SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A record number of applicants took the Korean language proficiency test last year, data showed Friday, reflecting the growing popularity of the language. A total of 375,871 people sat for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in 2019, up 14.2 percent from 329,224 in the previous year, according [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of foreigners staying illegally in South Korea are voluntarily leaving the country after the government offered various incentives, including an opportunity for reentry, to overstayers choosing to voluntary depart, a government agency said Friday. According to the Incheon Immigration Office, the number of illegal stayers leaving [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s outbound shipments of processed rice products shot up last year amid the booming popularity of Korean dramas, K-pop and other cultural assets abroad, data showed Thursday. Exports of these products reached US$106 million in 2019, marking a sharp rise from $89 million posted a year earlier, according [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A record 73,000 elderly drivers voluntarily gave up their licenses last year in accordance with the government’s campaign to reduce traffic accidents caused by older adults, police data showed Monday. According to the National Police Agency (NPA), a total of 73,221 drivers aged 65 or older voluntarily returned their [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The proportion of unemployed people aged 25-29 in South Korea has ranked the highest among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a report showed Monday. According to the report by the Bank of Korea (BOK), the 25-29 age bracket accounted for 21.6 percent of [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of eco-friendly SUVs, including ones powered by hydrogen, jumped last year as fuel and environment-conscious customers increasingly opted for such cars, industry data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (KAMA), some 48,700 eco-friendly SUVs were sold here last month, accounting for 8.5 percent of the [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports to Iran dropped nearly 90 percent from a year earlier in the first 11 months of last year, the fastest rate among the top 20 export countries, data showed Sunday. In the January-November period, Seoul’s shipments to the Middle East country came to US$259 million, down [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of Catholics in South Korea has steadily increased over the past two decades, though its growth significantly slowed in recent years, a report showed Saturday. The report issued by the Catholic Pastoral Institute of Korea said the number of Catholic Christians here increased 48.6 percent from 3,946,844 [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The annual number of passengers using Incheon International Airport, the gateway to Seoul, topped 70 million for the first time last year, its operator said Thursday. According to Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), a record 71.17 million passengers used Incheon International Airport in 2019, marking an increase of 4.3 [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of sport utility vehicle models in South Korea hit a record high last year as carmakers strengthened their SUV lineups to meet rising demand for recreational vehicles, industry data showed Thursday. For the whole of 2019, the country’s five automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., [...]