[Graphic News] Smuggled drugs more than double in H1 amid pandemic

　Drug smuggling caught by South Korea‘s customs agency more than doubled in the first half of the year as trafficking via non-contact delivery means rose amid the pandemic, data showed. 　A total of 214.2 kilograms of drugs were confiscated in the January-June period, up 153 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. 　Drug smuggling via international mail and cargo sharply increased amid the protracted pandemic, according to the customs office.

NationalAug. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] World hunger was dramatically worse in pandemic year: UN

　The United Nations lamented a “dramatic worsening” of world hunger last year, saying much of that is likely connected to the pandemic, and it urged that billions of dollars are needed to save millions of people from starving. 　A report issued jointly by five UN agencies said hunger outpaced population growth in 2020, with nearly 10 percent of all people estimated to be undernourished. 　It said the sharpest rise in hunger came in Africa, where 21 percent of the people - 282 mil

WorldJuly 30, 2021

[Graphic News] Seoul reports largest population drop in 5 years: data

　Seoul has suffered its largest population decline in five years, with the soaring housing prices likely driving people out of the capital city, data showed. 　According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Interior and Safety and provided to People Power Party Rep. Tae Young-ho, Seoul had a population of just over 9.56 million as of June. Compared to a year ago, that represented a drop of 154,856, or 1.59 percent. It is the largest annual drop in five years. 　Seoul had almost 9.99 million p

NationalJuly 29, 2021

[Graphic News] Exports of farm goods hit all-time high in H1

　South Korea's exports of agricultural products shot up to set a new record in the first six months of 2021, data showed, on the back of stronger global demand for healthier foodstuffs amid the new coronavirus pandemic. 　Outbound shipments of such goods in the January-June period came to $4.15 billion, up 15.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. 　Exports of fresh products advanced 11.4 percent over the period t

BusinessJuly 28, 2021

[Graphic News] Only 3 in 10 Koreans interested in Tokyo Olympics

　The level of interest in the Tokyo Summer Games is much lower in South Korea compared with past Olympic events, a survey showed. 　According to a survey of 1,003 people aged 18 and older conducted by Gallup Korea from July 20 to 22, only 32 percent of respondents said they were very interested or a little interested in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. 　A majority, or 66 percent, said they were not interested in one of the biggest sports events in the world. 　The survey also showed that soccer

SportsJuly 27, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 3rd in global passport index

　The South Korean passport was found to be the third most effective one for travelers around the world, allowing its bearers to travel to 191 countries visa-free, data showed. 　Asia’s fourth-largest economy and Germany tied for third, only after Japan and Singapore, in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index. 　The Japanese passport provides visa-free travel to 193 countries and Singapore to 192 countries. 　The index released by immigration consulting firm Henley & Part

WorldJuly 26, 2021

[Graphic News] Tokyo Olympics in numbers

  　Tokyo Olympics organizers have worked to slash the cost and scale of the 2020 Games after a historic postponement, but the numbers involved are still staggering. 　Here are some key figures from the sporting extravaganza, which opens on Friday: (1) 15,400 athletes 　Sportsmen and women from 205 countries and regions will compete at the Tokyo Games, with more than 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes taking part. (2) 29 　South Korea will be represented by 232 athletes a

SportsJuly 23, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea accounts for one-third of global EV battery market in Jan.-May

　Three South Korean electric vehicle battery makers accounted for a third of the global market in the first five months of the year, but their share has slightly slipped since last year in the face of toughening competition with Chinese rivals, a market research firm said. 　The trio - LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation - supplied a combined 88.4 gigawatt-hour equivalents of EV batteries in the January-May period, up from 33.6 GWh a year earlier, according to the data by SNE

World BusinessJuly 22, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 2nd in monthly capacity of 200mm wafers in 2020: report

　South Korea had the second-largest monthly capacity of 200-millimeter-equivalent wafers last year behind Taiwan, a report showed. 　The country, home to major chipmakers like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, had a capacity of 4.25 million wafers per month, accounting for 20.4 percent of global wafer capacity as of December 2020, according to market researcher IC Insights. 　Taiwan was the capacity leader at 200 mm or 8-inch wafers, taking 21.4 percent of the global capacity. The country,

World BusinessJuly 21, 2021

[Graphic News] US auto brands rank No. 2 in imported car sales in S. Korea in 2020: data

　US automakers overtook Japanese brands to take the No. 2 spot in the imported car market in South Korea last year, a report showed, taking advantage of local consumers’ boycott of Japanese products over trade and wartime legacy disputes. 　A total of 46,000 cars from US automakers were sold in South Korea last year, accounting for 15.2 percent of the overall imported car sales, according to data by the Korean Automobile Manufacturers Association. 　German brands topped the ranking wi

BusinessJuly 20, 2021

[Graphic News] Turkmenistan capital tops Hong Kong as world's costliest: survey

　Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat has overtaken Hong Kong as the world‘s most expensive city for foreign workers, a survey showed. 　Turkmenistan is almost wholly dependent on natural gas exports and has struggled to recover from the global energy price slump in 2014 that battered the local manat currency and plunged many citizens into poverty. 　Despite the long-running economic crisis, authorities broke ground on a major expansion of Ashgabat in May, with autocrat leader Gurbangul

World BusinessJuly 19, 2021

[Graphic News] Parcel shipments rise 27% in Seoul in 2020 due to COVID-19

　Parcel shipments in Seoul increased 26.9 percent last year from the previous year, a study showed, as an increasing number of people have preferred ordering food and daily necessities online amid the spread of COVID-19. 　According to the artificial intelligence-based study by the University of Seoul, parcel deliveries of food, household items and health products in the capital surged by around 50 percent in 2020, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 　In contrast, the study said

NationalJuly 15, 2021

[Graphic News] Value of household work up 36% in 2019 from 5 years earlier

　The value of household chores grew nearly 36 percent in 2019 from five years earlier, with men‘s participation in such work rising amid an increase in one-person households and double-income families, data showed. 　The value of household work, such as child care, meal preparations and cleaning, came to 490.9 trillion won ($433 billion) in 2019, compared to 361.5 trillion won in 2014, according to the data from Statistics Korea. 　The 2019 figure was equivalent to 25.5 percent of the

NationalJuly 14, 2021

[Graphic News] No. of fake banknotes dips to record low in H1 amid pandemic

　The number of counterfeit South Korean banknotes identified dropped to a new record low in the first half of 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the decline of cash use, the Bank of Korea said. 　In the January-June period, the number of fake banknotes found here came to just 38, down from 161 a year earlier and marking the lowest figure since the BOK began releasing such data in 2000. 　By denomination, 5,000-won counterfeit bills accounted for more than half of all counterfeit bil

NationalJuly 13, 2021

[Graphic News] The 74th Cannes Film Festival in numbers

FilmJuly 12, 2021

[Graphic News] 95.6% of vaccinated people say they recommend receiving shots: poll

　Nine out of 10 people who have been vaccinated said they would recommend that their families and friends receive shots, a government survey showed. 　The poll, jointly conducted by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and the Culture Ministry, showed that 95.6 percent were favorable toward receiving COVID-19 vaccines. 　The share was up 10.4 percentage points from the same survey conducted last month. 　Some 1,000 adults aged 18 and older took part in the latest surv

NationalJuly 9, 2021

[Graphic News] Amazon, Apple most valuable brands

　Amazon and Apple are the world’s most valuable brands but Chinese brands are rising up the leaders list and are more valuable than Europe’s top brands, according to a global ranking by Kantar’s BrandZ. 　Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, remained the world’s most valuable brand with an estimated value of $684 billion, followed by Apple, founded in 1976, at $612 billion and Google at $458 billion, Kantar said. 　Tencent, China’s biggest social media and vid

World BusinessJuly 8, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s global competitiveness ranking stays at 23rd in 2021: report

　South Korea’s global competitiveness ranking remained unchanged this year after rising by five notches in the previous year on the back of its efforts to contain the pandemic, a report showed. 　South Korea ranked 23rd in terms of global competitiveness among 64 countries surveyed, according to the 2021 report by the International Institute for Management Development. 　IMD, a Swiss-based international institution, has been releasing the report every year since 1989 based on a country

WorldJuly 7, 2021

[Graphic News] Nearly 80% of S. Korean consumers increase online shopping amid pandemic

　Nearly 8 out of 10 South Korean consumers have increased their online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic, a poll showed. 　The survey of 1,000 local consumers, taken by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, showed 78.4 percent of the respondents saying their online purchases have risen since the outbreak of COVID-19. 　About 71 percent of them said they have purchased more foodstuffs and beverages online, followed by dining out and other food services, kitchen and daily goods an

BusinessJuly 6, 2021

[Graphic News] 6 in 10 S. Koreans oppose Moon’s visit to Japan during Tokyo Olympics: poll

　Over 60 percent of South Koreans are opposed to President Moon Jae-in’s possible visit to Japan during the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, a poll showed. 　In a survey of 500 people aged 18 and older conducted by Realmeter on June 25, 60.2 percent of respondents said they object to Moon’s visit during the games scheduled to open July 23, while 33.2 percent approved of his visit and the remaining 6.6 percent were undecided. 　Japanese media have reported the two governments have been

NationalJuly 5, 2021