been undernourished between 2018 and 2020. 　The figure is up from 33.8 percent reported from 2004 to 2006. 　North Korea has suffered chronic food shortages t

North KoreaNov. 19, 2021

[Graphic News] Exports of fishery goods up over 20% through October

　South Korea’s exports of fishery products grew 20.5 percent on-year in the first 10 months of this year, data showed. 　Outbound shipments of fishery products reached $2.24 billion during the January-October period, compared to $1.86 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. 　Exports to China rose 48.1 percent to $540 million, and those to the United States and the European Union surged 24.2 percent and 39.4 percent, respectively.

BusinessNov. 18, 2021

[Graphic News] Over 80,000 dating violence cases reported in past 5 years: police data

　More than 80,000 cases of dating violence were reported in the past five years nationwide, including more than 200 murder cases, police data showed. 　According to the data from the National Police Agency, obtained by Rep. Yang Ki-dae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 81,056 cases of dating abuse were reported to police between 2016 and last year. 　The annual total rose steadily from 9,364 in 2016 to 18,945 last year, the data showed. 　Of the total, 61,133 cases involved serious vi

NationalNov. 17, 2021

[Graphic News] Number of travel agencies dips 6% in 2 years amid pandemic

　The number of travel agencies in South Korea has declined nearly 6 percent over the past two years in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed. 　There were 21,231 travel agencies in Asia’s fourth-largest economy as of end-September, down 6.1 percent from two years earlier, according to the data from the Korea Tourism Association. 　The number fell to 21,540 a year earlier from 22,609 in September 2019 and continued to go south this year. 　The decrease came as pandemic

BusinessNov. 16, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 4th in relative poverty among OECD nations

　South Korea ranks fourth in relative poverty among major economies in the world, data showed, in a sign of its high income inequality. 　The country‘s relative poverty rate, referring to the percentage of people with an income below 50 percent of the median income, came to 16.7 percent in 2018-19, according to the data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 　It is the fourth-highest rate among 37 member countries of the Paris-based club of rich nations. South K

WorldNov. 15, 2021

[Graphic News] Online shopping hits record high in September

　Online shopping in South Korea hit a record high in September, led by solid demand for food delivery services and electronic goods amid the resurgence in COVID-19 cases, data showed. 　The value of online shopping transactions stood at 16.2 trillion won ($13.7 billion) in September, up 17 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. 　The September reading marked an all-time high since the agency began to compile related data in 2001. 　The value of online shopp

BusinessNov. 12, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korean exports of kimchi up 13.8% in Jan.-Aug.

　South Korea’s exports of kimchi climbed nearly 14 percent in the first eight months of 2021 on growing overseas demand for healthier food amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed. 　Outbound shipments of kimchi reached $111.5 million in the January-August period, up 13.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and the food industry. 　In contrast, imports of kimchi shrank 9.7 percent on-year to $86.1 million over the cited period, resulting

BusinessNov. 11, 2021