South Korea reported 98,391 voice-phishing incidents between 2014 and June of this year, according to data submitted to Rep. Lee Jae-jung by the National Police Agency.　The number of voice-phishing incidents, which had dwindled to 18,549 in 2015 and 17,040 in 2016 from 22,205 in 2014, soared to 24,259 last year.　In the January-June period of this year, victims throughout the country reported 16,338 such incidents and 179.60 billion won in resulting damages - on-year increases of 53.7 percent an

　Rice paddies in South Korea declined 2.2 percent this year compared to last year, as farmers opted to grow other crops, according to data.　Data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that the rice cultivation area nationwide stood at 737,000 hectares this year, compared to 754,000 hectares in 2017.　The government has been encouraging farmers to cultivate other crops instead of rice as part of efforts to deal with a chronic supply glut.　The country has been suffering from an oversupply of rice for

　The number of student victims of school violence in Seoul increased 24.5 percent from a year earlier to 11,425 this year, according to a survey. 　More than 92 percent of 700,343 students, ranging from fourth graders to high schoolers, took part in the online survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in May.　It found that 1.8 percent of the respondents experienced school violence between the second semester of last year and May this year, up 0.5 percentage point from a year

　About 94 percent of Korean adults have used YouTube directly or indirectly via other routes, a survey showed.　A media research center of the Korea Press Foundation canvassed online 1,218 adults across the country from Aug. 20-24, and 77.8 percent, or 948, of the respondents answered they are YouTube users.　But 74.1 percent of the 270 respondents who identified themselves as non-users said they have experienced using the global video streaming site through other Internet sites, social media or m

　Vietnam's city of Danang was the most popular summer vacation destination among Koreans this year, a shift from last year's preference for cities in Japan, according to an online shopping mall.　Flight ticket sales in the July-August period showed Danang as the top foreign travel location, TMON said, up three places from last year. The cost of traveling in the city is relatively cheap at about 100,000 won ($90.33) per day. 　TMON said its sales data showed a growing preference for places that off

　The South Korea government announced that it will raise its defense budget 8.2 percent on-year in 2019, the largest expansion since 2008.　The Ministry of National Defense said it has proposed a budget of 46.7 trillion won ($42 billion) for next year. 　Of the total, the ministry plans to spend 15.3 trillion won on boosting defense capabilities, an increase of 13.7 percent from the previous year, while setting aside 31.3 trillion won for running military forces, an on-year growth of 5.7 percent.

　South Korea’s total population rose slightly last year, but elderly people continued to outnumber children amid a rapid aging trend and a record-low birthrate, a national census showed.　A total of 51.42 million people were living in South Korea as of Nov. 1, 2017, up 0.3 percent, or 150,000, from a year earlier, according to the 2017 census by Statistics Korea. The latest annual tally showed the country’s economically active population falling for the first time. 　The agency started to hold a c

　South Korea's beer exports to China more than doubled in 2017 from the previous year, but exports of other alcohol dropped steeply, industry data showed.　South Korea shipped $50.2 million worth of beer to China in 2017, more than twice as much as $23.9 million tallied in the preceding year, figures provided by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Corp. showed. The volume of exports, likewise, rose to 65.03 million liters from 31.61 million liters, and the unit price of the exports edged up to $0.77

　The number of accidents and crimes involving guns totaled 88 over the past seven years in South Korea, resulting in 32 deaths, a ruling party lawmaker said, citing police data.　Gun crimes and accidents are not common in Korea, where possession of firearms is prohibited except for air guns, rifles and shotguns authorized for hunting and industrial purposes. The issue drew attention last week after a man killed two local government employees with a shotgun.　According to police data submitted to R

　SK hynix, South Korea's No. 2 chipmaker, posted the sharpest growth in sales among the world's top 15 players in the first six months of 2018, industry data showed, with Samsung Electronics maintaining its solid lead. 　SK hynix saw its sales jump 56 percent on-year to reach $17.7 billion in the January-June period, the data compiled by IC Insights showed.　Samsung Electronics topped the list by boasting a whopping $39.7 billion in sales, up 36 percent on-year, followed by Intel which advanced 13

　The number of nights that foreign guests stayed at hotels and other accommodations in Seoul averaged 5.66 in the first half of the year, with 55.3 percent of them visiting the South Korean capital for recreation, fun and holidays, a survey showed.   　According to the survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Foundation, 83.8 percent of 3,000 foreign respondents picked the Myeong-dong shopping area as the most popular destination in the city.   　More than 92 percent

　South Korea's energy consumption last year ranked seventh in the world, and showed one of the fastest paces of increase, data from a foreign consulting firm showed.　South Korea consumed 534 terawatt hours last year, up 2.3 percent from the previous year, according to the Europe-based Enerdata. The country's ranking in terms of the volume of power consumption also rose from eighth the previous year. The ranking was ninth in 2015.　China used up 5,683 TWh, and the United States 3,808 TWh. India fo

　Last year, 41 billion liters of beer containing alcohol were produced in the European Union.　Two-thirds of the beer containing alcohol produced in the EU came from six member states.　With production of 8.1 billion liters, or 20 percent of the EU's total production, Germany was the top producer in 2017. 　Germany was followed by the United Kingdom (5.6 billion liters produced, or 14 percent), Poland (4 billion liters, or 10 percent), Spain (3.9 billion liters, or 9 percent), the Netherlands (3.6

　China-based Huawei overtook Apple to claim the No. 2 spot in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of the year, according to International Data Corp.　South Korean consumer electronics titan Samsung remained the top smartphone maker, shipping 73 million handsets, according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Huawei rose to second place with shipments of 54 million units. 　Silicon Valley-based Apple shipped 41 million iPhones, claiming 12.1 percent of the global market

　The number of counterfeit South Korean banknotes detected in the first half of the year fell to an 18-year low.　　According to the Bank of Korea, a total of 330 counterfeit bills were found during the January-June period, down 65.1 percent from 945 in the same period last year.　The BOK said the decrease was largely driven by a 74 percent drop in counterfeit 10,000-won bills with the same serial number.

　Miami and Boston took the top two spots in the average daily cost of lodging in private dwellings for the second straight year, according to Bloomberg index. 　Airbnb owners asked for $205 a night and $195 a night, respectively, in the two cities. 　The Middle East has been climbing in the annual index and this year has five destinations among the top 15 priciest global cities: Tel Aviv and Dubai at No. 4 and No. 5, and Jerusalem, Riyadh and Kuwait City also near the top.

　Terrorist attacks on European targets more than doubled last year, Europe's police agency said, warning that the risk of more unsophisticated attacks by the Islamic State group "remains acute."　Last year, a total of 33 terror attacks were reported on the continent and Britain, 10 of which were successful -- killing 62 people -- while the rest were foiled or failed, Europol said in an annual report.　That figure compared with 13 reported attacks in 2016, of which 10 were successful, leading to 13

　Over 50 percent of South Korea's elderly are engaged in economic activity due to lack of preparation for retirement, and many are doing so for a living, government data showed.　According to the data compiled by Statistics Korea, Koreans aged 55 to 79 numbered 13.44 million as of May this year, up 512,000 from a year earlier.　The employment rate was 55.2 percent, up 0.2 percentage points over the same period.

　The value of shares held by South Korea's stock-rich celebrities increased this year despite lackluster market conditions, data showed.　The combined value of shares held by the top seven celebrities stood at 555.1 billion won ($496.2 million) as of July 27, up 21.4 percent from 457.3 billion won as of the end of last year, according to corporate tracker Chaebul.com. 　The gains are noteworthy as the benchmark Kospi market and secondary Kosdaq bourse decreased 6.99 percent and 8.07 percent respec

　More than half of South Koreans traveling abroad take local food, such as instant noodles and condiments, with them, a poll showed.　According to the poll of 1,119 people conducted by major online shopping mall Gmarket, 58 percent of the respondents said they brought Korean food to supplement what they eat when traveling in foreign countries.　Thirty-three percent of the respondents said they are not overly fond of foreign food, while 30 percent said they pack Korean food for their traveling comp