[Graphic News] 53% of Gen Z workers want 4-day workweek

Although the implementation of a four-day workweek is slowly on the rise globally, with new studies showing it to have overall positive effects on both the company and the workforce, it still remains a hot topic in South Korea where many businesses are hesitant to accept a change in the norm. According to a survey done by online employment platform Catch, 1,076 Generation Z job seekers were asked how they would feel about the four-day workweek system with pay cuts. Fifty-three percent of respond

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] S. Korea places 32nd in global corruption ranking

South Korea came in 32nd in an annual global corruption index, down a notch from a year earlier, Transparency International said, the first drop in seven years since an anti-graft law came into force in 2016. South Korea scored 63 out of 100 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index that ranks countries by levels of public sector corruption based on expert assessments and surveys. A higher score and ranking indicate a lower assessed level of corruption. Among 51 Asia-Pacific countries, South Ko

World NewsFeb. 20, 2024

[Graphic News] Cigarette sales fall for 1st time in 4 years in 2023

Sales of cigarettes in South Korea inched down in 2023 for the first time in four years, but demand for electronic cigarettes logged a marked growth, the Finance Ministry said. South Koreans purchased 3.61 billion 20-cigarette packs last year, down 0.6 percent from the previous year’s 3.63 billion packs, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It was the first on-year fall since 2019, when sales lost 0.7 percent on-year. But sales of duty-free cigarettes surged 60.7 percent on-ye

Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2024

[Graphic News] Exports of red pepper paste, Korean sauces hit record-high in 2023

South Korean exports of red pepper paste and sauces reached an all-time high last year on the back of the growing popularity of Korean food and cultural content, the Korean customs agency said. Overseas shipments of gochujang, soy sauce and various kinds of seasonings amounted to $384 million in 2023, rising 6.2 percent on-year, according to the Korea Customs Service. In terms of volume, the country shipped 131,800 metric tons of such items last year, the second-largest amount ever after 2021, w

FoodFeb. 16, 2024

[Graphic News] Over half of Americans consider football ‘America’s sport’

Another round of football mania has swept the US, culminating in the victory of the Kansas City Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 12. For decades, the Super Bowl has been America’s most-watched television program, as football remained the most popular sport since 1972. In comparison, baseball is seeing a general decline in popularity. In 1960, 34 percent of Americans said baseball was their favorite sport, compared to 21 percent for football and 9 perc

More SportsFeb. 15, 2024

[Graphic News] Meaning of Valentine’s Day rose colors

Shakespeare’s Juliet said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But what about the flower's color? Here’s what the roses you give this Valentine’s Day really mean according to the American Rose Society.

World NewsFeb. 14, 2024

[Graphic News] Imports of Japanese seafood post biggest on-year drop since 2012

South Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood posted the biggest on-year decline last year since 2012, a year after the Fukushima nuclear accident, data showed. South Korea imported Japanese fish and shellfish worth a combined $151.9 million in 2023, down 12.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The drop was the biggest since 2012, when South Korea’s imports of Japanese seafood plunged 33.3 percent on-year due to safety concerns after the

MarketFeb. 13, 2024

[Graphic News] Famous people born in Year of Dragon

The Lunar New Year begins on Feb 10. It will be the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is the 5th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Dragon years include 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 and 2024. Those born in years of the dragon are said to be powerful, endlessly energetic and full of vitality, goal-oriented, yet idealistic and romantic, and visionary leaders. They know exactly who they are and possess the keenest sense of self among the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.

World NewsFeb. 9, 2024

[Graphic News] Majority of adults just want to rest over Lunar New Year’s holiday

More than half of South Korean adults would like to rest at home during the upcoming Lunar New Year’s holidays, according to a survey. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would rest at home, while 31.3 percent said they would visit their hometowns or parents’ homes. Roughly 14.3 percent said they would travel. Some people chose possible activities in a short period, such as a day trip (14.1 percent), or meeting acquaintances or friends (11.4 percent). The survey was conducted

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2024

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s military power 5th in world

South Korea ranked fifth in the world in terms of military strength, while North Korea stood at 36th, an annual military power index showed. South Korea had a firepower score of 0.1416 to rank fifth out of 145 countries, according to Global Firepower 2024. Its standing rose by one notch from a year earlier. The index is calculated based on more than 60 factors, with categories ranging from military might and financial standing to logistical capability and geography. The lower the index is, the s

World NewsFeb. 7, 2024

[Graphic News] South Korea to face Jordan in Asian Cup semis

The semifinals for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar have been set: Jordan will be facing South Korea at midnight Tuesday, and Iran will go against the host Qatar at midnight Wednesday. From the start, South Korea has made it clear that it was aiming for the Champion’s trophy. Still, it has limped its way into the semifinals in a series of disappointing matches that have brought significant criticism of the team’s head coach, Juergen Klinsmann. Still, the team has progressed to the point where

SoccerFeb. 6, 2024

[Graphic News] China’s population decline continues

　China’s population fell for a second consecutive year in 2023, as a record low birth rate and a wave of COVID-19 deaths when strict lockdowns ended accelerated a downturn that will have profound long-term effects on the economy’s growth potential. 　The National Bureau of Statistics said the total number of people in China dropped by 2.08 million, or 0.15 percent, to 1.41 billion in 2023. That was well above the population decline of 850,000 in 2022, which had been the first since

World NewsFeb. 5, 2024

[Graphic News] New rules to be implemented in KBO

The Korea Baseball Organization looks like it will be implementing most of the same changes in rules that heated up the MLB in 2023. The Automatic Ball-Strike System, larger bases and limits on defensive shifts are part of seven major rule changes that will be implemented in the 2024 season. The KBO, however, has put the brakes on the introduction of a pitch clock. If implemented, a pitch clock would force pitchers to deliver a pitch within 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with run

BaseballFeb. 2, 2024

[Graphic News] Number of NK defectors entering S. Korea nearly triples in 2023

The number of North Korean defectors who arrived in South Korea came to 196 last year amid a rise in defections by North Korean diplomats and trade officials, government data showed. The defections by 32 men and 164 women raised the total number of the North’s defectors in South Korea to 34,078, according to the data from Seoul’s Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs. The figure represented a hike from 2021 and 2022, when the number of North Korean defectors entering

North KoreaFeb. 1, 2024

[Graphic News] GTX lines expansion

The South Korean government has unveiled plans to achieve 30-minute commutes within the capital region by GTX or Great Train Express. The GTX-A line connecting Suseo Station in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu with Dongtan Station in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of the capital, is scheduled to open in March, while the GTX-B line linking Incheon, west of Seoul, to Namyangju, east of Seoul, will begin construction in March. The line will enter service in 2030. The GTX-C line that passes through Uijeongbu

Social AffairsJan. 31, 2024

[Graphic News] Key dates for US presidential race

　Former US President Donald Trump easily won New Hampshire’s primary over former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, seizing the lead in the race for the Republican nomination. He also made a November rematch against President Joe Biden feel nearly inevitable. 　Out of the Republican candidates, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis suspended his campaign before the New Hampshire primary. Poor finishes in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses also ended the White House bids of biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy an

World NewsJan. 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Korean-style fried chicken, kimchi among popular Korean foods overseas: poll

Korean-style fried chicken and kimchi were cited as some of the favorite “hansik” foods among people overseas, a poll showed, with more people becoming aware of Korean cuisine. The survey was based on respondents from 18 major cities across the globe, including New York, Beijing and Ho Chi Minh City, in 2023. It was conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to study the awareness of hansik, or Korean cuisine, among people overseas. According to the survey, 60 p

FoodJan. 26, 2024

[Graphic News] Air traffic in S. Korea’s airspace up 45% in 2023

Air traffic in South Korea’s territorial airspace jumped 45 percent in 2023 from a year earlier on unleashed pent-up demand for travel following years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Transport Ministry said. The number of airplanes that flew over the Korean airspace reached 780,635 last year, up from 539,788 a year ago, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. But last year’s air traffic over Korea’s airspace has yet to recover to pre-pandemic level

IndustryJan. 25, 2024

[Graphic News] US suffered record number of billion-dollar climate disasters in 2023

The US endured a record number of 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, each causing $1 billion or more in damage and collectively killing at least 492 people. The disasters, which included major floods in California, the Northeast and Florida and wildfires in Hawaii, broke the previous mark of 22 such disasters set in 2020, the National Centers for Environmental Information reported. The number of deaths was the eighth-highest in records for the contiguous US going back to 1980. The disas

World NewsJan. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] War over Taiwan would cost world economy $10tr

　A war over Taiwan would have a cost so vast that even those unhappiest with the status quo have reason not to risk it. Bloomberg Economics estimates the price tag at around $10 trillion, equal to about 10 percent of the global gross domestic product. 　Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the semiconductor shortage as many countries reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns, provide a small glimpse of what would be at stake for the global economy. The impact of war in the Taiwan Strait would be far

World NewsJan. 23, 2024