China is the world‘s largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. It has over 2 1/2 times more foreign reserves than the second-largest reserve holder, Japan.The Asian giant has $3.483 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, despite a recent drop. China is followed by Japan, with a substantial $1.21 trillion worth of foreign exchange.South Korea and India also have a large pie of the foreign exchange. In South Korea, the foreign exchange reserve is $370 billion, while India holds $361 billion wor

The number of newborns in South Korea is expected to be around 360,000 for 2017, marking a record low, according to the Health Ministry and National Statistical Office. The figure is 12.4 percent lower than the previous year. The last time it increased was in November 2015, data showed. Experts said the number will further decrease down the road. The country’s average number of newborns hovered at around 1 million in the 1970s, but quickly fell to reach 490,000 in 2002.

According to data from market researcher Chaebul.com, listed firms of conglomerates donated 963.2 billion won ($847.8 million) last year, down 1.7 percent from a year earlier. Listed affiliates of Samsung, Hyundai Motor, Lotte, Posco and GS groups cut their public donations last year.Samsung’s listed firms donated 470.3 billion won last year, down 11.7 percent on-year. Samsung Electronics, the group‘s crown jewel, cut donations by 10.7 percent to 334.5 billion won. Donations by companies under H

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, a total of 1,308,758 domestic vehicles have been ordered to be recalled so far this year across 172 cases. The number of cars subject to recall this year is expected to exceed the country’s record high of 1,369,925 vehicles in 2004. Hyundai and Kia, which together form the world’s No. 5 carmaker by sales, were ordered to recall a combined 979,687 cars in 2017, accounting for 75 percent of the total figure.

CNN revealed the list of the world’s coolest nationalities, with Brazilians taking the top spot, followed by Singaporeans, Jamaicans, Mongolians and Americans respectively. South Koreans ranked sixth among those surveyed from other nations, saying they may be the best drinking buddies in the world. CNN also picked film director Park Chan-wook as an icon of cool, saying his twisted visions freak out fellow countrymen, but have achieved cult status among emo film majors worldwide.

President Moon Jae-in fulfilled his pledge to fill at least 30 percent of the Cabinet with female ministers as of Wednesday, with his nomination of ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Kim Young-joo for labor minister. Currently, the new Cabinet has five female ministers and, if Kim is appointed, it would make 31.5 percent out of the 19 ministerial positions, including the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, whose chief was recently upgraded to a ministerial level. Kim’s confirmation h

For the first time, more than half of all people with HIV are on drugs to treat the virus, said the United Nations. According to a UNAIDS report in 2016, 19.5 million of 36.7 million people with HIV had access to treatment, while AIDS-related deaths fell from 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016. The death toll from AIDS has dropped in recent years, due to the availability of affordable, life-saving drugs.

Lotte World Adventure in Seoul, operated by Lotte Group, had the 14th-highest number of visitors among its global peers last year with 8.15 million people, an annual survey said.The tally compiled jointly by Themed Entertainment Association and consulting firm Aecom said Lotte World was the most-visited amusement park in South Korea and fifth in Asia. Everland Resort, another theme park located just south of Seoul, ranked 16th in the world in visitor numbers.Disney Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Flor

In an effort to curb South Korea’s high youth unemployment rate, the government has decided to provide cash subsidies to young job seekers. Gyeonggi Province and capital city Seoul ranked first with 3 million won ($2,700) each, followed by the port city of Busan at 2.4 million won. Daejeon came in fourth with 1.8 million won and North Gyeongsang Province in fifth with 1 million won. The cash subsidy program is in line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s job creation policy.

According to the data compiled by Lotte Mart, Japanese beer topped sales in South Korea‘s imported beer market.Japanese beer ranked first with a 21.5 percent share in 2016, followed by German beer at 19.9 percent and Belgium at 11.3 percent. Chinese beer accounted for 7.1 percent of the total imported beer sold at the outlets, data showed. The popularity of imported beer has been soaring, taking up 51.1 percent of Lotte Mart’s beer sales this year. The comparable figure for 2015 and 2016 were 34

The Dallas Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports team, according to an annual list published by Forbes that was dominated by National Football League teams.The NFL‘s Cowboys, who last year unseated Spanish soccer club Real Madrid for the top spot, were valued at $4.2 billion, a 5 percent jump from last year, Forbes said in a statement.Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, who have both the greatest sponsorship revenue and premium seating revenue in the MLB, jumped two spots to second

At least 200 environmental activists, with 40 percent from indigenous tribes, were murdered worldwide in 2016, according to Global Witness, a watchdog organization. The tally was double the number slain two years earlier and the highest since the nongovernmental organization began tracking such violence in 2002. Fatal attacks against activists have become more widespread, occurring in 24 countries in 2016, compared to 16 the year before.Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines accounted for more tha

From 2000 to 2015, the average annual growth in mobile phone subscriptions reached 22 percent in Asia. Nepal witnessed annual growth of 67 percent, the highest average in the region.The increasing utility of cellphones has made them the most preferred device in the market today, as Asian countries have seen exponential increase in their usage.Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea are the Asian countries with lower average annual growth -- 13 percent, 5 percent and 4 percent, respectively -- in mob

The world’s most fit countries have been worked out by scientists -- using mobile phone data.Researchers looked at how many steps 700,000 people from around the globe took, using 68 million days worth of information to break down minute-by-minute findings. Hong Kong came out on top, with an average of 6,880 per day -- the equivalent to around 6 kilometers. Korean walk 5,755, ranked 8th.But those living in Indonesia appear to be the laziest, managing just 3,513, according to Stanford University r

The number of North Koreans escaping to the South declined sharply in the first half of this year as Pyongyang strengthened controls on its border with China, officials said.The DMZ dividing the Korean Peninsula is one of the most heavily fortified places in the world, and almost all defectors to the South go to China first -- where they still risk being repatriated if caught -- and then on to a third country before travelling to the South.In the six months to June, 593 Northerners entered South