South Korea was the world‘s second-largest spender on chip equipment in the second quarter of the year, a report showed, amid a global semiconductor shortage. 　South Korea, home to major memory chip producers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, invested $6.62 billion in chipmaking equipment in the April-June period, up 48 percent from a year ago, according to quarterly billings data from SEMI, a global industry association representing companies in the electronics design and manufactu

　Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reclaimed the top spot in the list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players from Lionel Messi, according to Forbes. 　Forbes said Ronaldo, among the world’s most popular athletes with over 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, is set to make $125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonuses at United. 　The rest will come from endorsements and partnerships wit

　The United Nations warned that weather-related disasters have skyrocketed over the past half-century, causing far more damage even as better warning systems have meant fewer deaths. 　A report from the UN‘s World Meteorological Organization examined mortality and economic losses from weather, climate and water extremes between 1970 and 2019. 　It found that such disasters have increased fivefold during that period, driven largely by a warming planet, and warned the upward trend would

　South Korea's top cosmetics maker AmorePacific has the highest ratio of female employees among major local firms, a corporate tracker said. 　AmorePacific had 8,117 female workers as of the end of December last year, which accounted for 74.8 percent of its total workforce at 10,800, according to Korea CXO Institute.  　The institute attributed AmorePacific’s high percentage to its business catering mainly to women.  　Hana Bank came next with 60.5 percent, followed by hom

　Sales of high-end imported cars spiked nearly 66 percent in the first eight months of the year amid the popularity of big-ticket eco-friendly models among local motorists and a post-lockdown shopping spree, industry data showed. 　A total of 45,042 imported vehicles with price tags of 100 million won ($85,700) or higher were sold in South Korea in the January-August period, up 65.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Associ

　Animal farming accounts for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as plants grown for consumption, according to a study published that mapped agricultural activities worldwide. 　What humans eat accounts for a major chunk of the emissions behind climate-change - transportation, deforestation, cold-storage and the digestive systems of cattle all send polluting gases into the atmosphere. 　Researchers looked at carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide released by food production and consum

　South Koreans‘ overseas card spending jumped 80 percent on-year in the second quarter as many nations eased lockdown rules following the COVID-19 pandemic, central bank data showed. 　The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with cards, including both credit and debit cards, totaled $3.37 billion in the April-June period, compared to $1.87 billion for the same period last year, according to data from the Bank of Korea. 　Compared with three months earlier, overseas card sp

　The number of medical tourists to South Korea tumbled nearly 77 percent in 2020 from a year earlier, amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed. 　Roughly 117,100 foreign patients visited South Korea last year, down a whopping 76.5 percent from some 497,500 a year earlier, according to data from the local medical community. 　The data is based on statistics gathered by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. 　Seoul Asan Medical Center, one of South Korea‘s five major hospita

　The number of delivery workers in South Korea swelled nearly 12 percent in the second half of last year to hit a record high amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed. 　Asia’s fourth-largest economy had 390,000 carriers as of the end of December last year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea. 　The tally covers mail carriers, door-to-door couriers, food delivery workers, newspaper delivery workers and carriers of milk and other bev

　The total number of students in kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools in South Korea has fallen below 6 million for the first time, government data showed, amid the nation's declining birthrate. 　According to data from the Ministry of Education, there were 5,957,000 students enrolled in kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools nationwide as of April 1, marking a decline of 0.9 percent from a year earlier. 　Student population decreased for all except middle sch

　Samsung Electronics was the world’s third-largest smartwatch vendor in the second quarter of the year, a report showed, after its shipments posted robust 43 percent on-year growth. 　The South Korean tech giant logged a market share of 7.6 percent in the April-June period, up from 6.8 percent a year earlier, and edged China’s BBK Electronics for third place, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. 　Apple maintained its lead in the second quarter, but its market s

　South Korea’s combined area of rice paddies moved up 0.8 percent on-year in 2021, data showed, with the country expected to maintain a stable supply of the staple grain despite heavy rains. 　The combined size of rice paddies is estimated at 732,000 hectares - slightly more than half the size of the US state of Connecticut - compared to 726,000 hectares last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 　The producer price of rice per 20 kilograms came to 55

　Golf courses on Jeju Island appear to be an exception to the COVID-19 recession, with the southern resort island inundated with record numbers of golfers from elsewhere for the second consecutive year. 　The number of visitors to Jeju’s golf courses totaled 1.66 million in the first seven months of this year, marking an increase of 37.3 percent from 1.21 million in the same period of last year, data from the provincial government showed. 　There are 30 golf courses on Jeju, of which

　South Korea’s suicide rate dropped steadily during the years 2013 to 2017, government data showed.  　The data, compiled by the Health Ministry and the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention, showed that 22.8 out of every 100,000 Koreans had taken their own lives in 2017, down from 24.4 in 2016. 　The country’s suicide rate fell gradually from 27.4 out of 100,000 in 2013 to 25.9 in 2014 and 25.4 in 2015.  　The total number of suicides also declined over the five ye

　South Korea’s top two TV makers - Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics - represented half of the global TV market in the first half of the year, a report showed, as they maintained their leadership in the premium segment. 　Samsung accounted for 31 percent of the global TV market in terms of sales revenue to defend its top status in the first six months of 2021, while LG followed with 19 percent, according to data from industry researcher Omdia. 　Japan’s Sony came in third w

　South Korea’s market for convenient coffee beverages expanded nearly 6 percent in the first half of the year amid the coronavirus pandemic, a market tracker said. 　The value of the local ready-to-drink coffee market stood at 672.9 billion won ($574 million) in the January-June period, up 5.9 percent from a year earlier, according to Nielsen Koreanclick. 　Canned coffee accounted for the largest portion at 258.6 billion won, followed by cups of coffee at 217.5 billion won and bottled

　Almost 70 percent of South Koreans support the government’s plan to grant long-term stay visas to hundreds of Afghan civilians who fled their homeland fearing the Taliban, a poll showed. 　According to the poll of 500 people aged 18 and above conducted by Realmeter on Aug. 27, a combined 68.7 percent of the respondents said they approved of the plan to issue long-term visas to the Afghan evacuees who arrived here last week, allowing them to get jobs here. 　Among those who supported

　South Korea’s exports and imports of camping goods reached a fresh high in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, a report showed. 　Asia’s fourth-largest economy exported and imported $399 million worth of camping equipment last year, an all-time high and up 40 percent from the previous year, according to the report from the Korea Trade Statistics Promotion Institute. 　In the first half of this year alone, the country’s trade in camping gear stood at $293 million, above the

　Samsung Electronics stayed on as the world’s second-largest tablet computer vendor in the second quarter of the year, a report showed, as it strives to catch up with industry leader Apple. 　The South Korean giant logged a market share of 18 percent in the April-June period, after shipping 8.2 million Galaxy Tab tablets, up 19 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. 　Apple defended its top position with a 35 percent share as its iPad shipments ju

　South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicle sales increased in the first half of the year compared with a year ago, but its global market share fell in the face of toughening competitions with Chinese rivals, industry data showed.  　Hyundai Motor was in sixth place in terms of global EV sales in the January-June period, one notch down from the fifth position a year ago, according to the data by industry tracker SNE Research. 　The automaker’s global EV sales