Technology giant Apple is the best brand in the world, according to the annual Interbrand Best Global Brands Report for 2017. Google once again took second place, while Facebook entered the top 10 this year at eighth. Tech giant Microsoft displaced beverage brand Coca-Cola from third place this year. Other brands among the top 10 are Amazon, Samsung, Toyota, Facebook, Mercedes-Benz and IBM. ...

The German city Dusseldorf was named the best city for driving, according to a German study. Among the top 10 cities were Zurich, Tokyo and Basel. Kolkata was bottom of the list, followed by Karachi, Lagos, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, and Mumbai. The study examined factors such as congestion, public transport, the average cost of parking, the cost of fuel as well as the frequency and perception...

According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, foreigners spent around 270 billion won ($235 million) in South Korea on plastic surgeries and dermatology treatments last year. The number of foreigners visiting South Korea for medical purposes came to 452,380 in 2016, with nearly 100,000 of them receiving beauty-related treatments, the data showed. Of the foreign patien...

Soft drinks are the most popular drink consumed by South Koreans, followed by coffee, a survey showed. The survey of 500 people conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs revealed 26.8 percent picked soda as their most favored drink, trailed by coffee at 17.6 percent. Beverages for a water supplement came next at 17.3 percent, followed by fruit beverages at 15.1 percent...

According to the OECD data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea had 2.2 doctors per 1,000 people in 2015, the lowest number among member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. South Korea scored the lowest in physicians per 1,000 people, with the average being 3.3. The data included licensed physicians practicing Oriental medicine. Austria...

Kweather, a governmental body under the Korea Meteorological Administration, forecast that the first appearance of 2017 fall foliage will be on Seoraksan from Wednesday to Thursday. Peak colors appear two weeks after the first fall foliage is observed. The best of the fall foliage is expected to occur on Odaesan around Oct. 17 and Seoraksan around Oct. 19.

According to survey data, workers will take an average 8.4 days off and spend 580,000 won during the quickly approaching 10-day Chuseok holiday. The survey of 858 employees by Hunet, a career education institute, revealed the most common expected expenditure was 300,000 won-500,000 won, at 33.4 percent. Another 21.4 percent said expenses will be between 500,000 won and 700,000 won. About 17....

According to the IFPI Global Music Report 2016, the United States’ music industry generated $4.9 trillion in 2015, ranking top in the world. Japan’s music industry generated $2.63 trillion in 2015, ranking second behind the US. Meanwhile, South Korea’s music industry generated $266 billion in the same year. The following are the 10 largest music industries in the world, according to data fro...

According to a recent United Nations report, the world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. Roughly 83 million people are expected to be added to the world's population every year, even though fertility levels are assumed to continue declining. Among the 10 largest countries worldwide, Nigeria is growing the most ra...

Leaves use carbohydrates (sugars) to continually produce chlorophyll, which makes the leaves green; the chemical absorbs the blue and orange components of sunlight and converts them into energy for the tree.

The Ring of Fire is a 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped area of intense volcanic and seismic activity that follows the edges of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire includes 75 percent of the world‘s active volcanoes and is also responsible for 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes. The Ring of Fire is an arc of mountains, volcanoes and oceanic trenches that stretch from New Zealand northward a...

Hunger is on the increase across the globe once again after a decade of declines, a UN report said. Most of the world‘s hungry people are in Asia and Africa, with 520 million and 243 million, respectively. But proportionally Africa is hardest hit, with 20 percent of people not having enough food -- in Asia the ratio is 11.7 percent, according to the report. Overall, the number of chronically...

Many countries with land borders in Asia have long remained peaceful, others remain tense. Five Asian countries have no land border with other countries. In a world of connected societies, border demarcation has been essential. When countries share a border, territorial disputes arise over tracts of land or water that are claimed by different independent countries. China, the most populous n...

According to an OECD report, Korea was one of the smallest investors in families among member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2013. The country allocated 1.13 percent of its gross domestic product to family benefits spending, ranking No. 32 among 35 OECD member states surveyed. The family benefits cited by the report consist of public money allocated to e...