South Korea is making progress in reducing the gap between rich and poor through its policies on social spending, tax and labor rights, aid agency Oxfam said in a report.  　Oxfam and Development Finance International Group, a nonprofit research group, issued a survey ranking 157 countries in the three policy areas deemed critical to reducing inequality, based on data available as of the end of 2017.　Korea, Indonesia and Georgia were hailed for taking positive steps, while the governments of Nig

World Dec. 3, 2018

　A United Nations report said global efforts to reduce the effects of climate change are way off track, with global carbon dioxide emissions rising again in 2017. 　　China ranks top with annual carbon dioxide emissions at 12.3 million metric tons.　US emissions remain a source of debate, as the second-largest global polluter recently withdrew from the Paris Agreement despite current figures stating an output of 6.3 million tons per year. 　According to figures unadjusted for population size, the to

World Dec. 2, 2018

　Japan’s rich have the largest accumulation of wealth in the Asia-Pacific region at $7.7 trillion, but Chinese millionaires are catching up.　The pool of wealth held by China’s high-net-worth individuals grew by more than 144 percent between 2010 and 2017, reaching $6.5 trillion, according to the latest Asia-Pacific Wealth Report by consulting firm Capgemini. The corresponding rate of growth in Japan over the same period was about 87 percent.　More recently, India’s millionaires have been picking

World Nov. 29, 2018

　Singapore was voted the best place in the world for expats to live and work for a fourth straight year, beating New Zealand, Germany and Canada, according to HSBC’s annual Expat Explorer.　Australia ranked sixth, a notch lower than last year. Switzerland ranked eighth, considering the high cost of raising children and the difficulty of making friends.　Over 27,000 expats in 159 countries responded to this year’s survey, which included 27 questions in three categories: economics, experience and fa

World News Nov. 28, 2018

　More than half of the women murdered worldwide last year were killed by their partners or family members, making home “the most dangerous place for a woman,” a new UN study said.　In statistics released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calculated that out of a total of 87,000 female homicide cases worldwide in 2017, some 50,000 - or 58 percent - were committed by the victims’ intimate partners or family members.

World News Nov. 27, 2018

　The number of marriages between South Korean nationals and foreign nationals inched up last year, ending six consecutive years of decline, government data showed.　There were 21,917 international marriages last year, up 1 percent, or 208, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Those marriages accounted for 8.3 percent of the country’s 264,455 marriages in the same year, up from 7.7 percent tallied in the previous year.　The number of cross-cultural marriages had been on

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2018

　Mobile payments at Korean convenience stores have more than doubled this year due to greater use of smartphones and the expansion of mobile payment services, a market player said.　South Korea’s top convenience store chain CU said the number of “easy mobile payments” at its outlets soared 121.5 percent on-year in the first 10 months of the year.　Convenience store chain operators in Asia’s fourth-largest economy adopted the easy mobile payment system in 2011, but the service only started to take

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2018

　Denmark's capital Copenhagen has been chosen as the world's No. 1 city to visit in 2019, according to travel publisher Lonely Planet.　The Best in Travel report, now in its 14th year, is based on the nominations of editors, researchers, locals and influencers, whose selections are then ranked by a panel of judges.　The "Silicon Valley of China" Shenzhen has been ranked No. 2 on the list followed by Serbia's Novi Sad, Miami and Kathmandu.

World News Nov. 22, 2018

　Global wine production rose 13 percent this year after a catastrophic 2017 marked by heat waves, early frost and hailstorms, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said.　The OIV estimated production at 279 million hectoliters this year, calling it one of the highest yields since 2000.　Following a congress in Punta del Este in Uruguay, the OIV said Italy was the world's top producer with 48.5 million hectoliters, followed by France with 46.4 million and Spain with 40.9 million.　Th

World Nov. 21, 2018

　The Asian Development Bank projected that India would see the highest gross domestic product growth rate in Asia in 2018 at 7.3 percent, though this is lower than the nation's growth rate of 6.7 percent in 2017. 　Vietnam and Bhutan are forecast to see the second-highest GDP growth rate in Asia at 7.1 percent. The former's growing workforce has been instrumental to its growth, boosted by export expansion, rising domestic consumption, strong investments, and a strengthening agriculture sector. Bh

World Business Nov. 20, 2018

　More than 40,000 South Koreans fell prey to crime or traffic accidents overseas between 2013 and 2017 and the number of victims has increased every year, said a lawmaker citing a National Police Agency report.　The report, submitted by the agency to Rep. Kim Young-woo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, showed that 41,035 Koreans had become victims of crime or traffic accidents while overseas during those years. 　The number of Koreans affected by crime or traffic accidents abroad rose fr

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2018

　After launching the world's longest flight route this year and introducing some of the most advanced aircraft into its fleet, Singapore Airlines has been lauded as the world’s best airline for 2019.　The editors at AirlineRatings.com recently announced their picks for their annual Airline Excellence Awards, and Singapore Airlines got the top honor. The launch of a nonstop flight from Singapore to New York City played a part. 　It was the first time at the top of the list for the Asian carrier, wh

World Nov. 18, 2018

　Southeast Asia has emerged as the most popular tourist destination for South Koreans planning on overseas trips in December, a leading travel agency said.　Hana Tour, the largest travel agency in South Korea, said that as of Wednesday, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations accounted for slightly over 54 percent of all reservations for overseas travel in the coming month.　The portion is up sharply from 34.1 percent for December last year. Japan followed with 18 percent, trailed by 12.8 percen

Travel Nov. 15, 2018

　The ratio of South Korea's unredeemed student loans rose in 2017 for the first time amid the country's unstable job market, government data showed.　According to data from the National Tax Service, 14.5 billion won ($12.8 million) in student loans that should be repaid after borrowers' employment was not paid back last year, accounting for 8.1 percent of the total of such loans, tallied at 179.4 billion won.　The ratio was up from 7.3 percent the previous year, marking the first on-year increase

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2018

　Despite declining in recent years, the suicide rate in South Korea remains the highest among developed nations, according to statistics. 　An analysis of health data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service, showed that as of 2016, 25.8 out of 100,000 South Koreans had taken their own lives. The number is the highest among member countries of the OECD, whose average suicide rate was 1

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2018