[Graphic News] South Korea tops culinary travel destinations in Asia

A recent survey by the digital platform Agoda.com has revealed that South Korea is Asia’s leading culinary travel destination. Among over 4,000 travelers who booked through the platform, 64 percent cited “experiencing Korean food” as their primary reason for visiting. Taiwan closely follows in second place with 62 percent, while Thailand ranks third at 55 percent. Japan and Malaysia come in fourth and fifth, with 52 percent and 49 percent, respectively. In recent years, South

World NewsOct. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] Dodgers, Yankees meet in first World Series in 43 years

The Los Angeles Dodgers have secured a spot in the World Series for the first time in four years after defeating the New York Mets. With the Dodgers claiming the National League Championship, a World Series showdown between two of Major League Baseball’s most prestigious teams, the New York Yankees and the Dodgers, will take place for the first time in 43 years. The Dodgers triumphed over the Mets 10-5 in Game 6 of the 2024 MLB National League Championship Series on Monday.

BaseballOct. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] Convenience store sales approach department stores

A recent report reveals that the sales gap between convenience stores and department stores has narrowed to less than 1 percentage point. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, convenience stores accounted for 16 percent of sales in the first half of the year compared to department stores’ 16.6 percent. In contrast, large supermarkets held an 11.3 percent share of sales. Convenience stores surpassed large supermarkets in annual sales for the first time in 2021 and have

Social AffairsOct. 22, 2024

[Graphic News] Korean police nab 474 suspects over deepfake sex crimes; 80% teens

Police have rounded up 474 people connected to deepfake sex crimes so far this year, the Korean National Police Agency said. Police received 921 reports related to deepfake sex crimes between January and Oct. 14, and they have arrested 474 suspects during this period, according to the NPA. Over half of the reports, or 476 cases, were filed after police launched an intensive crackdown on such crimes in late August after the issue made national headlines following a string of similar cases on Te

Social AffairsOct. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] S. Korea rises to 26th in World Talent Ranking

South Korea ranked 26th out of 67 countries in the World Talent Ranking 2024 report by the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, scoring 63.56 points. This marks a notable improvement, as the country had previously dropped from 34th in 2021 to 38th in 2022, before rebounding to 34th last year and climbing eight places this year. The ranking scores countries’ development, retention and attraction of a domestic and international highly-skilled workforce to eval

World NewsOct. 17, 2024

[Graphic News] School violence reports reach 11-year high

A national survey by the Ministry of Education revealed that reports of school violence among elementary, middle and high school students in 2024 have increased for the fourth consecutive year, reaching the highest level in 11 years. The survey, conducted on 3.98 million students from fourth grade through high school and across 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices, showed that 2.1 percent of students experienced school violence. Up from 1.9 percent last year, this represents the hi

Social AffairsOct. 16, 2024

[Graphic News] NYC ranked America’s ‘rattiest’ city

New York City has been named the “rattiest” city in the US for 2024, according to pest control company Terminix. The ranking is based on the number of new rat treatment requests, including residential and public spaces. Following NYC, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington also made the top five. Rodents are more likely to breed in cities because they can easily find food and warmth, and tend to inhabit densely populated areas. It was also noted that,

World NewsOct. 15, 2024

[Graphic News] First marriage age rises to 34 for men, 31.5 for women

The average age for first marriages in South Korea in 2023 reached 34.0 years for men and 31.5 years for women, marking increases of 0.3 years for men and 0.2 years for women compared to the previous year. According to a report from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, there were 149,000 first marriages last year, a significant 41.2 percent drop from the 254,600 recorded in 2010. The number of first marriages also fell by 1,300 compared to the 148,300 in 2022. Since 2010, the average ag

Social AffairsOct. 10, 2024

[Graphic News] Ohtani’s Dodgers jersey tops 2024 MLB merchandise sales

According to MLB.com, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new superstar Shohei Ohtani topped merchandise sales this season, with his No. 17 jersey being the most popular. Ohtani, in his debut season with the Dodgers, made history by becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. This year, he recorded a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 134 runs scored and 59 stolen bases, positioning him as a frontrunner for his third MVP title. Trailing Ohtani in

BaseballOct. 9, 2024

[Graphic News] Chelsea tops transfer spending, surpassing $1.3b

Chelsea Football Club has been named the most expensive soccer team in the world, according to the CIES Football Observatory, a Swiss research center. In its latest report, Chelsea ranked first among the top 100 clubs for spending the most on transfer fees. Since American businessman Todd Boehly acquired the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022, Chelsea has invested approximately $1.39 billion on player transfers. Despite this heavy expenditure, the club finished 12th in the 2022-23 Premier Leag

SoccerOct. 7, 2024

[Graphic News] Mobile phone spam hits record high

Mobile phone spam in South Korea reached a record high through August, despite ongoing government efforts to curb unwanted messages and advertisements, parliamentary data showed. From January to August, 280.4 million spam messages and calls were reported or detected by the Korea Internet & Security Agency, up 68 percent from the same period last year, according to the data submitted to the National Assembly by KISA. This year’s figure through August already represent 95 percent of

Social AffairsOct. 2, 2024

[Graphic News] 6 in 10 office workers want 4-day workweek: survey

A recent survey shows that over 60 percent of South Korean office workers are in favor of introducing a four-day workweek. Commissioned by Rep. Park Hong-bae, a member of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, the survey was conducted by Global Research Aug. 1-9 and polled 1,000 office workers. The results indicate that 63.2 percent of respondents support introducing a 4-day workweek. Among the age groups, workers in their 20s showed the highest approval rate at 74.2 pe

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2024

[Graphic News] Ronaldo tops 2024 Instagram earnings list

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-paid celebrity on Instagram, according to a survey by British data analyst Hopper HQ. Ronaldo can earn up to $3.43 million per post. Following closely behind is Lionel Messi, while Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner and Dwayne Johnson round out the top five. Hopper HQ reveals how much your favorite celebrities are earning from sponsored posts this year, using internal data, agency rates and publicly available information. Notably, all four membe

World NewsSept. 30, 2024

[Graphic News] Beer gains ground as whiskey and wine imports decline

The imported liquor market in South Korea is undergoing rapid changes. Wine and whiskey, which had gained popularity during the trends of drinking alone or at home, are seeing a decline, while beer is making a resurgence. Analysts suggest that the market, which experienced significant fluctuations due to external factors like COVID-19, is now entering a period of adjustment. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, whiskey imports fell 21 percent year-on-year to 6,624 tons in the seco

MarketSept. 26, 2024

[Graphic News] World produces 52m tons of plastic pollution annually: study

A recent study reveals that the world generates 52 million metric tons of plastic pollution each year, with a significant portion coming from countries in the Global South. This staggering amount could fill New York City’s Central Park to the height of the Empire State Building. The study, led by the University of Leeds, examined waste production across more than 50,000 cities and towns globally. More than two-thirds of this pollution comes from countries with poor waste collection servi

World NewsSept. 25, 2024

[Graphic News] Google and Bing capture over 40% of Korean search engine market share

Google and Microsoft’s Bing are steadily gaining traction in the South Korean web search market, with their combined market share surpassing 40 percent, according to data from Internet Trend. As of Aug. 9, Naver retained the top position with a 54.73 percent share, followed by Google at 37.2 percent and Bing at 3.6 percent. Bing recently overtook local portal Daum, which was at 3.33 percent, continuing its downward trend. Google and Bing together now command 40.8 percent of the market, m

Social AffairsSept. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] Number of international flight passengers rises 19.9% in July-Aug.: data

The number of international flight passengers during the summer vacation season this year increased 19.9 percent on-year to fully recover to the prepandemic level, data showed. A total of 15.69 million people used international flights at South Korean airports in July and August, up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Airports Corp. and the Incheon International Airport Corp. This year’s figure came to about 97 percent of that logged in 2019. By

Social AffairsSept. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] Soaring rent in Seoul’s university areas strains students

Rampant rental deposit fraud and high loan interest rates are driving university students to opt for paying monthly rent instead of lumpsum “jeonse” deposits for leased housing. However, with a surge in the monthly rent due to limited property availability in university areas and more demand, students are facing significant financial pressure. As of July 2024, real estate big data from Dabang shows the average monthly rent in major university areas in Seoul has risen to 608,000 won

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2024

[Graphic News] Recent S. Korean wins in LPGA

South Korea’s Yoo Hae-ran claimed her first LPGA Tour win in nearly a year at the FM Championship in the United States. On Sept. 2, Yoo shot an impressive 8-under-par 64 in the final round at TPC Boston, closing with nine birdies and one bogey. Yoo finished tied with fellow South Korean Ko Jin-young at 15-under-par 273, but won in a playoff by making par on the first extra hole while Ko bogeyed. This marks Yoo’s first LPGA victory in 11 months. The victory breaks South Korea’

GolfSept. 12, 2024

[Graphic News] Fruit leads as top Chuseok gift choice

A survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on "Chuseok Gift Purchase Intentions" among 1,000 consumers aged 20 and older revealed that 56.2 percent of respondents plan to spend a similar amount on gifts as last year, while 29.1 percent indicated they would spend more. Fruit emerged as the most preferred Chuseok gift, chosen by 43.8 percent of respondents across all age groups. Following fruit were health supplements (32.4 percent), meat (30.5 percent), processed

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024