SEJONG -- President Moon Jae-in has lost popularity in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, as well as in the country’s southeastern Yeongnam area, seemingly due to fury over the government’s real estate policies. According to a poll conducted in the fourth week of July by Gallup Korea, 1 out of 2 residents of Seoul and the surrounding areas responded that Moon was “not doing well.” The survey showed that 50 percent of the respondents in Seoul and 52 p

Politics July 30, 2020

SEJONG -- The number of people residing alone has continued to increase in South Korea over the past few years, with the figure rising by 1.6 million in just five years. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of single-person households came to 8.76 million as of June. They made up 38.4 percent of the total 22.79 million households nationwide. The growth pace is noteworthy, compared to five years earlier in June 2015, when the tally and percentage of single households ma

Social Affairs July 27, 2020

SEJONG -- The number of national pension recipients has reached a historic high, while the tally of subscribers paying monthly premiums has fallen. The situation is aggravating worries and discontent among ordinary citizens over policies of the government and the state-run pension operator. According to data from the National Pension Service, the number of state pension policyholders fell from 22.31 million at the end of 2018 to 22.21 million at the end of 2019. Further, the figure declined

Social Affairs July 21, 2020

SEJONG -- The female population overtook the male population five years ago in South Korea. The turning point was June 2015, when the gender ratio fell to 99.9 -- the first time in history it had dropped below 100 since the nation began compiling relevant data. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, women outnumbered men by 131,534 as of June 2020. The sex ratio, or the number of men per 100 women, posted an all-time low of 99.49 last month. Seoul recorded the lowest ratio of males

Social Affairs July 19, 2020

SEJONG -- Opponents of the Moon Jae-in administration’s real estate policy have outnumbered its supporters for the past 2 1/2 years, a poll showed. According to Gallup Korea, opposition to the administration’s real estate policy overtook support in January 2018, within months of President Moon taking office in May 2017. In January 2018, the gap between the two sides was 10 percentage points, with 24 percent looking favorably on the policy vs. 34 percent unhappy with it. Based on

Politics July 16, 2020

Korea Water Resources Corp., also called K-Water, has unveiled its road map to take the initiative on the global stage by fostering an eco-oriented paradigm as well as innovative digitalization in water quality management. At its headquarters in Daejeon on Wednesday, K-Water CEO Park Jae-hyeon declared the vision to become the “world’s best water-related comprehensive platform company.” The vision comprises the public company’s pledges toward water management innovatio

Social Affairs July 15, 2020

SEJONG -- Relative to all salaried workers in South Korea, the percentage of temporary workers increased 3.2 percentage points in just one year -- from 21.2 percent in 2018 to 24.4 percent in 2019, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed. As a result, in 2019 Korea was fourth on the list of OECD countries with the highest percentage of temporary workers -- up from No. 7 a year earlier. Only 34 of the OECD’s 37 members were included in the comparison. O

Social Affairs July 14, 2020

SEJONG -- The tally of unemployed or underemployed young people in South Korea has reached a historic high in the wake of the novel coronavirus. According to the Supplementary Index III for Employment, the number of de facto jobless (unemployed or underemployed) Koreans aged between 15 and 29 came to 1.28 million as of May. This marked the highest number since the nation began compiling the monthly data in January 2015. They made up 26.3 percent of the 4.89 million economically active people

Social Affairs July 12, 2020

SEJONG -- The V-shape rebound in gasoline prices in the local market is emerging as a factor that could restrict the recovery of the sagging economy. Gasoline prices have bounced back rapidly in South Korea over the past two months, in keeping with the normalization of international crude prices. As of July 8, gasoline prices reached 1,359.67 won ($1.16) per liter, which is the highest since 1,362.90 won on April 6. The prices -- which dipped to 1,247.53 won on May 15 amid the COVID-19 pande

Economy July 9, 2020

SEJONG -- The percentage of South Koreans aged 50 or over topped the 40 percent mark for the first time last month. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of those aged 50 or more reached 20.78 million as of June. This made up 40.09 percent of the entire population, up from 28.6 percent of the population in June 2010. The tally for those aged 50 or over first rose past 20 million in 2019. Those in their 50s topped accounted for the largest group in the June 2020 populat

Social Affairs July 7, 2020

SEJONG -- An eye-catching issue in the nation’s economy is whether the growth of gross domestic product will bounce back in the second half of the year after touching a bottom in the first half. While GDP growth was minus 1.3 percent in the first quarter, compared to the previous quarter, there is a possibility that the coming figure for the second quarter (April-June) will also post negative growth or dip further. Exports fell by 11.2 percent in the first half, on an on-year basis. For

Market July 5, 2020

SEJONG -- The population of Sejong declined last month, which marked the first time in eight years since the administrative city was established as one of the eight major cities in South Korea in July 2012. According to data held by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, Sejong posted 345,341 registered residents as of June, down 32 compared to a month earlier. Though the diminution may be imperceptible, the city’s demographic changes for this year suggested the possibility that its popul

Social Affairs July 2, 2020

SEJONG -- The next presidential election will be conducted in about 20 months, under which South Korea is to see the president-elect in March 2022. While President Moon Jae-in finishes his term at midnight May 9, 2022, the new presidential transition committee -- being formed after the scheduled March 9 election in the year -- will carry out preparation activities during Moon’s final weeks in office. A viewpoint for the coming 20th president of Korea is whether the majority of vote

Politics June 30, 2020