[Graphic News] Proportion of female workers on rise in Korea

　The proportion of female workers at South Korea’s 600 leading firms has increased in the past five years, according to a local think tank. 　The Korea Economic Research Institute analyzed the top 600 listed companies in the nonfinancial sector and found that the proportion of female employees out of their overall workforce increased from 23 percent in 2014 to 23.8 percent in 2018. 　Educational service companies as well as wholesale and retail businesses hired more female workers in the pas

Social AffairsJune 3, 2019

[Graphic News] China produces 95% of world’s rare earths

　China produces more than 95 percent of the world’s rare earths, and the US relies on China for more than 80 percent of its imports.　In 2018, Beijing increased rare earths mining by 15,000 tons, while the US produced just 15,000 tons in total. China holds 44 million tons of the elements in its reserves, while the US has just 1.4 million tons.　Rare earth elements are used in a wide range of consumer products, such as iPhones, electric car motors, military jet engines, satellites and lasers.

WorldJune 2, 2019

[Graphic News] More climbers die on crowded Everest

　A traffic jam of climbers in Everest’s “death zone” was blamed for two of four new deaths reported Friday, heightening concerns that the drive for profits is trumping safety on the world’s highest peak.　Nepal has issued a record 381 permits costing $11,000 each for the current spring climbing season, bringing in much-needed money for the Himalayan country.　At least four of the deaths this season - the deadliest since 2015, when massive earthquakes triggered avalanches th

WorldMay 30, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of insect-related companies on rise in Korea

　The number of South Korean companies raising or processing insects for foodstuffs, pets and other purposes grew threefold in 2018 from three years earlier. 　According to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of such companies here came to 2,318 as of last year, up from 726 in 2015.　The figure increased sharply on-year in 2016 and 2017, after the government officially recognized seven species of insects as food ingredients. The number edged up 8.3 perce

BusinessMay 29, 2019

[Graphic News] ‘Parasite’ wins top honors at Cannes　

　The Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, was awarded Saturday to “Parasite,” a social satire and critical favorite from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. It is the first time a Korean director has received the coveted award in the festival’s 72-year history.　The Cannes Film Festival is an annual event held in France. It previews new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world. 

CultureMay 28, 2019

[Graphic News] Best and worst Asian countries for road quality

　Singapore has the best road infrastructure alongside Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, according to the opinion survey by World Economic Forum.　Road infrastructure is a marker of a country’s development and is significant for safety and satisfaction of the citizens. 　Singapore is ranked at the top in Asia and second globally in terms of road infrastructure in the country. It is followed by Japan and Taiwan which have equally well maintained roads ranked No. 5 and No. 11 respectively. South K

World NewsMay 27, 2019

[Graphic News] 1 in 7 babies born with low birthweight worldwide

　More than 20 million newborns in 2015 - one in seven - came into the world weighing too little, latest data showed.　Over 90 percent of babies tipping the scale at less than 2.5 kilograms when born were in low - and middle-income countries, researchers reported in Lancet Global Health.　Worldwide, just under 15 percent of 2015 newborns in the 148 countries canvassed had low birthweight, varying between 2.4 percent in Sweden and nearly 28 percent in Bangladesh. 　In sub-Saharan Africa, the number o

World NewsMay 26, 2019

[Graphic News] ‘Avengers: Endgame’ becomes most-viewed foreign film in S. Korea

　 “Avengers: Endgame” became the most-watched foreign film in South Korean history, with 13.4 million admissions, its distributor said.　The latest Marvel superhero flick set the record at around noon on Sunday, Walt Disney Company Korea said based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council.　The previous No. 1 was “Avatar” (2009), which sold 13.30 million tickets from 2009 to 2010.

Life&CultureMay 23, 2019

[Graphic News] Incidence of early puberty up 42.3% in 5 years

　The incidence of premature puberty has increased in the past five years in South Korea, according to the National Health Insurance Corp.　The number of children who reached puberty too early stood at 95,401 in 2017, up 42.3 percent from 2013. 　Symptoms of precocious puberty include rapid growth, changes in body shape and size, and the development of ability to reproduce before the age of 8 in girls and 9 in boys. 

Social AffairsMay 22, 2019

[Graphic News] EU election

　About 400 million Europeans from 28 countries will head to the polls May 23-26 to choose lawmakers to represent them at the European Parliament for the next five years. 　Voters in each EU nation choose some of the 751 lawmakers in the parliament, which sits in both Brussels and Strasbourg, France. This number will reduce to 705 seats should Britain approve its Brexit divorce deal before the elections start. (AP)

World NewsMay 21, 2019

[Graphic News] China may not be the most populous country by 2024

　Currently, China with a population of 1.41 billion and India with 1.34 billion remain the two most populous countries, comprising 19 percent and 18 percent of the total global population, respectively, according to a UN report. And in about seven years, or around 2024, India’s population is expected to surpass that of China.　According to the UN estimates, after 2024 India’s population is projected to continue growing for several decades to around 1.5 billion in 2030 and approaching 1.66 billion

World NewsMay 20, 2019

[Graphic News] US world’s top crude oil producer

　The United States became the world’s top crude oil producer in 2017, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to the International Energy Agency. The US produced 14.3 percent of the world’s oil, and Saudi Arabia stood in second place with 12.9 percent with Russia close behind at 12.2 percent.　In terms of the volume of oil they produced in 2017, the three countries produced more oil than the next seven countries on the list combined.

World BusinessMay 19, 2019

[Graphic News] Korea had 32.5m pay TV subscribers in 2018: ICT Ministry

　The average number of pay TV subscribers in South Korea stood at 32.5 million last year, data from the Ministry of Science and ICT showed.　That number - which includes people who paid for satellite broadcasting and internet protocol television services - increased about 530,000 during the second half of the year, according to the data.　KT Corp. had a market share of 21.1 percent, or over 6.8 million subscribers, followed by SK Broadband Co. with 14.3 percent and CJ Hello at 12.6 percent.　LG Upl

BusinessMay 16, 2019

[Graphic News] Iceland tops list on children’s rights

　Iceland ranked No. 1 on this year’s KidsRights Index, followed by Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and Germany.　The annual list, compiled in cooperation with the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, uses UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.　Afghanistan was the worst, followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic. 　South Korea ranked 70th among the 181 countries studied. 

WorldMay 15, 2019

[Graphic News] US military spending up for first time in 7 years

　US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting Trump administration policy, according to a new report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.　Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 percent to $1.8 trillion last year, the institute said.　It was the second consecutive year that the global figure has risen, bringing military spending to its highest level since 1988.　The US figure alone, $649 billion, was as much as the combined military

WorldMay 14, 2019

[Graphic News] Dementia increasing in Korea

　More than 1 in 10 senior citizens in South Korea suffer from dementia, data showed.　According to the data from the National Institute of Dementia, 748,945 South Koreans aged 65 and above suffered from dementia as of 2018 last year. 　That figure is expected to grow to 2.18 million by 2040, 3.03 million by 2050 and 3.32 million by 2060 as the population continues to age. 

TechnologyMay 13, 2019

[Graphic News] Seoul’s humanitarian aid to Pyongyang

　The Moon Jae-in administration announced that it will soon initiate the procedure for providing food aid to North Korea. The South Korean government has not sent any direct humanitarian aid to the impoverished country since 2010. 　According to the Unification Ministry’s data, the total amount of assistance provided to the North by the South Korean government stands at around 2.4 trillion won ($2.03 billion) since the Kim Young-sam administration offered 150,000 metric tons of rice in 1995. The

North KoreaMay 12, 2019

[Graphic News] Filipinos spend most time on social media in Asia

　Filipinos spend the greatest amount of time on social media among Asians, closely followed by Indonesians, Thais and Malaysians, according to Global Digital 2019 reports from We Are Social and Hootsuite. 　In 2019, Filipinos spend an average of four hours and 12 minutes on social media daily, an increase of 15 minutes per day from last year. They topped the list for the fourth year in a row. 　On the other hand, the Japanese spend the least amount of time on social media -- 36 minutes per day. Tr

World NewsMay 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Higher proportion of long-term marriage immigrants, naturalized citizens last year

　The proportion of marriage immigrants and naturalized citizens who have lived in South Korea for more than 10 years rose last year from three years earlier, a survey showed.　According to the poll conducted by the Ministry of Gender and Equality, there were 306,995 multicultural households in Korea last year. Among them, 85.7 percent consisted of at least one immigrant parent and the remaining 14.3 percent had a naturalized Korean.　Those who have lived more than 10 years in Korea accounted for 6

Social AffairsMay 8, 2019

[Graphic News] Cancer is No. 1 cause of death in S. Korea

　The death rate from cancer in South Korea has been on the rise every year, according to the Korea Insurance Development Institute.　The number of life insurance subscribers who died of cancer increased from 18,144 in 2008 to 19,560 in 2010, 21,179 in 2012, 23,213 in 2015 and 24,940 in 2017, data showed.　By total number of deaths, the deadliest cancers were of the lungs, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon and breast.　

TechnologyMay 7, 2019