SEOUL, May 30, 2025 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Koreans enrolling in government-run smoking cessation clinics has halved over the past decade, while quit rates have also dropped significantly — raising concerns about waning public engagement with anti-smoking efforts. According to new data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Smoking-related deaths in South Korea exceeded 70,000 in 2022, with the associated socioeconomic costs reaching 13.6 trillion won (approximately $10 billion), according to new government data released Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the figures were derived from an analysis of cohort studies and national mortality [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study suggests that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds in South Korea are significantly more likely to take multiple gap years (“N-sus”) and enter university through standardized test-based admissions — raising concerns that recent reforms aimed at fairness may be deepening educational inequality. According to a report published [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Biawire) — South Korea’s declining school-age population has led to a steady drop in university enrollment, with vocational and technical colleges bearing the brunt of the demographic shift. In response, universities are increasingly recruiting nontraditional students — including adult learners and international students — to fill empty seats, a new government [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — After three years of steady decline, exposure to secondhand smoke in South Korea is once again on the rise — particularly in indoor workplaces and public spaces — prompting renewed calls for stronger tobacco control measures. According to new data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has emerged as the world’s second-largest market for paid ChatGPT subscriptions, trailing only the United States, amid a dramatic surge in the use of generative AI services nationwide. According to the 2024 Intelligent Information Society User Panel Survey released Thursday by the Korea Communications Commission and the [...]
SEOUL, May 29, 2005 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid persistent economic challenges and a robust public transportation network, an increasing number of young South Koreans are putting off getting their driver’s licenses — or skipping the process altogether. According to data released by the National Police Agency, the number of newly issued licenses to teenagers and [...]
SEOUL, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The average cost of a wedding in South Korea has reached ₩21.01 million (approximately $15,400), with costs in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district soaring to nearly three times that of the most affordable regions, according to a newly released nationwide survey by the Korea Consumer Agency. The agency’s first comprehensive [...]
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s youth population is shrinking at a rapid pace due to declining birth rates, even as the number of students from multicultural backgrounds continues to rise, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s annual Youth Statistics 2025 report released Tuesday. As of this year, the youth population [...]
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s state-run think tank on Tuesday sharply cut its growth forecast for the local economy this year to 1 percent, citing a slowdown in exports and domestic consumption. The revised projection by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) represents a 1.1 percentage-point drop from its [...]