The proportion of apartments bought by people in their 30s or younger reached an all-time high last year amid “panic buying” over soaring housing prices, data showed. 　The buyers in this age group accounted for 31 percent of the country’s total apartment sales in 2021, up from 29.2 percent in 2020, according to the data compiled by the Korea Real Estate Board. 　The agency began compiling the related data in 2019, and the figure for that year came to 28.3 percent. 　In Seoul

　South Korean exports of red pepper paste soared nearly 63 percent in the past four years thanks to the global popularity of Korean pop culture, data showed. 　Overseas shipments of red pepper paste, called “gochujang” in Korean, came to $50.93 million in 2020, up 62.6 percent compared with 2016 and 35.2 percent from 2019, according to the data from Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. and the Agriculture Ministry. 　Exports of red pepper paste seem to have soared in recent y

　The K-pop album market has been experiencing an unprecedented boom but the sales of digital music have been sluggish amid the coronavirus pandemic. 　According to the year-end data released by Korea’s album sales tracker Gaon Chart, the nation’s top 400 albums sold 57 million copies in and out of the country in 2021, up 36.9 percent from 41.7 million the previous year. 　The sales of the top 400 albums have been on a steep rise after exceeding 20 million for the first time in 2018.

　South Koreans’ consumption of rice hit an all-time low in 2021, but the decreasing rate slowed on the back of a growing demand for home meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed.  　The average South Korean consumed 56.9 kilograms of rice last year, down 1.4 percent or 0.8 kilograms from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline since 1980 due mainly to changes

　The local performing arts scene saw its revenue soar nearly 80 percent in 2021 from a year earlier, thanks to eased social distancing rules and a rising vaccination rate, data showed. 　The combined revenue of 12,000 theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 307.1 billion won ($258.1 million) last year, according to the data by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System. 　The 2021 amount marked a 78.4 percent on-year surge from 172.1 billion wo

　South Korea’s defense technologies were assessed to be the world’s ninth most advanced as of last year, a triennial government report showed, noting progress in artillery, submarines and other sectors. 　According to the report by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement, South Korea ranked ninth among 16 countries, compared with the previous report in which the country tied with Italy for ninth place in 2018. 　The institute has published the re

　Lottery sales in South Korea rose 10.3 percent on-year to reach an all-time high last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. 　Sales of lottery tickets stood at 5.98 trillion won ($5.02 billion) in 2021, compared to 5.42 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from the Finance Ministry. 　The figure has been rising in recent years from 4.15 trillion won in 2017 to 4.38 trillion won in 2018 and further to 4.79 trillion won in 2019, the data showed. 　By type, sales of onlin

　The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics officially begin today.  　It‘s the second Olympics to take place under strict COVID-19 restrictions, as the global pandemic enters its third year. 　South Korea has sent 64 athletes competing in six sports and set a modest goal of winning one or two gold medals and finishing around the top 15 in the medal race.  　Short track champion Choi Min-jeong, skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin and snowboarder Lee Sang-ho are contenders to vie for the spotligh

　South Korea’s air traffic rose nearly 11 percent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the pandemic, data showed. 　Over 465,000 domestic and international flights flew over South Korea last year, up 10.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. 　Air traffic in the country had gradually increased in recent years from around 739,000 in 2016 to 842,000 in 2019 before dipping

Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, according to a new Gallup poll released. That represents the lowest number of books read compared to any previous survey dating back to 1990, Gallup said. In three polls conducted between 2002 and 2016, Gallup surveys showed that Americans read an average of 15.2 books per year.The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 poll of a random sample of 811 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The participants were aske

The percentage of Americans who identify as Christian dropped 15 percentage points over the past 14 years, while those who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated increased by 14 percentage points, a Pew study released indicates.Pew's National Public Opinion Reference Survey found that the majority of Americans - 63 percent - consider themselves Christian, down from 78 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, 29 percent of adults list their religion as “none,” meaning they consider themsel

Enrollment of foreign students in US colleges and universities plunged 15 percent in the 2020-21 school year even though American institutions remain in high esteem, research showed. Fewer than 1 million foreign students enrolled for either online or in-person classes at US universities in the 2020-21 school year, marking a 15 percent year-over-year decrease from the previous school year, according to data from the Institute of International Education analyzed by the Pew Research Center. It als

　Nine out of 10 South Koreans feel climate change firsthand and are willing to accept any inconvenience caused by policies to solve the problem, a poll showed. 　According to the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide by a civic group, 89.2 percent answered that they actually feel the effects of the climate crisis and 88.5 percent expressed a willingness to accept the inconvenience of policies introduced to address the crisis. 　The poll was conducted by pollster Research View from Dec. 14-18 at the r

　China's birth rate plummeted to a record low last year, official data showed, as analysts warn that faster-than-expected aging could deepen economic growth concerns. 　Beijing has been grappling with a looming demographic crisis as it faces a rapidly aging workforce, slowing economy and the country's weakest population growth in decades. 　The birth rate of the world’s second-biggest economy slipped to 7.52 births per 1,000 people, according to National Bureau of Statistics data, down fr

　South Korea’s exports of kimchi hit an all-time high last year thanks to its growing popularity, data showed. 　Outbound shipments of the spicy Korean traditional side dish came to a record $159.9 million in 2021, resulting in a trade surplus of $19.2 million in the sector, according to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 　It is the first time in 12 years that South Korea registered a surplus in the kimchi trade. 　Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish

　Four out of 10 self-employed people in South Korea are considering closing their businesses due to sluggish sales amid the long-enforced strict social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed. 　According to the survey of 500 people operating restaurants, retail and other service businesses by the Federation of Korean Industries, a major business lobby group, 40.8 percent said that they are considering discontinuing their operations. 　Of them, 28.2 percent cited decli

　Foreign direct investment pledged to South Korea's free economic zones surged 42.8 percent in 2021, led by the overseas investment in bio and other new industry sectors, data showed. 　The country’s nine FEZs received $1.31 billion worth of FDI commitment last year, up from $910 million a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. 　It is the first time in three years that the figure marked an on-year growth. 　The amount of foreign direct

Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, according to a new Gallup poll released. 　That represents the lowest number of books read compared to any previous survey dating back to 1990, Gallup said. In three polls conducted between 2002 and 2016, Gallup surveys showed that Americans read an average of 15.2 books per year. 　The results are based on a Dec. 1-16 poll of a random sample of 811 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The participants were

　 By some counts, President Joe Biden can lay claim to a banner first year in office. But the numbers also reveal plenty of setbacks.  　Most Americans got their COVID-19 vaccines, but other countries fared better. Economic growth surged; so did inflation. America exited Afghanistan, but the war ended with a chaotic evacuation and a suicide bombing that killed 13 US troops. Pandemic aid and infrastructure bills passed. Pricey legislation to advance Biden’s social and climate proposal

　People in Seoul picked infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the most dangerous health hazard they face, followed by fine dust and climate change, a survey showed. 　Infectious diseases topped the list of dangerous health and environmental factors with 4.21 points on a 5-point scale in an online survey of 1,000 Seoul residents and 321 experts on public health and the environment, according to the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. 　Fine dust came in second at 4.02