Koreans are surveyed to have had more leisure time and spent more money on leisure activities on average in 2018 than previous years. 　On average, people had 3.3 hours of free time per weekday and 5.3 hours per weekend, the Culture Ministry said, citing the outcome of its 2018 survey on national leisure activities of 10,498 people aged over 15 in 17 cities across the nation via one-on-one interviews.         　The figures were increases from 3.1 hours and 5 hours in 2016, respectively, according

　The combined number of passenger planes operated by South Korea’s six low-cost carriers extended to 140 airplanes last year, challenging the 167 airplanes owned by the national flag carrier Korean Air Lines, the government said. 　The six LCCs -- Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet and T’way Air -- have aggressively expanded their fleet to meet growing travel demand on short-haul routes to Asian cities. 　The budget carriers and two full-service carriers -- Korean Air and Asiana A

　The number of Japanese visitors to South Korea increased at the fastest rate in nine years in 2018. 　According to data from Statistics Korea, the number of Japanese visitors to the country spiked 28.1 percent on-year to more than 2.92 million in 2018. The rate of increase was the highest since 2009, when the figure rose 28.7 percent from the previous year. 　On the other hand, the rise in the number of South Korean visitors to Japan slowed from a year earlier, according to data from the Japanese

　Following 2018’s dramatic Ultra Violet, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2019 is Living Coral.　Pantone Color Institute describes the color that “Living Coral is a bright pink-orange hue with a soft, golden undertone, making it a more livable shade of coral than we’ve seen in the past.”　Pantone announces a new color of the year every December, based on its trend-forecasting research.

　South Korea bought US weapons worth a total of $6.73 billion from 2008 to 2017, becoming the third-largest importer of arms produced by its ally, according to an annual analysis of the defense market.　According to the 2018 Global Defense Market Yearbook by the state-run Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, Saudi Arabia topped the list of importers of US weapons, followed by Australia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.　In the decade starting 2008, Saudi Arabia imported $10.63 billi

　According to an online survey of 8,000 people in 16 countries, including South Korea, 80.3 percent of foreign respondents positively rated the nation’s image.　Notably, 34.6 percent expressed a “very positive” impression of the nation, the survey showed. It was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the affiliated Korea Culture and Information Service.　Forty percent of foreign respondents said Korea’s most representative image was in Korean cuisine, 22.8 percent in

　London is Europe’s most attractive city for technology startups, despite a sharp slowdown last year, a study showed.　With Brexit looming, the mayor’s promotional agency, London & Partners, said 1.8 billion pounds ($2.3 billion) had been invested in fledgling tech businesses in 2018.　That represented a near 30 percent slump compared with 2017 and was the first slowdown in six years, L&P said in a statement.　But London’s 2018 total was still double that of Berlin, which stood in second place, whi

　South Koreans dined out less frequently in 2018 compared with 2017, according to a recent survey.　The survey involved 3,014 people aged 20-69, and revealed that Koreans dined out an average of 20.8 times per month last year. The comparable figure a year earlier was 21.8.　They made an average of 13.7 visits to restaurants per month, with delivered or takeout meals accounting for the remainder.　Average spending on eating out stood at 292,689 won ($260.40) per month, about 11,000 won lower than la

　As many as 8 in 10 South Koreans have experienced exposure to secondhand smoke from neighbors, but most refrained from complaining, a poll showed.　The survey of 1,542 residents of Gyeonggi Province -- the nation’s most populous province, which surrounds Seoul -- found that 1,197 respondents, or 78 percent, had been subjected to harm as a result of smoking by their neighbors.　The poll was conducted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government from Dec. 21-27 last year on its online site.　Seventy-four p

　South Korea will increase defense spending by an average of 7.5 percent each year over the next five years, the Defense Ministry said.　The ministry announced its defense blueprint for the 2019-2023 period, when it intends to spend 270.7 trillion won ($241 billion) -- 94.1 trillion won on improving defense capabilities and the rest on managing troops, equipment and facilities.  　Under the plan, the ministry seeks to increase the country’s defense budget, which stands at 46.7 trillion won this ye

　The number of abandoned animals continued to increase in South Korea, amid the growing number of households raising pets, government data shows. 　The number of abandoned animals stood at 102,593 in 2017, gradually rising from 81,147 in 2014. The number of households raising pets also increased from 4.57 million in 2015 to 5.39 million in 2017, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.　On average, 281 pets were abandoned every day in 2017.　In the wake of a

　The US government shutdown became the longest in history when it entered its 25th day Tuesday.　Trump was unmoved in the White House, his border wall unbuilt, and around 800,000 federal workers were still without pay and facing mounting hardships.

　The global market for organic light-emitting diode TVs has surged twofold every year since 2015.　IHS Markit said sales of OLED sets are estimated to have reached some 2.6 million units in 2018, up from just 335,000 in 2015. Data showed that sales reached 724,000 units in 2016, followed by 1.59 million units in the following year.　Total sales may rise to 3.6 million units this year, nearly double to reach 7 million units in 2020 and surpass 10 million units in 2021.　The market researcher said OL

　Fine dust filled South Korea’s sky Sunday, prompting authorities to take countermeasures and issue advisories. 　The fine dust level stood at 79 micrograms per cubic meter for Seoul as of 10 a.m., according to Air Korea.　The density level was likely to hover above 50 micrograms per cubic meter on average for the day in most of Seoul and the surrounding regions, the weather agency predicted. 　In response to the dust, the Ministry of Environment required thermal power plants in the affected areas

　The number of dedicated global fans of “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, is estimated to have surged to about 90 million at the end of last year, a government-affiliated foundation said.　The Korea Foundation said in a report that there were 1,843 hallyu fan clubs in 113 countries worldwide, excluding South Korea, as of December 2018.　The global hallyu fan clubs had a total of 89.19 million members, marking a surge of 22 percent, or 16.07 million, from 73.12 million in 2017, said the foundation, whi