Korea was ranked the world’s No. 3 source of spam email in February, data showed.According to a report released by Russian firm Kaspersky Lab, Korean sources sent 13.7 percent of spam emails worldwide last month, following the U.S. and China, recording 16.9 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.Spam emails are among the most frequently used methods to spread malicious codes for cyber attackers.Korea was ranked No. 10 last November. However, it rose as one of the most leading sources of spam wor

A new survey revealed that citizens of Sejong City, Gangwon Province and Jeju Island drink, smoke and weigh more than people in other regions. Sejong City recorded the highest male smoking rate at 51.3 percent, followed by Gangwon at 49.9 percent and Jeju with 49.4 percent. These areas also recorded the highest rate of high-risk drinking, with Sejong at 20.4 percent, Gangwon 19.5 percent and Jeju 18.8 percent. Jeju had the highest obesity rate with 30.1 percent, with Gangwon at 26.7 percent and

The music industry reported global sales growth last year for the first time since 1999 on rising online sales, prompting analysts to paint a rosy picture for the K-pop industry.The increase, 0.3 percent, was minimal, and the total revenue of $16.5 billion was nothing comparable to its peak of $38 billion over a decade ago, figures reported by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry showed.But the digital revolution, which appeared to be killing the music industry with rampant

Seoulites may spend more than half the year sweating in the summer heat during the last decade of this century, according to a forecast by the Korea Meteorological Administration, the nation’s weather agency. A recent KMA report forecast that the summer would last 174.9 days a year from 2091-2100 in the absence of action to reduce greenhouse gases. Summer is predicted to be two months longer than it was in 2001-10, when it lasted 121.8 days on average.Summer days are defined as such when the dai

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy smartphone line was ranked first in a survey of Korea’s top 100 brands in the first quarter, a local brand equity evaluator said Sunday. According to the survey by Brand Stock, the nation’s most popular smartphone brand retained the top spot for the second consecutive year with the highest score of 938. E-mart, the nation’s largest discount franchise, came in second. Olleh, the flagship brand of KT, was named the third-most popular brand in Korea. KB Kookmin Bank and

A recent study found that connections used in cyber attacks more frequently came from Internet Protocol addresses based in India, according to the Korea Internet and Security Agency.The agency on Thursday said that India had the highest number of IP addresses that were used for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against Korean websites in the second half of last year.With India accounting for more than 12.9 percent of the foreign IP addresses participating in the cyber attack, Brazil,

Consumers’ expectations for economic recovery in March marked the highest in 10 months, the Bank of Korea said on Wednesday. The BOK’s data showed that the consumer sentiment index hit a record-high 104 in March, a two-point increase from a month ago. A CSI over 100 means that consumers have a positive view of the country’s economic status. Additionally, the consumer sentiment for expenditure reached as high as 109, implying that consumers find themselves capable of spending more money in the fu

Female students were found to be three times more prone to smartphone addiction than their male counterparts, according to a new survey. Nearly 6 percent of students were at high or potentially high risk of addiction, according to the survey of 1,600 students conducted late last year by Gangbuk I will Center, a public institution to fight Internet addiction.This broke down into 8.3 percent of female students and 2.8 percent of male students. These students at high risk are hooked on mobile devic

People aged over 55 outnumbered those between 15 and 29 years of age in the working population in Seoul last year, reflecting the aging society and growing youth jobless, the metropolitan government said on Monday.This demographic reversal among the employed is the first since employment statistics began in 1989. The number of working Seoul citizens aged over 55 reached 956,000 in 2012, a 54.4 percent increase from 619,000 in 2002.During the same period, the corresponding number of workers betwe

South Korea’s assistance to North Korea in 2012 fell to the lowest level in over a decade with the cross-border ties chilled by Pyongyang’s continued provocations and Seoul’s policy of linking aid to efforts at openness and denuclearization. The Park Geun-hye government on Friday issued its first approval of humanitarian aid to the North despite heightening tension over its nuclear test. Charity Eugene Bell was given permission to deliver tuberculosis medicine worth 678 million won ($605,000) to

Government agencies and public institutions have been more exposed to cyber attacks than any organization in the private sector, a study showed.The private Financial Security Agency said Thursday that the number of daily responses to cyber attacks from government and public organizations in 2011 was an average 20.5 times.The financial sector, which was a target of Wednesday’s hacking attack, also responded 11.8 times on a daily basis to Advanced Persistent Threats. APT is a type of targeted cybe

The number of Chinese travelers to Korea exceeded Japanese travelers for the first time in February, the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday.KTO data revealed that about 219,400 Chinese tourists flew to Korea in February, a steep 61 percent increase compared to 132,900 in February, 2012. This indicates that three out of every 10 foreign tourists to Korea are Chinese, the KTO said. The data showed that the number of Japanese tourists who entered the country by flight between January and Feb

Airbus set a new record in the aviation industry on Monday when it completed the biggest aircraft sale in history.The order for 234 Airbus aircraft by Indonesian carrier Lion Air was worth close to $24 billion, beating by some $2 billion the previous record held by Boeing and American Airlines.The achievement by the French aircraft manufacturer was welcome news for the French economy, which is currently struggling with an unemployment rate of over 10 percent. By John Power (john.power@heraldcorp

Dogged by job in security and retirement plans, Koreans in their 50s and 60s are less satisfied with their financial situation than younger people, a study showed Monday.The private Hyundai Research Institute said its economic happiness index for 2012 showed that all age groups tended to self-evaluate their economic happiness as very low in general ― an average 40.4 points out of a maximum 100.The index takes into account six factors: income level, economic distribution, expenditure level, job s

The nation’s working-age population is expected to fall after peaking in 2021, a state-run think tank said on Sunday.The nation’s labor force participation rate, an indicator for the size of the working-age population of an economy, is forecast to hit a record high of 61.6 percent before falling steadily, the Korea Development Institute said. It added the rate was likely to fall to the 50 percent range in 2030, which means Korea will face a shortage of labor. An aging population and low birth ra