[Graphic News] S. Korea‘s seaport cargo up 8.1% in Q3 amid global rebound

　Cargo processed at South Korean seaports advanced 8.1 percent in the third quarter of this year as trade gained traction amid the global economic recovery from the pandemic, the Oceans Ministry said. 　Cargo handled at the country’s ports came to 393.03 million tons during the July-September period, up from 363.53 million tons a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. 　Handling of export-import cargo surged 8.6 percent on-year to 338.85 million tons

BusinessNov. 10, 2021

[Graphic News] 93.7% of S. Koreans consider climate crisis ‘serious’: survey

　Nearly 94 percent of South Koreans consider the climate crisis “serious,” but only half believe the issue is connected to human rights, a survey showed. 　According to the survey of 1,500 people commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission, 80.4 percent responded that they are interested in the climate crisis issue. 　Asked how serious the crisis is, 93.7 percent said “serious,” while 79.8 percent said climate change seriously affects people’s lives, acco

NationalNov. 9, 2021

[Graphic News] Online drug transactions on rise amid spread of COVID-19, internet

　Online drug trafficking spiked last year, data showed, likely due to the continued spread of the internet and COVID-19. 　The data from the National Police Agency said 2,608 people were detained last year for trading drugs online. The corresponding figures stood at 1,120 in 2016, 1,100 in 2017, 1,516 in 2018 and 2,109 in 2019. In all, the number of drug offenders detained by police soared 133 percent in the four years between 2016 and 2019. 　The total number of drug offenders also increased b

NationalNov. 8, 2021

[Graphic News] More than half of Afghans face ‘acute’ food crisis

　More than 22 million Afghans will suffer “acute food insecurity” this winter, UN agencies said, warning the already unstable country faces one of the world‘s worst humanitarian crises. 　The crisis is already bigger in scale than that facing Yemen or Syria, and worse than any food insecurity emergency apart from the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said. 　According to the statement issued by the World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, one in t

World NewsNov. 5, 2021

[Graphic News] Non-regular workers rise to over 38% of total amid pandemic

　The proportion of temporary workers in South Korea rose to over 38 percent of all salaried workers in August in the wake of the fallout from the pandemic, data showed. 　The number of non-regular workers, including part-timers and outsourced laborers, came to 8.07 million as of August, up 640,000, or 8.6 percent, from the previous year, according to the data by Statistics Korea. 　They accounted for 38.4 percent of the country‘s 20.99 million salaried workers. The percentage was up from

NationalNov. 4, 2021

[Graphic News] Online sex crimes targeting teenagers surge elevenfold over past 3 years

　More than 1,200 teenagers have fallen victim to online sex crimes so far this year, an 11-fold jump from 2018, government data showed.  　The number of teenage victims rose sharply from 111 in 2018 to 1,268 this year, according to the Gender Ministry data released by Rep. Yang Kum-hee of the main opposition People Power Party. The ministry tallied the number based on data from the state-run Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea. 　Digital sex crime victims totaled 14,070 between A

NationalNov. 3, 2021

[Graphic News] Internet banking users reach record high in H1

　South Korea's internet banking services continued to grow in the first half of the year, with the number of users and daily transactions rising to new highs, central bank data showed. 　The number of internet banking users, including mobile banking, came to 186.5 million as of end-June, up 5.6 percent from six months earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. 　The figure is the simple sum of all registered users of 18 internet and mobile banking service providers in the country,

BusinessNov. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] Exports of seaweed robust amid popularity of Korean culture

　South Korean exports of seaweed products moved up 13 percent on-year over the first nine months of 2021, data showed, on the back of the growing popularity of Korean culture abroad. 　Outbound shipments of seaweed products came to $507 million in the January-September period, compared to the $448 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. 　The amount marked a sharp rise from just $100 million posted for all of 2010, the ministry sa

BusinessNov. 1, 2021

[Graphic News] Portion of ranking female public officials hits high of nearly 10%

　The portion of high-level female public officials has reached a record-high level of nearly 10 percent this year, a government report showed. 　According to the 2021 report released by the Ministry of Personnel Management, the ratio of women among ranking civil servants at the central government’s ministries and agencies stood at 9.3 percent as of the first half of this year. 　The number marks yet another record high after the corresponding ratio hit 8.5 percent, or 132 women, for 2020

NationalOct. 29, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung ranks No. 1 on Forbes World’s Best Employers list

　Samsung Electronics topped the World’s Best Employers list for the second straight year, according to US business magazine Forbes. 　American tech giant IBM ranked second, followed by Microsoft, Amazon and Apple. 　South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific and LG came in 31st and 43rd, respectively. 　Forbes announced the rankings after surveying 150,000 full-time and part-time workers from 58 countries working for multinational companies and institutions.

World BusinessOct. 28, 2021

[Graphic News] 3 in 4 Koreans support shift to ‘living with COVID-19’: poll

Three-quarters of South Koreans agree with the need to shift to the “living with COVID-19” scheme, according to a recent poll, as the government is moving to phase out coronavirus restrictions under the new policy next month. According to the survey conducted early this month with 1,083 people aged 19 to 69, 76.5 percent expressed support for the government‘s planned transition to coexistence with the coronavirus. In a similar poll carried out in August, only 56.9 percent wer

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

[Graphic News] Car accidents involving unlicensed teenagers up 34%: data

Car accidents involving unlicensed teenagers soared by 34 percent between 2018 and 2020, road traffic data showed. According to a Korea Road Traffic Authority report submitted to Rep. Kang Deuk-gu of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, teenagers were in 833 accidents last year while driving without a license, a sharp jump from 618 and 689 accidents in 2018 and 2019, respectively. More than 3,100 people suffered injuries and 63 died in the total 2,140 accidents involving unlicensed teenagers

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2021

[Graphic News] US says ivory-billed woodpecker, 22 other species extinct

　Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The US government declared them extinct. 　It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say they’ve exhausted to find these 23. And they warn climate change, on top of other pressures, could make such disappearances more common as a warming planet adds to the dangers facing imperiled plants and wildlif

WorldOct. 22, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea accounts for one-third of global EV battery market in Jan.-Aug. period

Three South Korean electric vehicle battery makers accounted for about a third of the global market in the first eight months of the year, but they are facing toughening competition with Chinese rivals, a market research firm said. The trio - LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation - accounted for 34.8 percent of the global EV battery market in the January-August period, inching down from 35 percent a year ago, according to the data from SNE Research. LG Energy Solution, which supp

World BusinessOct. 21, 2021

[Graphic News] Cancer remains leading cause of death in S. Korea

Cancer remained the top cause of death in South Korea, with the number of deaths hitting a record high last year, a government report showed. In 2020, 304,948 deaths were reported in South Korea, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest annual number since Statistics Korea began compiling such data in 1983. The statistics agency said 593.9 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year. It also said 160.1 per 100,000 people died of cancer last year. Cancer has be

NationalOct. 20, 2021

[Graphic News] 16.5% of S. Korea’s population aged 65 and older in 2021: report

People aged 65 and older made up 16.5 percent of South Korea’s population this year, a report showed, highlighting concerns that the fast-aging demographic transition could pose a drag on the country’s economy. According to the report by Statistics Korea, the number of people aged 65 and older stood at 8.53 million this year. The South Korean population is projected to peak in 2028 before going on a downward curve, the report showed. However, the graying of South Korea will acce

Social AffairsOct. 19, 2021

[Graphic News] Seoul ranks No. 16 in 2021 global startup ecosystem report

Seoul has the 16th-best startup ecosystem among cities around the world, an annual report by a San Francisco-based research firm showed. According to Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2021, South Korea’s capital ranked No. 16 on the list of 280 cities across 100 countries in terms of the competitiveness of its startup ecosystem, up four spots from last year. Seoul first appeared on the list in 2017 and entered the top 20 last year. San Francisco’s Silicon Val

World BusinessOct. 18, 2021

[Graphic News] Number of foreign home rental business operators nears 2,400

　Nearly 2,400 foreign nationals are engaging in the home rental business in South Korea, with Chinese nationals accounting for more than one-third of the total, government data showed. 　The number of foreign home rental business operators in Asia’s fourth-largest economy stood at 2,394 as of the end of June last year, according to the data from the Land Ministry. 　There were 885 Chinese housing rental business owners here, making up 37 percent of the total. Americans came next at 702.

NationalOct. 14, 2021

[Graphic News] Over 42% of people in their 30s unmarried in 2020

More than 42 percent of 30-somethings in South Korea remained unmarried last year, census data showed, underscoring the trend in which many young people delay or give up on marriage, amid a prolonged economic slowdown. Out of 13.7 million single people aged 15 and older, 2.82 million people were in their 30s last year, up from 2.68 million five years prior, according to the 2020 census by Statistics Korea. The percentage of unmarried people in their 30s reached 42.5 percent last year, up 6.2 p

NationalOct. 13, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea top Asian country in global innovation rankings

　South Korea has clinched the top spot in Asia in a United Nations agency’s global innovation rankings, coming in fifth globally. 　In the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2021, Korea was ahead of Singapore, Japan and China. It was behind Switzerland, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. 　Korea, Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, was in 10th place last year. (Yonhap)

WorldOct. 12, 2021