SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s newlywed population slipped below the one-million mark for the second year in a row in 2024, a symbolic threshold for a country already preoccupied with its demographic future. Government data released Friday show just 952,000 couples had been married for five years or less last year—a 2.3 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A large majority of South Koreans believe that maintaining peaceful coexistence with North Korea is more important than achieving reunification, according to a government survey released Thursday. The Unification Ministry’s poll found that 79.4 percent of respondents agreed that “peaceful coexistence without war is more important than reunification,” reflecting [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The average amount South Koreans send as mobile wedding gifts has surpassed 100,000 won (US$68) for the first time this year, reflecting changing social norms and rising costs, according to new data from KakaoPay. In its annual “2025 Money Report” released Wednesday, KakaoPay said the average transfer made through its [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Free cash flow at South Korea’s 500 largest listed companies rose sharply over the past year, lifted by a rebound in the semiconductor market that strengthened liquidity at major chipmakers, according to industry data released Wednesday. The companies — excluding financial institutions — generated a combined 69.6 trillion won ($47.3 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Cigarette smoking among South Korean adults has fallen over the past year, but the use of e-cigarettes has increased, underscoring shifting consumption habits amid persistent public health concerns, according to new national survey data released Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) analyzed findings from its 2025 Community [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean artificial intelligence startups are facing significant challenges, with fewer than six in ten surviving beyond three years, according to a new analysis released Sunday by the Korea Industrial Technology Association. The report examined more than 38,000 companies with in-house research institutes or dedicated R&D divisions, comparing young startups [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is quietly becoming more diverse. New census data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Data show that people with a migration background accounted for more than 5 percent of the country’s population in 2024 — a modest but meaningful increase in a nation long assumed to be [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Seongbuk District in northern Seoul, home to many foreign embassies alongside Itaewon and Hannam, is holding its 14th annual European Christmas Market from December 6 to 7 at the district office courtyard. Launched in 2010, the event has evolved into a major cultural gathering where local residents and expatriates celebrate [...]
BUSAN, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of Busan residents say they feel heavily burdened by their children’s education expenses, which now average 860,000 won (about $660) per month, according to the city’s latest annual social survey. The 2025 Busan Social Survey, released Friday and based on responses from 31,774 residents, paints a detailed [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s household wealth gap widened last year, driven largely by sharp gains in real estate values, according to a nationwide financial welfare survey released on Thursday by the Bank of Korea, the National Data Policy Office, and the Financial Supervisory Service. As of March 2025, the average household’s net [...]