SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — More than six out of 10 South Koreans seeking reunions with family members split by the 1950-53 Korean War are aged 80 or older, government data showed Friday. The data demonstrates the urgency of offering them a chance to meet their families on the other side of the Demilitarized [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of cigarettes in South Korea almost remained unchanged last year from a year earlier, but demand for electronic cigarettes rose amid the protracted pandemic, the finance ministry said Friday. South Korean smokers purchased 3.59 billion 20-cigarette packs in 2021, similar to the number logged the previous year, according [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s imports of leisure goods rose 36.5 percent last year from a year earlier as the COVID-19 pandemic boosted demand for indoor activities, customs data showed Friday. Imports of goods used for leisure activities, including tablets and TVs, came to US$9.56 billion last year, compared with $7 billion [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday that it will expand the coverage of the pet cat registration pilot program across the country starting from February. The ministry has implemented the pilot program for some municipal districts since 2018. Unlike the registration system for pet dogs, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — A new cab-hailing service will allow pets to ride with their owners. Kakao Mobility Corp., the country’s leading taxi-hailing firm, began accepting driver applications for KakaoT Pet, a new service for pets and their owners launching in March. Each cab will provide safety fences, pet-exclusive car seats and other [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul Metro, operator of the Seoul subway system, said Thursday that an unused platform at Sinseol-dong Station on Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 2 was designated as ‘future heritage’ by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the 12th time among subway stations. Sinseol-dong station was originally designed as a transfer [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans’ consumption of rice hit an all-time low in 2021, but the decreasing rate slowed on the back of a growing demand for home meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Thursday. The average South Korean consumed 56.9 kilograms of rice last year, down 1.4 percent or 0.8 [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Retail sales in South Korea rose 11.3 percent on-year in 2021 on the back of strong appetite for consumption and growing online transactions amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the industry ministry said Thursday. The combined sales of local offline retailers climbed 7.5 percent on-year from the previous year, and [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports of autos rose to the highest point in seven years last year due to the low base effect and strong demand for eco-friendly cars, customs data showed Thursday. The country’s outbound shipments of cars came to US$42.6 billion last year, up 23 percent from the previous [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it will open up additional ‘little libraries’ in four districts by November of this year to allow citizens to read at local parks. The city, along with district authorities, is renovating old park facilities into libraries to minimize damage to the environment. [...]