The annual number of passengers using ferries between South Korea‘s western port of Incheon and 10 Chinese cities has surpassed 1million this year for the first time in eight years, port authorities here said. 　According to the Incheon Port Authority, the figure was provisionally tallied at 1,003,030 from Jan. 1-Dec. 19. 　It’s the first time the annual figure crossed the 1 million threshold since 2011, when it recorded 1,043,230, the agency said. (Yonhap)

Industry Dec. 30, 2019

 　The hottest month, the fastest marathon, the wildest auction prices ... here is a look back at 10 new records in 2019.　1. Record temperatures　Temperatures in July 2019 were the hottest ever recorded globally at an average of 16.75 degrees Celsius for the planet, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced.　A heat wave in Europe the same month reset several record highs: 42.6 degrees for Paris, 41.5 degrees for Germany and 38.7 degrees in Britain.　2. Facebook fine　Face

World News Dec. 29, 2019

　The demand for luxury cars in South Korea increased sharply in 2019 from a year prior, data showed, despite the overall decrease in sales of imported cars here.　Sales of imported luxury cars with price tags of 300 million won ($258,000) or higher reached 360 units over the January-November period, posting threefold growth on-year, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association. (Yonhap)

Industry Dec. 26, 2019

　South Korea is the fourth-largest buyer of US weapons over the past 10 years, government data showed.　According to the global defense market yearbook published by South Korea’s Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the United States exported weapons worth $93.1 billion between 2009 and 2018 to the outside world. 　Of the total, South Korea bought $6.28 billion, standing at the fourth spot.　Saudi Arabia was the No. 1 customer by purchasing US arms worth $13.47 billion, followed by Aust

World News Dec. 25, 2019

The number of passengers handled this year by Jeju International Airport, the gateway to the resort iIsland, topped 30 million for the first time, data showed.A total of 30,057,300 passengers traveled through the airport until Dec. 16 this year, according to data released by the Korea Airports Corp.It is the first time for any of 14 airports in South Korea, excluding Incheon International Airport, to handle more than 30 million passengers a year. (Yonhap) 

Industry Dec. 24, 2019

　The number of people who own more than 10 homes in South Korea climbed to a new high last year, marking a turnaround from a slight drop the previous year, data showed.　As of end-2018, the number of people with 10 or more homes here came to 37,487, up 2.1 percent from 36,731 a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. (Yonhap)

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2019

　India leads the world in pollution-linked deaths followed by China and Nigeria, according to a report that estimated the global impact of contaminants in the air, water and workplace.　The report by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution found pollution to be the largest environmental cause of premature death on the planet, causing 15 percent of all deaths, amounting to some 8.3 million people.　Among the 10 countries with the most pollution deaths in 2017, the latest year for which data was

World News Dec. 22, 2019

　The former Portuguese colony of Macao on Friday marks the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule under the “one country, two systems” principle also in place in Hong Kong.　Macao owns some of the world’s largest casinos operated by multinational casino companies and is economically quite dependent on its gambling industry.　Macao, Asia’s most famous gambling hub, had 41 casinos and nearly 36 million tourists visited in 2018. (AFP)

World News Dec. 19, 2019

　Thirty-five conglomerates earned 1.28 trillion won ($1.07 billion) last year by selling brand licenses to their affiliates, South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said, amid concerns that such transactions may help owners of conglomerates pocket profits.　Brand commission fees earned by 35 conglomerates last year rose 11.5 percent on-year, the Fair Trade Commission said in a statement.　LG and SK topped the list by charging their affiliates 268.4 billion won and 233.2 billion won, respectively, l

Business Dec. 18, 2019

　North Korea’s crop production this year is estimated to have slightly increased from a year earlier on the back of relatively improved weather conditions, data showed.　The combined crop output of the communist nation is estimated to reach 4.64 million tons this year, compared to 4.55 million tons a year earlier, according to the Rural Development Administration.　The production of rice, a key staple food for Koreans, is estimated to have risen 1.8 percent over the period to reach 2.24 mill

North Korea Dec. 17, 2019

　The number of pay TV subscribers in South Korea reached 33 million in the first six months of the year - up 540,000, or 1.67 percent, from the second half of last year - data from the Ministry of Science and ICT showed.　The figure includes paid subscriptions to system operators, satellite broadcasting services and internet protocol television service providers.　Fixed-line and telecom operator KT had the largest market share, over 21.4 percent, with just under 7.1 million subscribers. SK Broadba

Business Dec. 16, 2019

　South Korea’s labor force is projected to decline 17 percent by 2040, a report showed, a development that could undermine the potential growth of Asia’s fourth-largest economy.　The report from the World Trade Organization showed that Korea’s labor force faces the steepest decline in the world between 2018 and 2040. The corresponding figure for both Japan and China, whose labor forces are also expected to contract, was 14 percent.　The report said the US labor force can be expec

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2019

　South Korean babies born in 2018 can be expected to live just over 82 years, government data showed, as a growing number of people are taking care of their health by receiving regular medical checkups and treatment.　Life expectancy at birth averaged 82.7 years in 2018 and remained unchanged from a year ago, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The figure represents a sharp hike from 62.3 years in 1970, when Korea began to compile relevant data.　Baby boys and girls born in 2018 we

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2019

　Beef imported from the United States increased significantly, accounting for over 50 percent of South Korea’s imported beef market this year, a trade promotion agency said.　Korea imported 209,034 tons of US beef in the January-October period, up 7.9 percent from 193,685 tons tallied during the same period a year earlier, according to data from the Korea International Trade Association. 　US beef made up more than 50 percent of all imported beef here for the first time since 2003, when Kore

Industry Dec. 11, 2019

　Almost 4 million South Koreans are subscribed to 5G mobile network as of October, with the number expected to breach the 5 million mark by the end of this year, government data showed.　The number of 5G users in the nation reached 3.98 million as of the end of October, adding 516,000 from a month ago, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT. (Yonhap)

Business Dec. 10, 2019