The real estate area owned by the top 1 percent of Korean corporations more than doubled during the five years under the Lee Myung-bak government, according to data released by the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy on Monday.In 2012, the area measured 5,724.84 square kilometers, up from 2,658 square kilometers in 2007; reflecting a 115.3 percent increase, the report showed.The current figure is slightly more than five times the entire area of Seoul City, which measures 605.2 square

One in 2 Koreans either has poor nutrition or eats too much, the state-run disease control center said Monday. According to the report released by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48.9 percent of men and 50.5 percent of women in Korea did not have a balanced diet in 2012.Of those surveyed, 26.2 percent of men and 35.5 percent of women were eating too little (below 75 percent of the estimated intake required), while 22.7 percent of men and 15 percent of women were consuming too m

OPEC’s oil supply rose in November to its highest level this year, boosted by increased output from Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, a Reuters survey showed Sunday.Supply from the 11 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries bounded by output targets ― all except Iraq ― rose to 26.52 million barrels per day from a revised 26.43 million bpd in October, according to the survey of oil firms, OPEC officials and analysts.Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s top producer, nud

The number of people applying for the individual debtor rehabilitation program is expected to reach a record high in 2014, according to financial authorities and a monthly report by the Supreme Court of Korea. Individual debtors with regular income can apply for the program. The authorities said the number of applications, which has been on the rise every year, has come to more than 93,000 from January to October this year, an increase of 7.6 percent on-year.At this rate, the total number is exp

South Korea’s economy is likely to grow 3.7 percent as the world economy gradually recovers, according to a report announced by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade on Tuesday.The institute also forecast that the shipbuilding and semiconductor industries will lead the nation’s economy next year.

South Korea appears to be on its way to becoming an aged society by 2017 and eventually becoming a so-called super-aged society in 2026, when slightly more than 20 percent of its people are expected to be 65 or older, according to figures from Statistics Korea.This means that more than 10 million people will be in that age bracket, the data showed. As a result, the country’s working-age population -- those between 25 and 49 years of age -- was forecast to peak at 37.04 million in 2016 before it

Korean TV dramas, one of the two main pillars of hallyu along with K-pop, draw an ethnically diverse audience in the U.S., a recent survey by the U.S. office of Korea Creative Content Agency finds.Asians make up 29 percent of the U.S. viewership, followed by whites (24%), Hispanics/Latin Americans (18.9%) and blacks (9%). Viewers of Korean descent took up a 4.4 percent share.Over 85 percent of the viewers said they have been watching Korean TV dramas for more than a year now. Eighty-seven percen

Household income in South Korea grew 3 percent during the third quarter from the same period last year as a hike in employment led to more earnings, a government report said Friday. When adjusted for inflation, however, household income grew 1.6 percent, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The income of households consisting of two members or more averaged 4.39 million won ($3,948) per month during the July-September period, up from 4.26 million won a year earlier.The agency data showed

The current 19th National Assembly has written 11,942 draft bills since its induction in May 2012, according to parliamentary statistics.But the percentage of bills fully reviewed by lawmakers has fallen to a record low, with only about 11.4 percent of prospective legislation being written into law.Critics cited the recent political deadlocks that paralyzed the parliament. The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s boycott in August played a role, while the governing Saenuri Party

An average of 189 couples got married every day in South Korea’s capital Seoul last year while 55 couples got divorced, data showed Wednesday.According to 2013 data for Seoul spanning 20 sectors including population and the economy, the marriage rate inched down from the previous year, with the divorce rate staying flat.The capital saw a daily average of 230 childbirths last year while an average of 115 Seoulites died each day.The total population reached 10.4 million as of last year, a 4.3-fold

Stock transactions via mobile gadgets have grown in number in the South Korean market as a rising number of retail investors have opted to use smartphones and tablets for trading, the bourse operator said Monday. Mobile devices accounted for 10.40 percent of total transactions in the main KOSPI market as of Nov. 10, up from 9.28 percent last year, the Korea Exchange said. The ratio of mobile trading in the tech-laden KOSDAQ market also jumped from 17.52 percent to 20.95 percent during the same p

Lee Jay-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and heir apparent to its parent Samsung Group, has emerged as the fourth-richest stockholder in South Korea following last week’s high-profile listing of Samsung SDS, data showed Sunday.As of Friday when Samsung SDS shares went public, the value of listed shares held by Lee was tallied at 3.85 trillion won ($3.5 billion), up two notches from the previous ranking, according to Chaebul.com, an online research firm providing information on Korean c

The number of foreigners visiting South Korea on cruises is expected to exceed 1.05 million by the end of this year, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.The ministry said Wednesday that it welcomed the millionth visitor at the International Cruise Terminal in Busan.Only about 280,000 inbound visitors came in by cruise ship in 2012, but the number soared to 790,000 last year and passed 1 million this year.Industry watchers attributed the rise to Chinese tourists’ increasing interest

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday it had been forced to slash the number of people it can help prepare for winter in conflict-ravaged Syria and Iraq for lack of funds.“The whole humanitarian community is facing shortfalls. People are becoming numb,” said Amin Awad, who heads UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa bureau, lamenting that his agency was having to make “tough choices.”The agency said it was facing a shortfall of $58 million for its efforts to prepare millions of displaced people in