[Graphic News] Corporate-owned real estate doubles in size, value

The real estate area owned by the top 1 percent of Korean corporations more than doubled during the five years under the Lee Myung-bak government, according to data released by the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy on Monday.In 2012, the area measured 5,724.84 square kilometers, up from 2,658 square kilometers in 2007; reflecting a 115.3 percent increase, the report showed.The current figure is slightly more than five times the entire area of Seoul City, which measures 605.2 square

Dec. 2, 2014

[Graphic News] Half of Koreans lack balanced nutrition: report

One in 2 Koreans either has poor nutrition or eats too much, the state-run disease control center said Monday. According to the report released by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48.9 percent of men and 50.5 percent of women in Korea did not have a balanced diet in 2012.Of those surveyed, 26.2 percent of men and 35.5 percent of women were eating too little (below 75 percent of the estimated intake required), while 22.7 percent of men and 15 percent of women were consuming too m

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2014

[Graphic News] OPEC oil output rises in November

OPEC’s oil supply rose in November to its highest level this year, boosted by increased output from Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, a Reuters survey showed Sunday.Supply from the 11 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries bounded by output targets ― all except Iraq ― rose to 26.52 million barrels per day from a revised 26.43 million bpd in October, according to the survey of oil firms, OPEC officials and analysts.Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s top producer, nud

World NewsNov. 30, 2014

[Graphic News] Applications for individual workout program to reach record-high

The number of people applying for the individual debtor rehabilitation program is expected to reach a record high in 2014, according to financial authorities and a monthly report by the Supreme Court of Korea. Individual debtors with regular income can apply for the program. The authorities said the number of applications, which has been on the rise every year, has come to more than 93,000 from January to October this year, an increase of 7.6 percent on-year.At this rate, the total number is exp

Nov. 27, 2014

[Graphic News] Shipbuilding, chips to lead growth

South Korea’s economy is likely to grow 3.7 percent as the world economy gradually recovers, according to a report announced by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade on Tuesday.The institute also forecast that the shipbuilding and semiconductor industries will lead the nation’s economy next year.

Nov. 26, 2014

[Graphic News] Korea to become aged society in 2017

South Korea appears to be on its way to becoming an aged society by 2017 and eventually becoming a so-called super-aged society in 2026, when slightly more than 20 percent of its people are expected to be 65 or older, according to figures from Statistics Korea.This means that more than 10 million people will be in that age bracket, the data showed. As a result, the country’s working-age population -- those between 25 and 49 years of age -- was forecast to peak at 37.04 million in 2016 before it

Nov. 25, 2014

[Graphic News] K-dramas’ viewership in U.S. broader than thought

Korean TV dramas, one of the two main pillars of hallyu along with K-pop, draw an ethnically diverse audience in the U.S., a recent survey by the U.S. office of Korea Creative Content Agency finds.Asians make up 29 percent of the U.S. viewership, followed by whites (24%), Hispanics/Latin Americans (18.9%) and blacks (9%). Viewers of Korean descent took up a 4.4 percent share.Over 85 percent of the viewers said they have been watching Korean TV dramas for more than a year now. Eighty-seven percen

TelevisionNov. 24, 2014

[Graphic News] Household income, spending grow 3% on-year in Q3

Household income in South Korea grew 3 percent during the third quarter from the same period last year as a hike in employment led to more earnings, a government report said Friday. When adjusted for inflation, however, household income grew 1.6 percent, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The income of households consisting of two members or more averaged 4.39 million won ($3,948) per month during the July-September period, up from 4.26 million won a year earlier.The agency data showed

Nov. 23, 2014

[Graphic News] Record number of bills languishing

The current 19th National Assembly has written 11,942 draft bills since its induction in May 2012, according to parliamentary statistics.But the percentage of bills fully reviewed by lawmakers has fallen to a record low, with only about 11.4 percent of prospective legislation being written into law.Critics cited the recent political deadlocks that paralyzed the parliament. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s boycott in August played a role, while the governing Saenuri Party

PoliticsNov. 20, 2014

[Graphic News] Seoul sees 189 couples marry, 55 divorce every day

An average of 189 couples got married every day in South Korea’s capital Seoul last year while 55 couples got divorced, data showed Wednesday.According to 2013 data for Seoul spanning 20 sectors including population and the economy, the marriage rate inched down from the previous year, with the divorce rate staying flat.The capital saw a daily average of 230 childbirths last year while an average of 115 Seoulites died each day.The total population reached 10.4 million as of last year, a 4.3-fold

Social AffairsNov. 19, 2014

[Graphic News] Sewol sinking in numbers

Social AffairsNov. 18, 2014

[Graphic News] Mobile stock trading on rise in Korea

Stock transactions via mobile gadgets have grown in number in the South Korean market as a rising number of retail investors have opted to use smartphones and tablets for trading, the bourse operator said Monday. Mobile devices accounted for 10.40 percent of total transactions in the main KOSPI market as of Nov. 10, up from 9.28 percent last year, the Korea Exchange said. The ratio of mobile trading in the tech-laden KOSDAQ market also jumped from 17.52 percent to 20.95 percent during the same p

World NewsNov. 17, 2014

[Graphic News] Samsung heir becomes 4th-richest stockholder in Korea

Lee Jay-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and heir apparent to its parent Samsung Group, has emerged as the fourth-richest stockholder in South Korea following last week’s high-profile listing of Samsung SDS, data showed Sunday.As of Friday when Samsung SDS shares went public, the value of listed shares held by Lee was tallied at 3.85 trillion won ($3.5 billion), up two notches from the previous ranking, according to Chaebul.com, an online research firm providing information on Korean c

IndustryNov. 16, 2014

[Graphic News] Tourists on cruise ships top 1 million

The number of foreigners visiting South Korea on cruises is expected to exceed 1.05 million by the end of this year, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.The ministry said Wednesday that it welcomed the millionth visitor at the International Cruise Terminal in Busan.Only about 280,000 inbound visitors came in by cruise ship in 2012, but the number soared to 790,000 last year and passed 1 million this year.Industry watchers attributed the rise to Chinese tourists’ increasing interest

Nov. 13, 2014

[Graphic News] UNHCR slashes winter aid in Iraq, Syria amid funding gap

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday it had been forced to slash the number of people it can help prepare for winter in conflict-ravaged Syria and Iraq for lack of funds.“The whole humanitarian community is facing shortfalls. People are becoming numb,” said Amin Awad, who heads UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa bureau, lamenting that his agency was having to make “tough choices.”The agency said it was facing a shortfall of $58 million for its efforts to prepare millions of displaced people in

World NewsNov. 12, 2014

[Graphic News] Korea-China FTA to boost trade volume

The Korea-China free trade pact, concluded on Monday after more than two years of negotiations, is expected to significantly boost the countries’ annual trade with China to $300 billion in 2015, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The number of items included in the Korea-China FTA is relatively small, compared to free trade deals with other major economies, but this FTA is set to have a great impact on both countries’ economic development. The reason for the inclusion of sm

Foreign AffairsNov. 11, 2014

[Graphic News] Korea’s FTA at a glance

Over the past decade, the export-driven South Korean economy has favored bilateral free trade pacts in a bid to expand trade volume. As of March in 2014, Korea had signed 12 free-trade agreements with its key trade partners ― nine of which are effective and four that are pending ― covering almost 73 percent of the world’s markets. Starting from the country’s first FTA deal with Chile, which went into effect in 2004, Korea has been actively working to secure bridgeheads for bilateral economic coo

PoliticsNov. 10, 2014

[Graphic News] World’s fastest elevator to be in China

The world’s fastest elevator is to be installed in a skyscraper currently under construction in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.The elevator at the CTF Financial Center, to be completed in 2016, will ascend at 20 meters per second, allowing it to reach the 95th floor in just 43 seconds. The second-fastest lift will be in China’s 121-story Shanghai Tower, which will travel at 18 meters per second. The building is to open in 2015. Before Chinese elevators stole its crown, the elevator in th

InternationalNov. 9, 2014

[Graphic News] Korean children least happy in OECD

South Korean school children were the least happy among those in OECD countries, a recent survey showed.In the latest survey, the subjective happiness index of South Korean children was 60.3 percent, which was the lowest among the OECD countries.Some of the major reasons behind the statistics include lack of leisure time and hobbies, as well as stress over academic obligations.South Korea’s schoolchildren were found to be the unhappiest in the OECD in previous years, with 64.3 points in 2009, 65

Social AffairsNov. 5, 2014