[Graphic News] S. Korean Netflix users triple in a year

　The number of South Korean subscribers to US streaming platform Netflix more than tripled in one year, industry data showed Thursday, mainly due to the popularity of original local content. 　Netflix was estimated to have nearly 2.4 million active streaming subscribers as of the end of February this year, compared with 799,000 users at the end of February 2018, according to Nielsen Korea.　Netflix, which started as a video rental firm in 1997, currently has more than 189 million paying members in

BusinessApril 7, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of postpartum care centers decreases

　The number of postpartum care centers nationwide has fallen, according to a report, in a possible indication of the falling birthrate.  　The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education said there were 584 such centers last year, compared to 610 in 2015. Data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that the number of postpartum care centers increased from 418 in 2009 to 610 in 2015, but fell to 598 in 2017 before declining further the following year.　The number of people using the

Social AffairsApril 4, 2019

[Graphic News] Higher proportion of students skip breakfast

　2018 saw a higher proportion of South Korean students skipping breakfast compared to the previous year, said the Ministry of Education, citing a recent study on their physical health.　The proportion of high and middle school students skipping the meal rose respectively to 19.7 percent and 16.2 percent in 2018, up from 18.1 percent and 13.5 percent in 2017.  　In addition, the obesity rate among young Korean students rose to 25 percent last year from 21.2 percent in 2014, marking the fifth consec

Social AffairsApril 3, 2019

[Graphic News] Incheon Airport becomes world’s 5th-largest passenger airport

　The number of passengers using Incheon Airport reached a new high in 2018, making it the fifth-largest passenger airport in the world. 　According to Incheon International Airport Corp., Incheon Airport handled 67.7 million international passengers last year, up 10 percent from a year earlier. The latest figure is about 3.3 times the number of passengers logged in 2002, the year after the airport opened. 　Incheon Airport opened its second terminal last year, increasing maximum passenger capacity

World BusinessApril 2, 2019

[Graphic News] Nearly 58% of South Koreans use mobile banking services: poll

　A higher proportion of South Koreans used mobile banking services in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to a central bank poll. 　The survey of 2,597 adults conducted by the Bank of Korea last year showed that 57.9 percent of respondents had used such services in 2018, up 11.9 percentage points from 2017.  　Meanwhile, the proportion of those in their 50s who used such services rose from 33.5 percent in 2017 to 51.8 percent last year. 

BusinessApril 1, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s population likely to peak in 2028

　South Korea’s statistics agency forecast that the country’s population is likely to peak at 51.94 million in 2028, before declining to 39.29 million in 2067. 　The demographic outlook came as deaths are set to outnumber births in Asia’s fourth-largest economy beginning this year.　South Korea plans to set up a government task force next month to come up with comprehensive measures to tackle demographic challenges.　The number of newborns in South Korea came to 326,900 in 2018, a sharp decline from

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2019

[Graphic News] Finland remains world’s happiest country

　Finland has emerged as the happiest nation for the second consecutive year, according to a report. Researchers say the small Nordic country of 5.5 million people has succeeded in coming up with a recipe for a balanced life not simply dependent on economic and material wealth.　The World Happiness Report, by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks 156 countries in terms of how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. 　It is based on factors such as economic wealth, life exp

World NewsMarch 28, 2019

[Graphic News] S. Korea becomes top exporter of 77 products in 2017: KITA

　South Korea became the No. 1 exporter of 77 products in 2017, a local trade organization showed, on the back of improved performance from the petrochemicals industry.　According to the Korea International Trade Association, the number of products enjoying a top market share shipped from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew from 68 in 2015 and 71 tallied for 2016.　China had the highest number of products that topped the global market at 1,720, followed by Germany with 693 and the United States with

World BusinessMarch 27, 2019

[Graphic News] Global hearable market to grow quickly

　The world market for wireless hearables is expected to grow quickly over the next two years thanks to the popularity of Apple’s AirPod, an industry report said.　The global market is estimated to reach 129 million units by 2020, compared with about 46 million units last year, according to a report from industry tracker Counterpoint Research.　The report, however, didn’t provide an estimate for this year’s global sales.　The research firm said Apple’s upcoming second-generation AirPod and similar e

World BusinessMarch 26, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of marriages lowest in over 40 years

　The number of marriages in Korea has dropped to the lowest level in more than 40 years in 2018, as young people delay marriage amid a weak economic picture, according to government data.　The number of couples tying the knot came to 257,622 in 2018, compared with 264,455 in 2017, according to Statistics Korea. The figure is the lowest since 1972, when the number of couples who got married came to 244,780.　Some young people delay marriage, or give up on marriage altogether, and having babies as t

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2019

[Graphic News] Growth of medicine side effects slows in 2018

　South Korea saw reports of medication side effects gain about 2 percent in 2018, although their rate of growth slowed sharply from the prior year, data showed.　Local health authorities handled 257,438 cases of side effects from taking medicine last year, up 1.9 percent from the previous year, according to data from the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management.　By drug, aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine had the largest reports of side effects with 36,321 cases (14.1 percent), followed by

TechnologyMarch 24, 2019

[Graphic News] Seoul ranks 7th most expensive city for expats

　Paris has climbed to the top of the world‘s priciest city for expatriates, tied first with Singapore and Hong Kong according to a survey that named the capital of strife-torn Venezuela as the cheapest.　South Korea’s capital city Seoul ranked as the seventh most expensive city. The average price of 1 kilogram of bread was found to be $15.59, while in Singapore it was $3.40.　Currency appreciation, inflation and devaluation as well as political upheaval played a part in this year’s rankings, said

World BusinessMarch 21, 2019

[Graphic News] Counseling for twilight divorce increasing rapidly

　A growing number of couples over the age of 60 are applying for divorce counseling, data released by a provider of free legal consultation services showed.　The Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations said it handled 4,653 clients who wanted help with divorce last year, with women accounting for 70.7 percent, or 3,288, and men for the remaining 29.3 percent.　Of them, people over 60 years old accounted for 23.5 percent of female divorce counselees and 36.3 percent of male clients, the center

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2019

[Graphic News] 1 in 4 Korean students overweight

　A quarter of young South Korean students were obese or overweght, the Ministry of Education said.　According to data compiled from a survey of 108,000 elementary, middle and high school students conducted nationwide last year, 10.6 percent of them were overweight and the remaining 14.4 percent were obese. Those with a body mass index of over 23 were counted as overweight and those with BMIs of 25 or more were considered obese.　The percentage of overweight and obese students has continued to rise

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of gas stations drops for 4th year in 2018

　The number of gas stations in South Korea dropped for the fourth straight year in 2018, amid worsening profitability facing the industry, data have showed.　As of end-December, 11,769 gasoline stations were operating across the country, down 196 from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority.　It marked the fourth consecutive year of annual decline. An annual average of 149 gas stations have been shuttered over the past four years.

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2019

[Graphic News] Private education costs up 4.4% in 2018

　South Korea’s total spending on private tuition for children came to about 19.5 trillion won ($17.2 billion) in 2018, up 4.4 percent from a year earlier, government data showed.　The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 72.8 percent of 5.58 million students across the country received private tutoring and other extracurricular activities in 2018.

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2019

[Graphic News] Bezos, Gates still top world’s ultrarich: Forbes

　Jeff Bezos remains the world’s richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, according to the latest Forbes list of the ultrarich, while far behind President Donald Trump jumped 51 spots in the ranking.　While things are largely stable up on top of the list, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two.　According to the list announced by Forbes, the riches of Bezos have swelled by $19 billion in one year and he is now wort

World BusinessMarch 14, 2019

[Graphic News] 50,000 women a year killed by intimate partners

　More than half of women murdered worldwide last year were killed by intimate partners or family members, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.　Data found that of 87,000 women intentionally killed worldwide in 2017, 58 percent -- 50,000 women -- were killed by intimate partners or family members. 　The numbers show a substantial increase from the UN’s 2012 Global Study on Homicide, which found 48,000 women were killed by their family members or intimate partners, accounting f

World NewsMarch 13, 2019

[Graphic News] The nations grounding their Boeing 737s

　A number of countries grounded Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 medium-haul workhorse jet on Monday in response to an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people on board.　The Nairobi-bound plane was the same type as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed in October, killing 189 passengers and crew - with some detecting similarities between the two accidents.　There are some 350 of the 737 MAX 8 planes currently in service around the world and while some countries and airlines have opted to ground t

World NewsMarch 12, 2019

[Graphic News] World's dirtiest air is in India

　Seven of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India, according to a new study showing South Asia’s battle with deteriorating air quality and the economic toll it’s expected to take worldwide.　Gurugram, located southwest of India’s capital New Delhi, led all cities in pollution levels in 2018, even as its score improved from the previous year, according to data released by IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace. Three other Indian cities joined Faisalabad, Pakistan, in the top five.　The i

World NewsMarch 11, 2019