The North Korean economy is estimated to have expanded at an annual rate o f 4.7 percent between 1956 and 1989, the Bank of Korea estimated. 　North Korea's economy grew at a double-digit rate up until the 1960s, but has failed to catch up to that of South Korea since then, according to the central bank. 　The BOK report said the North Korean economy is believed to have expanded at an average annual rate of 13.7 percent between the 1956-1960 period. Its growth nosedived to an average 4.1 pe

　The number of people using financial mobile apps, including for banking and stock trading, has surpassed users of apps for online shopping and games, industry data showed. 　According to data from mobile big data platform IGAWorks, a total of 31.16 million people with Android devices used financial applications in June, compared to 23.63 million people using e-commerce apps and 19.84 million mobile game users here. 　A total of 37.5 million Android device owners used portal apps including N

　The number of human immunodeficiency virus infections among young people in South Korea has been rising in recent years, a report said, stressing the need for state efforts to stem the trend. 　Korea reported 469 new HIV patients aged 10-29 in 2019, up sharply from 415 a year earlier, according to the report by the Korea Federation for HIV/AIDS Prevention. 　The number had been on a steady increase since 2011, when 248 new adolescent cases were reported. (Yonhap)

　South Korea’s exports of kimchi rose sharply in the first half of the year thanks to its growing popularity, data showed. 　Overseas shipments of kimchi came to 20,259 metric tons in the January-June period, accounting for 68.3 percent of full-year exports in 2019, according to the data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. 　South Korea‘s outbound shipments of kimchi have been on a steady rise with the volume rising from 23,490 tons in 2016 to 24,311 tons in 2017

　North Korea has lost around 210,000 hectares of forest over the past decade, a UN agency’s report showed, pointing to a worsening deforestation problem in the communist state. 　According to the report from the Food and Agriculture Organization, North Korea’s forest area stood at 6.03 million hectares this year, down from 6.24 million hectares in 2010. 　The decline is in line with a steady shrinkage in forest in North Korea over the past three decades. 　Forest area in the Nort

　South Korea’s mail volume fell at the biggest-ever pace in the first half of the year as the coronavirus outbreak sharply reduced demand, data showed. 　Mail volume in Asia’s fourth-largest economy came to 1.59 billion pieces during the January-June period, down 8.9 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Post. 　The figure was the largest-ever on-year decline and much higher than the 5.3 percent on-year drop recorded during the same period last year. (Yonh

　South Korean imports of beer fell last year for the first time in a decade, largely on a nationwide boycott of Japanese products amid a yearlong trade dispute, data showed. 　Imports of beer stood at 360,000 tons in 2019, down 7.2 percent from 387,000 tons a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. It marked the first on-year decrease since 2009, a sharp turnaround from a 17.1 percent hike in 2018 and a 50.2 percent jump in 2017. (Yonhap)

　South Korea’s exports of ice cream to Vietnam jumped 30 percent in 2019 from a year earlier on the back of the growing popularity of Korean culture in Southeast Asia, data showed. 　Outbound shipments of ice cream to Vietnam reached $7 million in 2019, rising sharply from $5.3 million a year earlier, according to the report released by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. 　In contrast, Thailand, the top player in the segment, saw its ice cream exports to Vietnam only edge up

　More than half of young South Koreans, 50.2 percent, quit their first jobs after less than a year in search of better-paying and more stable employment, a report showed. 　The report, published by the Korean Labor Economic Association, also found that only 1 in 10 young people stays at a first job for more than four years. 　The percentage of young people who stayed at their first jobs for more than one year but less than two was 18.9 percent, while another 18.7 percent kept their first jo

　Foreign visitors to South Korea last year for consuming K-pop goods and content spent an estimated $1,007 on average, according to a report. 　In its latest tourism industry analysis report, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization estimated that some 1.11 million foreigners came to Korea in 2019 to specifically consume goods and experiences related to Hallyu last year. 　On average, $302 was spent on general shopping, $184 on lodgings, $155 on food and $138 on Hallyu-related spending, acco

　South Korea’s annual exports of cultural goods exceeded $10 billion won for the first time in 2019, led by gains in the games and character intellectual property sectors, a government report showed. 　The estimate of combined overseas exports of some 2,500 firms in 11 culture and entertainment sectors last year reached $10.4 billion, up 8.1 percent from 2018, according to the annual content industry statistics produced jointly by the Culture Ministry and its affiliated Korea Creative

　Estimated financial losses caused by the new coronavirus in South Korea’s arts and culture industry reached nearly 150 billion won ($124.9 million) during the first half of 2020, a report showed. 　In a report assessing the financial damage in the culture industry during the January-June period, the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute estimated that 6,457 performing arts events, such as concerts and theater productions, and 1,525 visual arts events, such as art exhibitions, were can

　PCs, somewhat left behind in the mobile internet age, are making a comeback as people stuck at home due to the coronavirus rely on them for work, education and entertainment, industry watchers say. 　Gartner and International Data Corp. reports show shipments of desktop computers, laptops and workstations grew in the second quarter as pandemic-related disruptions to the supply chain were overcome. 　IDC determined that PC shipments worldwide jumped 11.2 percent to 72.3 million units on the

　Amazon has overtaken Apple as the world’s most valuable brand, according to global market research conducted by Kantar. 　The report, titled 2019 Top BrandZ, claims the value of the e-commerce giant’s brand grew to $415 billion. 　Apple came second, valued at $352 billion, with Microsoft in third place at $326 billion 　South Korea’s Samsung had the 40th biggest value at almost $32 billion.

　The number of blood donors in South Korea sank nearly 11 percent in the first five months of this year amid a prolonged coronavirus outbreak, data showed.  　About 966,900 people donated blood in the January-May period, down 10.9 percent from some 1.08 million a year earlier, according to the Korean Red Cross data provided to Rep. Jeon Bong-min of the main opposition United Future Party. 　The sharp decline comes as the potentially deadly novel coronavirus has been gripping South Kor