Eco-friendly cars accounted for one-third of all new vehicle purchases made here in the first nine months of 2023, government and industry data showed. According to data from the Transportation Ministry and the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, the rate of car purchasers who bought eco-friendly models, including hybrid and electric units, between January and September, stood at 32.1 percent of all new vehicle customers. It marked the first time for the portion of new eco-friendly model

Market Nov. 28, 2023

South Korea’s beer imports from China plunged more than 40 percent last month from a year earlier following the release of a viral video showing a man urinating into a tank at Tsingtao Brewery, the customs office said. The amount of beer imports from China fell 43 percent on-year to 2,281 metric tons in October, and the value of beer purchases from the neighboring country declined 38 percent to $1.93 million, according to the Korea Customs Service. The video released on Oct. 19 shows a uni

World Business Nov. 27, 2023

South Korea’s exports of beverages reached a record high during the first nine months of 2023 in line with the popularity of Korean food and the overall culture, the customs agency said. The export value of beverages, excluding alcoholic drinks and mineral water, amounted to $529 million during the January-September period, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. It is the highest level ever for a nine-month tally. Last year, the country lo

Market Nov. 24, 2023

The amount of drugs smuggled into South Korea through the country’s main gateway has risen since international travel increased following the lifting of pandemic travel restrictions, an opposition lawmaker said. The amount of narcotics smuggled into South Korea through Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, rose from 129,362 grams in 2020 to 538,241 grams in 2022, Rep. Maeng Sung-kyu of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. F

Social Affairs Nov. 23, 2023

Japan came in last in a global ranking of employee well-being, measured by assessing workers’ physical, mental, social and spiritual health, the results of a survey conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute showed. Employee well-being in Japan was at 25 percent in the poll of more than 30,000 workers across 30 countries, according to the study. Turkey ranked the highest at 78 percent, followed by India and China. South Korean employee well-being came in below the average at 48 percent to

World News Nov. 22, 2023

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group stands as the second-largest player in the US market for electric vehicles despite concerns surrounding Washington’s protectionism policy, data showed. Hyundai Motor took up 4.8 percent of the US EV market in the January-September period, with its smaller sister Kia accounting for 2.7 percent, according to US magazine Automotive News. Their combined market share came to 7.5 percent, taking up the second-largest slice of the US EV market following Tes

World Business Nov. 21, 2023

The number of non-wage workers, such as the self-employed, in South Korea rose 0.56 percent on-year in 2023, data showed. There were 6.72 million non-salaried workers as of August, up by 38,000 from the same period in 2022, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number accounts for 23.4 percent of all employed people in the country, down 0.1 percentage point over the cited period. Of the total non-wage workers, one-man operations, which do not hire workers, inched up 0.8 percent

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2023

South Korean Ryu Hae-ran has clinched the LPGA Rookie of the Year award with one tournament left this season. Since the rise of superstar Pak Se-ri more than two decades ago, Korean female golfers have become an international force to be reckoned with in women’s professional golf tournaments. This trend has been marked by a consistent stream of LPGA Rookie of the Year awards going to Korean women every few years. Fourteen of the past 26 rookies of the year (including this year’s) hav

Golf Nov. 17, 2023

Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world’s top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of narcotics last year, a United Nations report said. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent to 333 tons. This was putting pressure on farmers in the war-torn country, where most people depend on agri

World News Nov. 16, 2023

Two-thirds of residents in Gyeonggi Province are opposed to the proposal to incorporate satellite cities near Seoul into the capital, a poll showed, amid the ruling party’s push for a megacity project. The survey, conducted by Realmeter from Nov. 2-5 on 3,004 Gyeonggi residents, showed that 66.3 percent oppose the idea, while 29.5 percent are in support of it. By region, opposition was highest among residents in Uiwang, south of Seoul, with 73.5 percent, followed by Paju, Yangju and Hwaseo

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2023

Sales of smartphones continued to shrink globally in the recently-ended quarter as consumers watched their spending, market tracker Counterpoint reported. Smartphone sales fell 8 percent, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of decline in year-over-year comparisons, according to research by Counterpoint's Market Pulse service. The decline was “largely due to slower-than-expected recovery in consumer demand,” the group said in its findings. Samsung continued to lead the smartpho

Market Nov. 14, 2023

　Nearly 40,000 South Koreans took their own lives over the past three years, with the suicide rate increasing among the younger generation, data showed. 　A total of 39,453 people killed themselves from 2020 to 2022, according to data from the Health Ministry and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency submitted to Rep. Baek Jong-hean of the ruling People Power Party. 　The tally of suicides here was greater than the 32,156 deaths due to COVID-19 recorded over the same period here. 　Ko

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2023

A total of 500 aircraft incidents involving collisions with birds have been reported in airports across South Korea over the past five years, according to data. According to data unveiled by Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the total number of aircraft bird strike cases during takeoff and landing has totaled 500 since 2019. The lawmaker cited data submitted by airport authorities. Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul and Gimhae International Airport in

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2023

　The number of elementary, middle and high school teachers who have taken their own lives over the past decade amounts to 144, a ruling party lawmaker said, citing data from the Ministry of Education. 　The suicides occurred between 2014 and August this year, Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People Power Party said, noting the annual number spiked from six in 2014 to 20 in 2018 and 25 in 2021. 　The number dropped to 20 last year but as many as 14 teachers died by suicide in the first eight months of t

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2023

In the US, Democratic President Joe Biden is behind Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in five of the six most important battleground states exactly a year before the presidential election as Americans express doubts about Biden’s age, dissatisfaction toward his handling of the economy and other issues, polls showed. The polls were conducted by The New York Times and Siena College. Trump, first in the field for his party’s 2024 nomination as he seeks to regain the presidency, leads

World News Nov. 8, 2023