More than 90 percent of employed workers in Korea who took part in a recent survey said they consider current climate change to be serious. Incruit, an employment agency, asked 743 workers about their perception of climate change, and 48.6 percent answered that they considered the situation to be “very serious” while 45 percent said it is “somewhat serious.” As to why they consider climate change to be serious, 90.3 percent of respondents said that unseasonable weather,

A poll found that a significant share of US adults doubt the mental capabilities of 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican front-runner in what is set to be a rematch of the 2020 election. More than 6 in 10 (63 percent) said they’re not very or not at all confident in Biden’s mental capabilities to serve effectively as president. A similar but slightly smaller share (57 percent) said that Trump lacks the memory and

International travel has continued to make a strong recovery in 2023 with 38 percent growth in terms of overseas trips, projected to reach 1.3 billion by the end of the year. Istanbul tops the list with 20.2 million international arrivals in 2023. The city saw a 26 percent year-over-year visitor growth from 2022 to 2023, according to Euromonitor International. London came in the second spot followed by Dubai, Antalya and Paris. Wealth of dazzling cultural sites and crossover of Asian and Europ

On March 11, Hwang Sun-hong, the interim boss for the men’s national team, announced his 23-man squad for South Korea’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers. South Korea faces Thailand on Thursday on home turf, then again on March 26 in the Southeast Asian country. The two matches against Thailand will be the first time South Korea’s national team assembles again since losing to Jordan 2-0 in the semifinals of the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in was a

The successful landing of lunar probe Odysseus, developed by Houston, Texas-based private space company Intuitive Machines, on the moon on Feb. 22 has rekindled a race of space powers to explore the moon. With Odysseus’ successful landing, the United States began its Artemis program to reestablish a human presence on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Odysseus will collect data necessary to send astronauts to the region in the next few years. So far, the US, the former So

Over a quarter of Americans - 28 percent - perceive immigration to be the most important problem facing the US, now surpassing the “government” as the most often cited problem. The figure marks the first time since 2019 that Americans consider immigration the country’s most important problem. More than half of the US adult respondents said “large numbers of immigrants entering the United States illegally” is a critical threat to US vital interests, the survey said

The number of initial public offerings rose from a year earlier in 2023 amid signs of easing economic woes, data showed. A total of 82 companies made their debuts on the main Korea Composite Stock Price Index and the tech-heavy Kosdaq markets last year, up from 70 companies going public in 2022, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. However, the amount of funds raised from IPOs dropped sharply to 3.3 trillion won ($2.48 billion) from 15.6 trillion won over the cited p

Former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin made KBO history with an eight-year contract worth 17 billion won ($12.8 million) with the Hanwha Eagles on Feb. 22. The Eagles said Ryu’s contract has no incentives baked into the contract and all 17 billion won is guaranteed. It is also the longest contract in KBO history. Initially, the Eagles had been expected to offer Ryu, who turns 37 later this month, 17 billion won over four years. But by spreading out the same amount of mone

While internet use is nearly ubiquitous in many countries, not everyone is online. Divides still exist in technology usage between people in some advanced economies and those in some emerging economies, according to Pew Research Center data from 27 countries in 2022 and 2023. Smartphone ownership and social media use also vary around the world. While most adults in the countries surveyed own smartphones and use social media, there are still pockets where many do not. In addition, there are div

NATO marked Sweden’s entry into the alliance Monday with a flag-raising ceremony in Brussels as the 32nd member two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under the alliance’s security umbrella. Hungary’s president signed in early March the law on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, a final technical step before the Nordic country becomes the alliance’s 32nd member. Hungary’s parliament ratified Sweden&

Cherry blossoms, one of the most beloved spring flowers in South Korea, are forecast to begin blooming nationwide from late March to early April this year, 1-7 days earlier than usual. Cherry blossoms are forecast to begin blooming in Seoul on April 3 after starting in Seogwipo, Jeju on March 24, according to local weather information center Weatheri. Considering that it takes about a week for cherry blossoms to go from just opening to full bloom, they are expected to be at their peak around A

More than 5,000 Russian nationals submitted asylum applications in Korea in 2023, according to a government report. The Ministry of Justice said a total of 18,838 refugee applications were reported last year, a 63 percent increase from the previous year. Russians accounted for over 30 percent, followed by Kazakhstan nationals, Chinese, Malaysian and Indian nationals. The annual record for Russian nationals marks a fivefold surge from a year earlier, 1,038, and is tantamount to the aggregate nu

The world’s Muslims observe Ramadan, a month of spiritual discipline, by fasting and prayer during daylight hours. This year, it begins in the evening on March 10 and ends on April 9.

South Korea’s imports of frozen fruit products hit a new record in 2023, data showed Sunday, amid the growing burden on consumers to purchase fresh goods due to lingering inflation. The country’s imports of frozen fruit products came to 64,000 metric tons in 2023, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute. In 2023, prices of agricultural, livestock and fishery products climbed 3.1 percent on-year. Of major items, the pric

In a survey of Americans as to how to evaluate the former US presidents’ achievements, Joe Biden placed 14th, and Donald Trump was 45th - rock bottom. The survey “Presidential Greatness Project” was conducted by the University of Houston and Coastal Carolina University, and asked around 200 experts working on presidential politics for their preferences. In a scale of zero to 100, Biden received 62.66 points, while Trump scored 10.92 and placed lowest, below 44th-ranked single

Global defense spending rose 9 percent to reach a record $2.2 trillion amid multiple wars and ensuing uncertainties in 2023, a British military think tank said. The International Institute of Strategic Studies forecast that such budgets would increase further, considering the continued Russia-Ukraine war into a third year and international uncertainties surrounding the Middle East after the Gaza offensives. More than half of defense spending was made by NATO members, with US expenditure at

South Korea held the fourth-largest number of Starbucks stores around the globe as of last year, data showed, driven by solid demand from local consumers. South Korea held 1,893 Starbucks stores as of 2023, up 116 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the US coffee giant. The figure falls just behind Japan’s count at 1,901, despite the Asian neighbor having a population twice the size of South Korea’s. The Seattle-based coffee giant introduced its first store in Se

More than 240,000 Korean artifacts are currently located outside of the country including those that have been stolen, plundered and sold or given as gifts. According to Korean Cultural Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 803 museums and art galleries in 29 countries around the world hold an estimated 246,304 artifacts as of January. This was a slight increase compared to January last year (229,655 artifacts). By country, Japan held the highest number

According to the Korea Press Foundation, South Korean children were exposed to media three times longer than the duration recommended by the World Health Organization The average time that children aged 3 to 4 used media such as TV, smartphones, tablet PCs, and computers last year was 184.4 minutes per day. The WHO recommends that media use by 2 to 4-year-olds be limited to 60 minutes per day, but Korean children aged 3-4 spend an average of 80.4 minutes watching TV, 52.6 minutes on smartphones,

About 50 percent more earthquakes with a magnitude of 2 or stronger struck the peninsula and its surrounding seas last year than in previous years, a weather agency report showed. The sharp increase is attributable to a series of quakes reported in the East Sea from April to October last year, as well as those in the North Korean county of Kilju, where a nuclear testing site is located, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s annual 2023 earthquake report. The report showed