South Korea ranked low for acceptance of homosexuality compared with most other countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent report showed.　According to the OECD’s “Society at a Glance 2019” report, Korea scored 2.8 on a 10-point scale measuring how well homosexuality is accepted in the country. The figure reflects the average score for the years 2001-2014.　Although the figure has improved since the previous time frame that was studied, it is still substantia

　One in 5 deaths globally is linked to poor diet, experts said, warning that overconsumption of sugar, salt and meat is killing millions of people every year.　The United Nations estimates that nearly a billion people worldwide are malnourished, while nearly 2 billion are “overnourished.”　But the latest study on global diet trends, published in The Lancet, showed that in nearly every one of the 195 countries surveyed, people were also eating too much of the wrong types of food -- and consuming wo

　Poor air quality caused more than 17,000 deaths in South Korea in 2017, more than 90 percent of which resulted from the onslaught of harmful PM2.5 particles, a study released by a US civic group showed.　The “State of Global Air 2019” report, published by the Health Effects Institute, revealed that about 17,300 people died from indoor and outdoor air pollution in Korea in 2017, up 23.5 percent from the 14,000 recorded in 1990.　In Korea, the death toll from air pollution decreased to 13,200 in 19

　The number of South Korean subscribers to US streaming platform Netflix more than tripled in one year, industry data showed Thursday, mainly due to the popularity of original local content. 　Netflix was estimated to have nearly 2.4 million active streaming subscribers as of the end of February this year, compared with 799,000 users at the end of February 2018, according to Nielsen Korea.　Netflix, which started as a video rental firm in 1997, currently has more than 189 million paying members in

　The number of postpartum care centers nationwide has fallen, according to a report, in a possible indication of the falling birthrate.  　The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education said there were 584 such centers last year, compared to 610 in 2015. Data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that the number of postpartum care centers increased from 418 in 2009 to 610 in 2015, but fell to 598 in 2017 before declining further the following year.　The number of people using the

　2018 saw a higher proportion of South Korean students skipping breakfast compared to the previous year, said the Ministry of Education, citing a recent study on their physical health.　The proportion of high and middle school students skipping the meal rose respectively to 19.7 percent and 16.2 percent in 2018, up from 18.1 percent and 13.5 percent in 2017.  　In addition, the obesity rate among young Korean students rose to 25 percent last year from 21.2 percent in 2014, marking the fifth consec

　The number of passengers using Incheon Airport reached a new high in 2018, making it the fifth-largest passenger airport in the world. 　According to Incheon International Airport Corp., Incheon Airport handled 67.7 million international passengers last year, up 10 percent from a year earlier. The latest figure is about 3.3 times the number of passengers logged in 2002, the year after the airport opened. 　Incheon Airport opened its second terminal last year, increasing maximum passenger capacity

　A higher proportion of South Koreans used mobile banking services in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to a central bank poll. 　The survey of 2,597 adults conducted by the Bank of Korea last year showed that 57.9 percent of respondents had used such services in 2018, up 11.9 percentage points from 2017.  　Meanwhile, the proportion of those in their 50s who used such services rose from 33.5 percent in 2017 to 51.8 percent last year. 

　South Korea’s statistics agency forecast that the country’s population is likely to peak at 51.94 million in 2028, before declining to 39.29 million in 2067. 　The demographic outlook came as deaths are set to outnumber births in Asia’s fourth-largest economy beginning this year.　South Korea plans to set up a government task force next month to come up with comprehensive measures to tackle demographic challenges.　The number of newborns in South Korea came to 326,900 in 2018, a sharp decline from

　Finland has emerged as the happiest nation for the second consecutive year, according to a report. Researchers say the small Nordic country of 5.5 million people has succeeded in coming up with a recipe for a balanced life not simply dependent on economic and material wealth.　The World Happiness Report, by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks 156 countries in terms of how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. 　It is based on factors such as economic wealth, life exp

　South Korea became the No. 1 exporter of 77 products in 2017, a local trade organization showed, on the back of improved performance from the petrochemicals industry.　According to the Korea International Trade Association, the number of products enjoying a top market share shipped from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew from 68 in 2015 and 71 tallied for 2016.　China had the highest number of products that topped the global market at 1,720, followed by Germany with 693 and the United States with

　The world market for wireless hearables is expected to grow quickly over the next two years thanks to the popularity of Apple’s AirPod, an industry report said.　The global market is estimated to reach 129 million units by 2020, compared with about 46 million units last year, according to a report from industry tracker Counterpoint Research.　The report, however, didn’t provide an estimate for this year’s global sales.　The research firm said Apple’s upcoming second-generation AirPod and similar e

　The number of marriages in Korea has dropped to the lowest level in more than 40 years in 2018, as young people delay marriage amid a weak economic picture, according to government data.　The number of couples tying the knot came to 257,622 in 2018, compared with 264,455 in 2017, according to Statistics Korea. The figure is the lowest since 1972, when the number of couples who got married came to 244,780.　Some young people delay marriage, or give up on marriage altogether, and having babies as t

　South Korea saw reports of medication side effects gain about 2 percent in 2018, although their rate of growth slowed sharply from the prior year, data showed.　Local health authorities handled 257,438 cases of side effects from taking medicine last year, up 1.9 percent from the previous year, according to data from the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management.　By drug, aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine had the largest reports of side effects with 36,321 cases (14.1 percent), followed by

　Paris has climbed to the top of the world‘s priciest city for expatriates, tied first with Singapore and Hong Kong according to a survey that named the capital of strife-torn Venezuela as the cheapest.　South Korea’s capital city Seoul ranked as the seventh most expensive city. The average price of 1 kilogram of bread was found to be $15.59, while in Singapore it was $3.40.　Currency appreciation, inflation and devaluation as well as political upheaval played a part in this year’s rankings, said