The number of drug smuggling cases in South Korea over the past five years exceeded 2,300, data from the Korea Customs Service showed.　A total of 2,337 instances of drug smuggling were discovered here from 2015 to July this year, resulting in the seizure of illegal drugs with a total street value of 1.43 trillion won ($1.2 billion), according to the customs data released by Rep. Shim Jae-cheol of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.　The number of drug smuggling attempts to come to the atten

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2019

　Six in 10 South Koreans support a proposal to delay the legal retirement age to 65 from the current 60, a poll showed.　The poll of 1,539 adults aged 19 to 64 conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration from Sept. 2-11 found that 61.1 percent were in favor of delaying the retirement age. Only 19.6 percent opposed the proposal, while another 19.3 percent said they had no opinion.　Of those who favored a later retirement age, 61.2 percent said 65 was the most appropriate age, followed

Social Affairs Oct. 1, 2019

　The number of violations of rights cases involving soldiers has been on a steady increase over the past five years, according to government data.　A total of 253 complaints were filed by service personnel with the National Human Rights Commission last year, up from 153 in 2015 and 199 in 2016, though down from 278 in 2017, showed data compiled by the commission and released by Rep. Choi Jae-sung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.　As of end-July, 367 such cases had been reported for 2019, i

Defense Sept. 30, 2019

　The number of South Korean nationals living overseas rose slightly last year from two years earlier, largely led by increases in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, a biennial report by the Foreign Ministry showed.　The figure stood at 7.49 million at the end of 2018, up 0.85 percent, or 62,899, from the 7.43 million tallied at the end of 2016, according to the report on Koreans living in 180 countries. That compares with a 3.42 percent gain in 2016 and a 2.45 percent increase in 2014.　Of the to

Social Affairs Sept. 29, 2019

　Nearly 90 percent of the counterfeit goods found by customs authorities in the last five years were from China, with Louis Vuitton  the biggest victim among reputable brands, data showed. 　The value of imported fake goods uncovered between 2015 and August this year amounted to 1.86 trillion won ($1.55 billion), with 89 percent, or 1.65 trillion won, from China, according to data from the Korea Customs Service obtained by Rep. Hong Il-pyo.　Louis Vuitton was on top among counterfeited brands

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2019

　South Korea confirmed its fifth case of African swine fever on Tuesday, even as 15,000 pigs have been culled since the first case was reported on Sept 17. 　The ASF epidemic has led to millions of pigs being culled since last year in Asia. 　In May, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization said pork prices had risen by up to 50 percent both in China and on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a result of the outbreak of ASF which was first detected in Asia in August last year.　Last month, it said

World News Sept. 25, 2019

　The number of drug offenders in South Korea has been increasing gradually, data showed. 　According to data obtained from the National Police Agency by Rep. Kim Young-ho for a parliamentary inspection, 40,182 people were arrested for drug offences between 2015 and the first half of this year. 　This consisted of 7,302 arrested in 2015, 8,853 in 2016, 8,887 in 2017, 8,107 last year and 7,033 in the first half of this year. (Yonhap)

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2019

　When people think about the inter-Korean DMZ, North Korea comes to mind first, according to a survey. 　Of the 500 South Koreans, 150 Chinese and 150 German respondents, 7.5 percent of respondents replied “North Korea” when asked what first comes to mind in relation to the 4-kilometer-wide area that separates the two Koreas. 　The “truce line” came next with 6.8 percent, followed by “inter-Korean division,” “mines” and “peace.” The surve

North Korea Sept. 23, 2019

　Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group last week attacked two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in a strike that could impact about 5 million barrels per day of crude production - close to half of the kingdom’s output, or 5 percent of global oil supply.    　The Saudis are the world‘s biggest oil exporters, sending more than 7 million barrels of crude to numerous destinations around the globe every day - equal to nearly one-third of exports by t

World Business Sept. 22, 2019

　South Korean imports of Japanese beer slumped almost to zero last month in the face of a consumer boycott sparked by a bitter trade and historical dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, data showed.　Japanese companies shipped $223,000 worth of beer to South Korea in August, figures from the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute showed - down 97 percent from $7.57 million last year.　Before the trade spat Japanese beer had long been South Koreans' favorite alternative to their country’s own

Business Sept. 19, 2019

　Drones attacked the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and a major oilfield operated by Saudi Aramco last weekend. 　　Aramco is the biggest energy company in the world. It produces and exports more than 9.5 million barrels of Saudi Arabia’s oil per day to consumers around the world, primarily in Asia. 

World Business Sept. 18, 2019

　North Korea is the world’s second-most censored country, an international press freedom group said in a recent report, calling Pyongyang’s media a state “mouthpiece.”　Access to the internet is restricted to the political elite, with some schools and state institutions having access to a tightly controlled intranet, according to the report. The African country of Eritrea topped the list. 　The evaluation was based on a number of benchmarks, including the absence of private

World News Sept. 17, 2019

　South Korean individuals and corporations held a combined 61.5 trillion won ($51.5 billion) worth of wealth in overseas accounts this year, down 7.4 percent from a year earlier, the country’s tax agency said.　The National Tax Service said 696 corporate entities held 55.1 trillion won in June, compared with 551 companies with 59.5 trillion won in overseas accounts a year earlier.　The corporations held the largest amount, 14.81 trillion won, in their accounts in Japan, with their accounts i

Market Sept. 16, 2019

　South Korea’s capital Seoul has ranked as the world’s ninth safest city, according to a recent report.　Tokyo took the No. 1 spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking for the third time running, while Singapore and Osaka maintained their respective footholds in second and third. 　The index ranks 60 cities across five continents, examining digital, health, infrastructure and personal security factors to assess overall urban safety. (Bloomberg)

World News Sept. 15, 2019

　Bangkok was the world’s most-visited city in 2018 for the fourth consecutive year, ahead of Paris and London, according to a ranking compiled by Mastercard.　Thailand’s capital hosted more than 22 million international overnight travelers, Mastercard’s latest Global Destination Cities Index shows. 　Seoul ranked No. 11 with 11.25 million visitors.　Rankings are based on the number of overnight visitors. The average Bangkok stay was 4.8 nights. (Bloomberg)

Travel Sept. 11, 2019