The number of Korean people in their 50s and older either working or seeking employment surpassed the 10 million mark for the first time, data showed Tuesday.According to Statistics Korea, the economically active population over age 15 as of the third quarter of this year reached around 27.2 million, with 11.1 million being 50 and older.The economically active population under 39 was 10.2 million, a 0.2 percent decrease compared to the same quarter in 2014.This is also the first time the number

South Korea’s debit and credit card spending surged in October, when the government-led “Korea Black Friday” sales took place, the Credit Finance Association said Wednesday.Last month’s total card spending reached 55.68 trillion won, up 13.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Individually-owned credit and debit card spending rose by 8.5 percent last monthThe CFA credited the spending hike mainly to increased consumer spending during two-week sales event held by the government from Oc

Credit card holders are reluctant to use the cash advance service due to the high interest rates and alternative loan services, central bank data revealed on Monday.In the January-August period this year, the number of cash advance transactions by noncorporate credit card users stood at 66.5 million, down 8.5 percent from last year. Cash advance service, a type of card loan that allows cardholders to withdraw quick-and-easy cash from an ATM and pay back later, is now losing steam due to its high

The number of teenage smokers has declined this year, by over 60,000 among middle and high school students, according to the latest data.The number of students who picked up the habit was also the lowest in the last decade, according to the Ministry of Education and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In the statistics released on Monday, the ministry said that the rate of teenagers who smoked in the last 30 days dropped to 7.8 percent, a 1.4 percentage point drop from last year