The traditional Korean mask dance, or “talchum” in Korean, was inscribed onto a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Nov. 30. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to put “Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 17th session in Rabat, Morocco. Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music

Culture Jan. 13, 2023

Seoul has more than 310 English-language kindergartens known for their high cost, about twice as much as annual college tuition, a civic group said. The number of English-language kindergartens in the capital totaled 311 as of the end of last year, an increase of 17 from the previous year, according to the group named World Without Private Education Worries. Two southern Seoul wards of Gangnam and Seocho accounted for 86 of the total, with 54 located in adjacent Gangdong and Songpa wards. The av

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2023

Iran’s protest crackdown has helped push the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide to a record high of 533 in 2022, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders. The figure is up from 488 in 2021, already a record, according to the France-based NGO. More than half are detained in just five countries: China, which remains “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with 110, followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31). Iran is the only cou

World News Jan. 11, 2023

The South Korean art market surpassed 1 trillion won ($782 million) in total sales for the first time in 2022 on strong sales of artworks through galleries and art fairs, the Culture Ministry said. The trade volume of artworks increased 37.2 percent from 756.3 billion won in 2021 to 1.037 trillion won in 2022 despite the global economic woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. By sector, art fairs experienced the largest growth of 59.8 percent from

Culture Jan. 10, 2023

More than 70 percent of South Koreans use online streaming services last year amid the protracted pandemic, a government survey showed. According to the annual poll conducted by the Korea Communications Commission, 72 percent of 6,708 respondents said they are using at least one over-the-top media service in 2022, up slightly from 69.5 percent last year. Among them, 95.7 percent said they use the service once or more per week, while 60.7 percent said they watch content five days a week on the pl

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2023

South Korea’s imports of party supplies, such as decorations and balloons, hit a record-high through November this year, customs data showed, as the country has lifted social-distancing rules. The combined imports of party supplies over the January-November period came to $64 million, up 31.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The amount far exceeds $56 million tallied for all of 2021. The growth came as people hosted various parties,

Consumer Jan. 6, 2023

Nearly eight out of 10 South Koreans believe social media leads to more political division, with nearly as many people saying social media makes it easier for people to manipulate others, a survey showed. However, more than 60 percent of those surveyed said social media is still a good thing for the country’s democracy, according to the survey conducted by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington. In South Korea, 77 percent of those surveyed said social media leads

World News Jan. 5, 2023

Over 3,300 people died “lonely deaths” in South Korea last year, a report has found. Lonely death refers to a phenomenon of people with no relatives dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. It’s also called solitary or unattended death. According to the report released by the Welfare Ministry, there were 3,378 lonely deaths nationwide in 2021, up from 3,279 in 2020, 2,949 in 2019. The number of lonely deaths has grown at an average annual rate of 8.8 pe

Social Affairs Jan. 4, 2023

Four out of every 10 South Koreans think their country’s influence in the world stage grew stronger in recent years, a survey showed. In an annual survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, 40 percent of those surveyed answered South Korea’s global influence was getting stronger. The reading marks the third highest among 19 countries surveyed after Israel and Singapore. The research said people satisfied with the current state of their

World News Jan. 3, 2023

The life expectancy of South Korean babies born last year reached 83.6 years, data showed, hovering above the average of major advanced countries. The average life expectancy at birth in 2021 marked a slight rise from the 83.5 years tallied a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Compared with 1970 and 2000, the average life expectancy became 21.3 years and 7.6 years longer, respectively. Boys and girls born in 2021 are expected to live 80.6 years and 86.6 years, respectivel

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2022

　Nearly half of recently married couples in South Korea had no children in 2021, data showed, amid the country’s chronic low birthrate and changing social norms. 　Some 45.8 percent of the country’s 871,428 couples who were legally married in the five years up to November 2021 did not have children, rising from the 44.5 percent tallied in 2020, the data from Statistics Korea showed. 　The statistics cover couples who tied the knot for the first time from November 2016 to October 202

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2022

The proportion of one-person households in South Korea hit a fresh record last year, data showed, as more young people delayed marriages. Single-member households accounted for 33.4 percent of the total last year, up from 31.7 percent the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked a sharp rise from just 20 percent tallied in 2005. The agency said the portion of single-member households is expected to hit 39.6 percent in 2050. Households consisting of a single member to

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2022

South Korean banknotes saw their lifetimes increase on-year in 2022 as people use less cash and depend more on credit cards and internet banking for transactions, a central bank report showed. According to the report from the Bank of Korea, the country’s smallest denomination bills, 1,000 won notes, had an average estimated lifetime of 70 months, with 5,000 won and 10,000 won bills lasting for 63 months and 135 months, respectively. The largest face-value bill, 50,000 won notes, had a life

Social Affairs Dec. 22, 2022

The first attempt to survey the extent of violence and harassment at work around the globe has found that workplace abuse is widespread, and particularly pronounced among young people, migrants, and wage earners, especially women. More than 22.8 percent of the nearly 75,000 workers in 121 countries surveyed last year reported having experienced at least one type of violence or harassment, according to the report released by the UN International Labor Organization, the Lloyds Register Foundation

World News Dec. 21, 2022

New York and Singapore are jointly the world’s most expensive cities after inflation soared this year, an annual survey showed. The pair displaced last year’s number one Tel Aviv, which fell to third place this time round in the Worldwide Cost of Living index from London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. New York hit the top spot for the first time, while Damascus and Tripoli remained the cheapest cities. In addition to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco moved into the top ten.

World News Dec. 20, 2022