[Graphic News] S. Korea's rice consumption hits another low in 2021

　South Koreans’ consumption of rice hit an all-time low in 2021, but the decreasing rate slowed on the back of a growing demand for home meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed.  　The average South Korean consumed 56.9 kilograms of rice last year, down 1.4 percent or 0.8 kilograms from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline since 1980 due mainly to changes

NationalFeb. 10, 2022

[Graphic News] S. Korean performing arts scene sees revenue jump nearly 80% in 2021

　The local performing arts scene saw its revenue soar nearly 80 percent in 2021 from a year earlier, thanks to eased social distancing rules and a rising vaccination rate, data showed. 　The combined revenue of 12,000 theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 307.1 billion won ($258.1 million) last year, according to the data by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System. 　The 2021 amount marked a 78.4 percent on-year surge from 172.1 billion wo

NationalFeb. 9, 2022

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 9th in defense technologies

　South Korea’s defense technologies were assessed to be the world’s ninth most advanced as of last year, a triennial government report showed, noting progress in artillery, submarines and other sectors. 　According to the report by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement, South Korea ranked ninth among 16 countries, compared with the previous report in which the country tied with Italy for ninth place in 2018. 　The institute has published the re

WorldFeb. 8, 2022

[Graphic News] Lottery sales hit all-time high in 2021 amid COVID-19 pandemic

　Lottery sales in South Korea rose 10.3 percent on-year to reach an all-time high last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. 　Sales of lottery tickets stood at 5.98 trillion won ($5.02 billion) in 2021, compared to 5.42 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from the Finance Ministry. 　The figure has been rising in recent years from 4.15 trillion won in 2017 to 4.38 trillion won in 2018 and further to 4.79 trillion won in 2019, the data showed. 　By type, sales of onlin

NationalFeb. 7, 2022

[Graphic News] Athletes to watch at Beijing Olympics

　The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics officially begin today.  　It‘s the second Olympics to take place under strict COVID-19 restrictions, as the global pandemic enters its third year. 　South Korea has sent 64 athletes competing in six sports and set a modest goal of winning one or two gold medals and finishing around the top 15 in the medal race.  　Short track champion Choi Min-jeong, skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin and snowboarder Lee Sang-ho are contenders to vie for the spotligh

SportsFeb. 4, 2022

[Graphic News] Air traffic up 11% last year but still below level before pandemic

　South Korea’s air traffic rose nearly 11 percent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the pandemic, data showed. 　Over 465,000 domestic and international flights flew over South Korea last year, up 10.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. 　Air traffic in the country had gradually increased in recent years from around 739,000 in 2016 to 842,000 in 2019 before dipping

NationalFeb. 3, 2022

[Graphic News] Poll finds 9 in 10 Koreans feeling climate change firsthand

　Nine out of 10 South Koreans feel climate change firsthand and are willing to accept any inconvenience caused by policies to solve the problem, a poll showed. 　According to the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide by a civic group, 89.2 percent answered that they actually feel the effects of the climate crisis and 88.5 percent expressed a willingness to accept the inconvenience of policies introduced to address the crisis. 　The poll was conducted by pollster Research View from Dec. 14-18 at the r

NationalJan. 28, 2022

[Graphic News] China's birth rate at record low in 2021: official

　China's birth rate plummeted to a record low last year, official data showed, as analysts warn that faster-than-expected aging could deepen economic growth concerns. 　Beijing has been grappling with a looming demographic crisis as it faces a rapidly aging workforce, slowing economy and the country's weakest population growth in decades. 　The birth rate of the world’s second-biggest economy slipped to 7.52 births per 1,000 people, according to National Bureau of Statistics data, down fr

WorldJan. 27, 2022

[Graphic News] S. Korea‘s kimchi exports hit new high in 2021

　South Korea’s exports of kimchi hit an all-time high last year thanks to its growing popularity, data showed. 　Outbound shipments of the spicy Korean traditional side dish came to a record $159.9 million in 2021, resulting in a trade surplus of $19.2 million in the sector, according to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 　It is the first time in 12 years that South Korea registered a surplus in the kimchi trade. 　Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish

BusinessJan. 26, 2022

[Graphic News] Two-fifths of self-employed mullbusiness closure amid pandemic

　Four out of 10 self-employed people in South Korea are considering closing their businesses due to sluggish sales amid the long-enforced strict social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed. 　According to the survey of 500 people operating restaurants, retail and other service businesses by the Federation of Korean Industries, a major business lobby group, 40.8 percent said that they are considering discontinuing their operations. 　Of them, 28.2 percent cited decli

NationalJan. 25, 2022

[Graphic News] FDI in free economic zones up 43% in 2021: data

　Foreign direct investment pledged to South Korea's free economic zones surged 42.8 percent in 2021, led by the overseas investment in bio and other new industry sectors, data showed. 　The country’s nine FEZs received $1.31 billion worth of FDI commitment last year, up from $910 million a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. 　It is the first time in three years that the figure marked an on-year growth. 　The amount of foreign direct

BusinessJan. 24, 2022

[Graphic News] Americans reading fewer books than in previous years: Gallup poll

Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, according to a new Gallup poll released. 　That represents the lowest number of books read compared to any previous survey dating back to 1990, Gallup said. In three polls conducted between 2002 and 2016, Gallup surveys showed that Americans read an average of 15.2 books per year. 　The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 poll of a random sample of 811 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The participants were

WorldJan. 21, 2022

[Graphic News] By the numbers: Stats that tell the story of Biden's first year

　 By some counts, President Joe Biden can lay claim to a banner first year in office. But the numbers also reveal plenty of setbacks.  　Most Americans got their COVID-19 vaccines, but other countries fared better. Economic growth surged; so did inflation. America exited Afghanistan, but the war ended with a chaotic evacuation and a suicide bombing that killed 13 US troops. Pandemic aid and infrastructure bills passed. Pricey legislation to advance Biden’s social and climate proposal

WorldJan. 20, 2022

[Graphic News] Seoulites pick infectious diseases as most dangerous health hazard: survey

　People in Seoul picked infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the most dangerous health hazard they face, followed by fine dust and climate change, a survey showed. 　Infectious diseases topped the list of dangerous health and environmental factors with 4.21 points on a 5-point scale in an online survey of 1,000 Seoul residents and 321 experts on public health and the environment, according to the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. 　Fine dust came in second at 4.02

NationalJan. 19, 2022

[Graphic News] South Korean artists’ activities nearly halved in 2021

　South Korean artists released an average 3.8 artistic works to the public in 2021, a sharp drop from 7.8 pieces in 2018, attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, a government survey showed. 　According to the Culture Ministry’s triennial survey on 5,000 people in the art industry, the classical music scene was the busiest in 2021 out of 14 art sectors, with 6.4 public works released on average, followed by 5.8 pieces by Korean traditional musicians and 4.7 shows from the entertainment indu

NationalJan. 18, 2022

[Graphic News] Shopping on social media seen hitting $1.2tr by 2025

　Shopping on social media such as Facebook, TikTok and WeChat is going to grow three times faster than sales from traditional channels over the next three years, according to a study released by Accenture. 　Social commerce, defined as transactions that take place entirely within the context of a social-media platform, will reach $1.2 trillion by 2025, up from $492 billion in 2021, the consulting company said in the report. The trend is being driven primarily by Gen Z and millennial consumers,

World BusinessJan. 17, 2022

[Graphic News] S. Korean webtoon market jumps to top W1tr in sales

　The South Korean webtoon industry saw its combined sales top 1 trillion won ($843.6 million) for the first time in 2020, government data showed. 　The total sales of the local web-based comic market amounted to 1.05 trillion won in 2020, up 64.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Culture Ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency. 　It is the first time that the annual industrywide sales surpassed the 1 trillion-won threshold since 2017, when the ministry started to

BusinessJan. 14, 2022

[Graphic News] 7 out of 10 S. Koreans see China as biggest threat: poll

　Seven out of 10 South Koreans chose China as the biggest security threat to their country among the neighbors, excluding North Korea, a survey showed.  　According to a survey by the state-run Korea Institute of National Unification on 1,006 adults, 71.8 percent of the respondents picked China as the biggest threat to the nation, followed by Japan with 21.1 percent and the United States with 6.3 percent. 　The institute said China‘s “coercive and disrespectful attitude”

NationalJan. 13, 2022

[Graphic News] Number of workers taking parental leave up 3.7%

　The number of South Korean workers who took time off to take care of their children rose 3.7 percent in 2020 from a year earlier amid more government support for parental leave, government data showed. 　A total of 169,345 workers took parental leave to take care of their children in 2020, up 6,089 from the previous year, according to the preliminary data from Statistics Korea. 　The figure was approximately 2.3 times the number 10 years earlier.  　Women accounted for 77.3 percent of the

NationalJan. 12, 2022

[Graphic News] S. Korea‘s e-commerce imports hit new high amid pandemic

　South Korea’s imports via e-commerce reached a new all-time high in 2021 as more people purchased foreign goods online, government data showed. 　The country’s e-commerce imports stood at $4.15 billion in the first 11 months of last year, up 25.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. 　The amount for the 11-month period surpasses the full-year figure for 2020. 　The number of e-commerce transactions came to 79 million during the period,

BusinessJan. 11, 2022