Foreigners visiting South Korea for medical treatment are largely satisfied with the services they receive, a poll showed.　Foreign patients gave an average rating of 90.5 out of 100 for the level of care they received in 2018, with numbers generally climbing over the years, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.　Patients from Russia gave the Korean health care industry the highest rating at 94.4, followed by those from the United States at 91.8 and those from China at 90.1, the latest

　South Korea’s direct purchases from foreign countries rose 31 percent in 2018 from a year earlier on rising consumer demand for cheaper and higher quality products, customs data showed.　South Korean shoppers bought a total of $2.75 billion worth of foreign goods directly via overseas internet shopping malls in 2018, compared with $2.11 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korean Customs Service.　The number of overseas direct purchases jumped 37 percent on-year t

　Of the global surge in measles last year, just 10 countries accounted for three-quarters of all cases, the UN children’s agency said, including one of the world’s richest nations, France.　Ninety-eight countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared with 2017, and the world body warned that conflict, complacency and the growing anti-vaccine movement threatened to undo decades of work to tame the disease.　Measles is more contagious than tuberculosis or Ebola, yet it is eminently prevent

　South Korea remained the top country where women face lower wages in the workforce, a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed.　Data from 2017 revealed that 35.3 percent of female workers in South Korea were being paid low wages. Employees who were getting less than two-thirds of the median income of workers in OECD countries were categorized as low-wage earners.　South Korea was at the top for 2017 data, which compared eight member nations who had relevant da

　More civilians were killed in the war in Afghanistan in 2018 than during any other year on record, after nearly two decades of fighting, according to a UN report recently released.　Civilian deaths jumped by 11 percent from 2017 with 3,804 people killed and another 7,189 wounded, according to the UN figures, as suicide attacks and bombings wreaked havoc across the war-torn country.

　Overseas card spending by South Koreans posted double-digit growth for the second straight year in 2018 due to a larger number of outbound travelers and a weaker US dollar, according to the Bank of Korea.　Koreans made $19.22 billion worth of card payments abroad last year, up 12.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the central bank.　Overseas card spending includes purchases made with debit and direct payment cards, in addition to credit cards.

　Pollution levels in many Asian countries are so high that they threaten food security and human health. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand and Indonesia were identified as some of the world’s most polluted countries in a recent global ranking. In contrast, Japan was the least polluted Asian country on the list.   　To assess the environmental health of the world’s countries, Yale University and Columbia University jointly developed the Environmental Performance Index in collaboration with the World

　Asian countries are spending more on their human capital, according to World Bank Human Capital Index. 　The Human Capital Index measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age of 18, given the risks to poor health and poor education that prevail in the country where the child lives. The HCI index values aim to convey the productivity of the next generation and highlights how ready Asian youth are to face a future of immense opportunities.　Singapore takes

　The Korea Baseball Organization recently announced its salary data for the 2019 season.　Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants topped all players with an annual salary of 2.5 billion won ($2.2 million), followed by the Kia Tigers’ Yang Hyeon-jong (2.3 billion won) and the NC Dinos’ Yang Eui-ji (2 billion won). 

　The price of popular dishes rose about 8 percent over a one-year period, the Korea Consumer Agency said.　Posted on the agency's price information site, the list of eight dishes measured between January of last and this year showed price increases for seven.　“Gimbap,” a rice roll with vegetables, cost an average 2,369 won ($2.11), up 8.1 percent from a year ago. A bowl of “naengmyeon,” cold buckwheat noodles, was priced at an average of 8,846 won, up 8 percent, while bibimbap, rice mixed with ve

　South Koreans’ attendance of cultural and arts events has risen steadily in recent years due to higher incomes and growing interest in culture, showed a survey. 　According to the survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the rate of public attendance of cultural and arts events was 81.5 percent between Aug. 1, 2017 and July 31, 2018.　This represented an increase of 3.2 percentage points from 78.3 percent recorded in 2016 and marked the fi

　Samsung Electronics was placed among the top two in a brand rating by French consumers, company officials said.　The 2019 edition of Best Brands France showed the tech firm at No. 1 in the best product brand category and at No. 2 in best corporate brand after Amazon.　For the golden age brand, chosen by consumers aged 50 and up, Samsung Electronics finished at No. 2 after Bose.　China's Huawei was ranked top for the best growth brand.

　LeBron James remains the top-earning player in the NBA while an increasing number of stars have boosted their income through off-field activities, according to Forbes.　Forbes said that Los Angeles Lakers star James was the highest-paid player in basketball for a fifth straight year, pocketing an estimated $88.7 million in 2018-19.　Around $35.7 million of James's earnings came from salary and bonuses, while $53 million was generated through endorsements.　Golden State Warriors ace Stephen Curry r

　The number of abortions estimated to have been performed in South Korea stood at 49,764 in 2017, down from 69,909 in 2016 and 168,738 in 2010, possibly due to wider use of birth control, a report said Thursday. 　The report was based on a survey of 10,000 women aged between 15 and 44. It was the first such nationwide survey in eight years. 

　A total of 2.9 million tourists used Airbnb, a global house-sharing platform, here last year, up 56 percent from a year earlier, the company said.　Seven out of 10 Airbnb users, or some 2.02 million, were locals, with 156,200 Chinese tourists to South Korea staying at Airbnb accommodations, accounting for 17 percent of all foreign tourists using the house-sharing platform, it added.　Airbnb hosts earned an average of 4.94 million won ($4,400) last year, according to the company.