Japan began its first commercial whale hunts in more than three decades on July 1, brushing aside outrage over its resumption of a practice that conservationists say is cruel and outdated.　The hunts come after Japan decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, a move slammed by activists and anti-whaling countries but welcomed by Japanese whaling communities.　The country’s Fisheries Agency said it had set a cap for a total catch of 227 whales through the season until lat

　The number of museums, including art galleries, in South Korea will increase by 16 percent over the next five years under a government proposal to make representative cultural infrastructure more accessible to the public, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.　The ministry unveiled a medium and long-term museum expansion plan to raise the number of museums nationwide by 186 from the current 1,124 to 1,310 in 2023.　By the target year, the nation will have 1,013 museums, up from 873, a

　France’s Mirazur restaurant - whose Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco draws inspiration from the sea, the mountains and his own garden - was crowned the world’s best by an influential trade list.　The accolade came just months after Colagreco was handed a third Michelin star, and was the first time a French establishment has triumphed in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.　In the second spot in the awards - which took place in Singapore, their first time in Asia - was Noma in Co

　South Korea’s health care and cosmetics exports surged to $14.6 billion last year, the result of solid demand, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.　Outbound shipments of drugs, medical equipment and makeup jumped 19.4 percent from the previous year, with the annual average growth rate for the past five years hitting 21 percent, according to the ministry.　Of the total, cosmetics accounted for $6.3 billion. The next-strongest export sectors were drugs and medical equipment at $4.7 billi

Where is it? 　　The 4-kilometer-wide DMZ runs for 250 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula, around 50 kilometers north of Seoul and 200 kilometers south of Pyongyang. 　At its center is the Military Demarcation Line, where the front line was located when the cease-fire stopping Korean War hostilities was signed in 1953. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to pull back their forces 2,000 meters.What is it? 　　A barrier separating North and South Korea, heavy weaponry is banned within the DMZ. P

　Average spending by foreign tourists visiting South Korea has decreased to a level last seen 10 years ago, data showed.　According to the data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, foreign tourists coming to Korea spent an average of $1,268 per person per trip in the first quarter of this year. 　The figure is down 12.1 percent from $1,442 a year ago and marks the fourth quarterly decrease in a row.　Average spending hovered around $1,200 in the mid-2

　The world’s population is expected to climb to 9.7 billion in 2050 from 7.7 billion today, with the population of sub-Saharan Africa doubling, a United Nations report said.　The population could then grow to 11 billion by 2100, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ “World Population Prospects.”　The study paints a picture of a future in which a handful of countries see their population surge as life expectancy lengthens while the global growth rate

　South Korean brands again demonstrated the best initial quality among 32 automotive brands sold in the United States, according to an annual ranking by researcher J.D. Power, with about half of the domestic brands better than average and all European brands below average. 　Genesis, Kia and Hyundai, all part of Hyundai Motor Group, were the top three brands in the 2019 US Initial Quality Study, which measures problems in the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. 　Ford Motor ranked fourth followed

　The overall number of nuclear warheads in the world has declined in the past year but nations are modernizing their arsenals, a report said.　At the start of 2019, the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea had a total of some 13,865 nuclear weapons, according to estimates in a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That represents a decrease of 600 nuclear weapons compared to the start of 2018.　But at the same time all

The world has become slightly safer for the first time in five years but it remains “considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago,” a think tank said.The 2019 Global Peace Index ranked Iceland as the world’s most peaceful nation for the 11th year in succession, based on 23 factors including internal and external conflicts, military spending, terrorism and crime rates. South Korea is 55th on the list.Afghanistan was at the bottom, followed by Syria, South Sudan, Yemen and Ir

Lionel Messi was the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2018, Forbes reported June 11. The soccer star raked in $127 million in the year via salary and endorsement deals.That put Messi ahead of longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Juventus and Portugal star who was second with earnings of $109 million.Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar came in third with earnings of $105 million, completing the sweep for soccer players of the top three positions on the list. (AFP)

　Seoul and Busan, respectively, have become the fourth and ninth most expensive cities for expats in Asia, according to a recent report.　Worldwide, the South Korean capital was the eighth most expensive city for expats, according to the report from London-based ECA International.　Ashgabat in Turkmenistan took the crown as the most expensive city, having climbed to the top from No. 29 just last year. Hong Kong ranked fourth in the world and second in Asia. 　The annual study looked at living costs

　An estimated 115 million boys and men worldwide were married as children, 23 million of them before the age of 15, UNICEF said in the first ever in-depth study of child grooms.　The Central African Republic had the highest prevalence of child marriage among boys at 28 percent, followed by Nicaragua at 20 percent and Madagascar at 13 percent.　Data from 82 countries showed that boys are being married at high rates around the world: in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia, East Asia and Oc

　The world is projected to have more than 2.1 billion residents aged 60 and above by 2050, more than double the number of 2017, according to the United Nations.　The elderly population in Asia numbered 549 million in 2017 and will grow to around 1.27 billion in 2050.　The number of elderly is expected to grow fastest in Africa, by more than threefold to 226 million, the data shows.

　US retail giant Amazon has overtaken tech titans Apple and Google to become the world’s most valuable brand, according to a survey. 　The brand value of Amazon surged 52 percent to $315 billion, global market research agency Kantar said in its 2019 100 Top BrandZ report.　Amazon jumped from third to first place to eclipse Google, which slid from first to third place. Apple held on to the second spot.　South Korea’s Samsung fell five spots to stand at No. 38.