[Graphic News] Mass shootings in US

A gunman shot and killed eight people and injured several others at a busy mall north of Dallas on Saturday. A Korean American couple and their 3-year-old son were among those killed in Texas mall massacre. Another 6-year-old boy was wounded and hospitalized. The massacre is among the latest in at least 202 mass shootings recorded in the United States this year, according to the nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive. The group defines a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people a

World NewsMay 11, 2023

[Graphic News] Biden trails Trump as his approval rating hits low: poll

President Joe Biden’s approval rating slid to a career low in the latest opinion poll for ABC News and the Washington Post that also showed the US leader lagging predecessor Donald Trump in early voter preferences for the 2024 election. The percentage of those approving of Biden’s performance fell to 36 percent, six points lower than in February and a point off his previous low in early 2022, according to the survey conducted for the news organizations by Langer Research Associates.

World NewsMay 10, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korean carmakers’ global market share falls to 7.3% in 2022

South Korean carmakers’ global market share inched down in 2022 from a year earlier due largely to weaker sales in China and Russia, industry data showed. Local automakers accounted for 7.3 percent of vehicle sales in the world’s eight major markets last year, down from 7.7 percent in 2021, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. Their share was the fifth-largest in the world. The eight markets are the United States, Europe, China, India, Mexico, Br

IndustryMay 9, 2023

[Graphic News] Number of N. Korean defectors coming to S. Korea reaches 34 in Q1

　The number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 34 in the first quarter, government data showed. 　After escaping the North, five men and 29 women reached the South in the January-March period, bringing the total number of the North’s defectors to 33,916, according to the data from Seoul’s Unification Ministry. 　The data compared with 11 people in the first quarter of last year and 25 tallied in the fourth quarter. 　The number of North Korean defectors coming t

North KoreaMay 8, 2023

[Graphic News] King Charles III’s coronation

King Charles III’s coronation will take place Saturday at Westminster Abbey in London. More than 2,200 people will attend the coronation, including international representatives from 203 countries as well as community and charity workers. During the ceremony, the king will be crowned alongside Camilla, the queen consort.

World NewsMay 5, 2023

[Graphic News] Son Heung-min achieves double-digit goals for 7 seasons

  Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean star, Son Heung-min, reached double-digit goal figures for his seventh consecutive season in the Premier League when he scored his 10th goal of the 2022-2023 season in the 77th minute of Tottenham’s 4-3 loss to Liverpool on April 30. Since the 2016-2017 season, Son has kept his performance consistent, including his Golden Boot-winning 2021-2022 season with a career best of 23 goals. Son is the only Asian to have won the Golden Boot in Premier

SoccerMay 4, 2023

[Graphic News] Global EV battery market to grow fivefold to $616b in 2035

The global electric vehicle battery market is forecast to post rapid growth to $616 billion in 2035, a market tracker said, with the China-based production likely to sharply shrink amid the EV-related policy revamps in the United States and Europe. The projection marks a fivefold increase from $121 billion estimated for this year, according to a report by SNE Research, a Seoul-based energy market tracker. Demand for EV battery production is expected to reach 5.3 terawatt-hours globally in 2035,

IndustryMay 3, 2023

[Graphic News] About 60% of young people say unification with North Korea unnecessary

About 60 percent of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s said unification with North Korea is not necessary, a survey showed, amid the ongoing impasse in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization talks. The survey, commissioned by a civic media group called Barun Media Citizen Action, found that 61 percent of people in their 20s and 30s say Korean reunification is “not absolutely necessary.” In comparison, 24 percent of them say unification with North Korea is “absolutely neces

North KoreaMay 2, 2023

[Graphic News] Jajangmyeon price soars 60 times over 5 decades

The price for a bowl of jajangmyeon, or noodles in black bean sauce, has soared more than 60 times to 6,361 won ($5) over the past five decades, according to market tracker Korea Price Information. A bowl of jajangmyeon was 100 won in 1970 when the KPI began its first survey, but it had risen to around 2,500 won in 2000. Over the last five years alone, the price has jumped 26.9 percent largely due to growing ingredient prices. The prices of flour, cooking oil, onions and cucumbers used in jajang

ConsumerMay 1, 2023

[Graphic News] Nearly half of one-person households ‘poor’: report

Nearly half of single-member households are considered poor, and it is nearly 3 in 4 for senior citizens living alone, a report showed. The relative poverty rate of one-person households came to 47.2 percent in 2020, compared to 15.3 percent for all households, according to the report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. The rate refers to the percentage of people with income below 50 percent of the median income. The figure for single-person households, however, has been decl

Social AffairsApril 27, 2023

[Graphic News] Global PC shipments plunge 29% in rough economy

Shipments of Apple Macs plunged during the first quarter of this year as the global personal computer market suffered due to tough economic conditions, a market research report said. Weak demand, excess inventory and a worsening macroeconomic climate contributed to a “precipitous drop in shipments of traditional PCs” in the first three months of this year, according to the report from IDC. PC shipments globally tallied 56.9 million, some 29 percent less than the same period a year ea

World BusinessApril 26, 2023

[Graphic News] India’s population to overtake China

India is poised to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation, with almost 3 million more people than its neighbor by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations showed. India’s population by mid-year is estimated at 1.4286 billion, against 1.4257 billion for China - 2.9 million fewer - in the United Nations Population Fund’s “State of World Population Report” for this year. The United States is a distant third, with an estimated population

World NewsApril 25, 2023

[Graphic News] K-pop generates 8 of world’s 10 most-sold albums in 2022

Eight of the top 10 bestselling albums worldwide last year were K-pop albums, a global album sales chart showed. According to the Global Album Sales Chart 2022 released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide, albums by K-pop acts swept eight of the top 10 positions on the chart. The IFPI Global Album Sales Chart ranks the biggest albums of the year based on the number of units sold across all

K-popApril 21, 2023

[Graphic News] Ukraine’s GDP fell 29.1% in 2022 during Russia’s invasion

Ukraine’s gross domestic product fell by 29.1 percent in 2022 as Russia’s full-scale invasion battered the economy, the state statistics service said. The final 2022 GDP figure was slightly better than the 30 percent drop previously forecast by the government. Russia’s economy contracted by 2.1 percent last year, shrinking less than expected despite sanctions imposed by European nations and the United States. Moscow’s February 2022 invasion has killed tens of thousands, u

World BusinessApril 20, 2023

[Graphic News] Over 400 human rights activists murdered in 2022

A total of 401 human rights activists were killed in 2022, and about half of the killings took place in Colombia, according to the Guardian. The UK daily quoted Front Line Defenders, a human rights group, and said Colombia’s 186 killings were followed by Ukraine (50), Mexico (45), Brazil (26) and Honduras (17) in that order. The figure of 401 deaths across 26 countries in 2022 was a jump from 358 deaths in 30 countries the previous year. Colombia saw more than three times the number of suc

World NewsApril 19, 2023

[Graphic News] 441 wildfires in Korea so far this year

The number of large and small forest fires in Korea has increased every year over the past decade. On April 11, A massive wildfire hit the northeastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, destroying about 70 homes and buildings, and burning woodland the size of 530 soccer fields. President Yoon Suk Yeol designated Gangneung a special disaster zone on April 12 after the eastern coastal city was ravaged. According to the Korea Forest Service, 441 forest fires have occurred nationwide this

Social AffairsApril 18, 2023

[Graphic News] Smartphone sales slide

Sales of smartphones in South Korea fell 6 percent last year from a year earlier, industry data showed. Samsung Electronics, the world’s leading smartphone maker, saw its smartphone sales decline 2 percent on-year in its home country in 2022, while sales of Apple’s iPhone inched down 0.4 percent from a year ago, market analyst firm Counterpoint Research said. Sales of others tumbled 71 percent on-year last year due to a base effect stemming from LG Electronics’ exit from the mo

ConsumerApril 17, 2023

[Graphic News] Gold bar sales at all-time high

　Investors are buying more gold as prices rise to an all-time high. 　According to the banking industry, gold bars sold at KB Kookmin, Hana, Woori and NH Nonghyup from April 3-6 stood at 2.49 billion won ($1.89 million). 　Gold bar sales at the four major banks increased from 1.98 billion won in January to 3.29 billion won in February and 3.95 billion won in March. 　Gold prices have risen as investors kept an eye on safe assets due to instability in global financial markets.

MarketApril 14, 2023

[Graphic News] Russia’s murder rate rises for first time in 20 years

　The rates of murder and attempted murder in Russia increased last year for the first time in 20 years in what some analysts suggest is a knock-on effect of the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant. 　The number of murders and attempted murder cases in Russia in 2022 was 7,628, up 4 percent from 7,332 in the previous year. 　The data showed a significant rise in murder rates in the Russian regions that border Ukraine. 　The number of c

World NewsApril 13, 2023

[Graphic News] Nearly 70% of Americans are ‘afraid’ of self-driving cars: survey

Despite recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, Americans are growing increasingly wary of the safety of self-driving cars. AAA released the results of its annual automated vehicle survey, finding that nearly 70 percent of respondents were afraid of self-driving cars, while less than 10 percent fully trusted them. These numbers represent a significant shift from last year’s survey results, with the number of respondents fearful of self-driving cars spiking by 13 percentage po

World NewsApril 12, 2023