South Koreans’ overseas card spending continued to grow in the third quarter as outbound travel spiked bolstered by eased pandemic curbs, central bank data showed. The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with cards, including credit and debit cards, came to $3.81 billion in the July-September period, up 4.1 percent from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Bank of Kor...

Around 17 percent of South Korean women experienced a career break following their marriage this year, with child-rearing among the top reasons, official government data showed. The number of women aged 15-54 who had stopped working after marriage had come to 1.39 million as of April, slightly down from 1.44 million tallied a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea. The decrease c...

US colleges and universities are seeing more international students enroll following a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new survey, released from the Institute of International Education and the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, found first-time international student enrollment was up by 80 percent last year compared to the year before. During the last ...

A South Korean ancient history book, traditional women’s poetry and records of a massive oil spill have been added to the regional list of the UNESCO Memory of the World program. The Cultural Heritage Administration said “Samguk-yusa” (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) and two other candidates from the country were granted the status during a general meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Co...

South Korea will play Portugal for its final match of Group H in the World Cup on Saturday (Korean time), at the same time as Ghana and Uruguay. Here is a look at what needs to happen for South Korea to reach the next round. - If two teams have the same number of points, the top team is decided by the following criteria, in order: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head result, and "fair pl...

Repatriations of foreign women and children affiliated with Islamic State from detention camps in northeast Syria hit a record high in 2022, Kurdish authorities said. Thousands of foreigners including women and children had gone to Syria to live in IS' so-called "caliphate" until 2019, when US-backed Kurdish forces snatched the last pocket of Syrian territory from the jihadists. Fleeing women a...

The number of multiple-home owners in South Korea fell 2 percent on-year in 2021, data showed, apparently on tax burdens. The number of multiple-home owners reached 2.27 million in 2021, falling from 2.32 million tallied in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. They took up 15.1 percent of the total homeowners, down 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The total number of home...

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar - the first time the soccer tournament has been held in the Middle East - kicked off on Sunday. The tournament is being held through Dec. 18. The first World Cup tournament was held in 1930 - 92 years ago - and entirely within the city of Uruguay's capital Montevideo, according to FIFA's website. Brazil has won the World Cup a record five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1...

South Korean supergroup BTS has been nominated in two categories for the 2023 Grammy Awards, becoming the first K-pop act to receive Grammy nominations for the third consecutive year. The septet was nominated for the best pop duo or group performance for “My Universe,” along with British rock band Coldplay, and best music video for “Yet to Come,” during the official Grammy nomination ceremony ...

South Korea will be playing the country's 10th consecutive FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Its pursuit of only a third trip to the knockout phase begins Thursday against Uruguay, the first Group H match for both countries. South Korea will then play Ghana on Nov. 28 and Portugal on Dec. 2. Portugal, at No. 9, is the highest-ranked team in Group H, followed by Uruguay at No. 14, South Korea at No....

South Korea’s rice output fell 3 percent this year from a year earlier due to a sharp drop in precipitation and lack of sunny days, data showed. The country’s rice production came to 3.76 million tons this year, falling from 3.88 million tons tallied in 2021, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the sixth straight year that the country’s yearly rice production stayed...

Three out of every 10 students from elementary to high school were overweight or obese last year, as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic kept them from outdoor activities, an Education Ministry report showed. The rate of overweight or obese students reached 30.8 percent as of 2021, according to the report based on health checkup results from 1,023 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. ...

Smash-hit Netflix series “Squid Game” actor Lee Jung-jae will star in “The Acolyte,” an upcoming Star Wars series to be streamed on Disney +, according to production company Lucasfilm. “The Acolyte” is a mystery thriller written and directed by Leslye Headland for Disney+ and has begun production in Britain, Lucasfilm said in a release posted on its website. Among other main cast members are...

The number of marriages between South Korean nationals and foreign spouses set a new record low last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. A total of 13,926 transnational couples tied the knot here in 2021, down 13.9 percent, or 2,251, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. They accounted for 7.2 percent of all marriages. It marked the lowest reading since ...

The base taxi fare in Seoul will increase by 1,000 won ($0.75) to 4,800 won in February 2023 - the first hike in four years - the city government has announced. The Seoul Metropolitan Government passed the plan to raise the base rate for mid-sized sedan cabs operating in the capital city from the current 3,800 won. It will be first hike of the base taxi fare since February 2019. The city g...