Statistics and league tables

The advance of Korea’s longevity

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by Philip Gowman on 22 February, 2017

in Asides, In the news, Modern Life, Statistics and league tables

According to a study by Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation, “average life expectancy is set to increase in many countries by 2030 – and will exceed 90 years in South Korea.” The press release accompanying the report revealed: The five countries with the highest life expectancy at birth for men in 2030 were: […]

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A survey of post-millennials – and South Korea shows its expected malaise

by Philip Gowman 13 February 2017
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Another of those surveys, and guess where South Korea ends up in the rankings? As you might expect from the land of Hell Joseon, the statistics do not look great: second from bottom in terms of overall happiness. Around 1,000 15-21 year-olds from each of 20 countries were surveyed between September and October 2016 as […]

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Looking back at 2015: Domestic news

by Philip Gowman 8 January 2016
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Our final look back at 2015: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea. In the news After 62 years of adultery being a criminal offence in the ROK, the constitutional court decided to decriminalise it by a vote of 7 to 2.  Four out of ten married Korean males heaved a sigh of relief  and shares […]

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2015 Travel Diary day 8: Back to school, back to Seoul

by Philip Gowman 5 June 2015
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Sancheong-gun, Friday 5 June Today I am due to say farewell to Sancheong again, but before I leave there is a treat in store: a school visit. Mr Yoon’s wife happens to teach in a primary school in Dangye Village, and she thought it might be nice for her pupils to meet a foreigner. And […]

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Looking back at 2014: Domestic news

by Philip Gowman 15 February 2015
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Our final look back at 2014: mainly domestic news stories from South Korea: The Sewol and safety culture The MV Sewol capsized on 16 April, causing the death of 304 passengers. A number of factors contributed to the disaster, including lax safety inspections, unsafe modifications, unsecured cargo, overloading, and an inexperienced crew hired on temporary […]

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Busan will be extinct before Seoul, apparently

by Philip Gowman 26 August 2014
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The report doesn’t seem to have been translated into English yet, and I can’t find it in Korean on the website of the National Assembly Research Service, but it has certainly provided some eye-catching headlines, the general gist being that “South Koreans will be ‘extinct’ by 2750 if nothing is done to halt the nation’s […]

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Koreans in America: the Slate map of the most popular language in your State

by Philip Gowman 17 May 2014
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AAPI Voices say that the Slate got it wrong, but at least the Slate article on the most popular language in your State got the Korean states right. So why is it that, after Spanish and English, Korean is the most-spoken language in Virginia and Georgia? One suggestion from an LKL reader is that Virginia […]

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Looking back at 2013: Domestic news

by Philip Gowman 5 February 2014
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Our final look back at 2013, including a random collection of news stories, mainly domestic, that caught our attention. In the news Asiana Airlines flight 214 from Incheon crashed on landing at San Francisco airport on 6 July. The Boeing 777 had approached the runway too low and too slow. An American local TV station […]

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South Korea “Second most innovative country” – Bloomberg

by Philip Gowman 5 February 2013
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Does it surprise you that South Korea ranks 2nd only to the USA in Bloomberg’s Global Innovation Index? Here is how the country ranked in the determining factors: R&D intensity: 5th | Productivity: 32nd | High-tech density: 3rd | Researcher concentration: 8th | Manufacturing capability: 3rd | Tertiary efficiency: 4th | Patent activity: 1st Definitions […]

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Looking back at 2012: Domestic news

by Philip Gowman 26 January 2013
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In our final round-up of Korea-related stories which caught our eye in 2012, we look at domestic and business news. Modern Life and how to escape it. Korea came 24th out of 34 leading countries in an OECD quality of life index, coming bottom of the class in job security and gender income inequality and […]

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Some fun with the Time Person of the Year 2012

by Philip Gowman 6 January 2013
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Some meaningless statistics for you. According to Time Magazine’s readers, Kim Jong Un is 55 times more popular than the Mars Rover, 56 times more popular than Psy, and 77 times more popular than the Higgs Boson.

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Maybe one reason why Psy is the most-watched YouTube video ever

by Philip Gowman 27 November 2012
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Me: So, he’s the most watched video ever! Korean friend: Yes. I click on it 50 times a day. Hmm. So is that how he did it? Well, maybe not (the video certainly deserves to beat Justin Bieber), but it’s an interesting thought. And on a related subject, the Joongang Ilbo reports on a story […]

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Seven shots of soju is “excessive”? It’s hardly even a warm-up

by Philip Gowman 6 August 2012
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“The World Health Organization defines excessive drinking as the equivalent of seven shot-sized cups (1 fluid ounce per cup) of soju for men and five for women” says the Joongang Ilbo. If you define it like that, it’s hardly suprising if 42.5% of Korean men find themselves drinking “excessively” at least once a week.

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Korea’s National Museum in top 10

by Philip Gowman 23 March 2012
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The National Museum of Korea makes top ten most visited global art venue, according to The Art Newspaper (via the BBC) http://bbc.in/GOytcN. The same article gives a special mention to the National Folk Museum of Korea in the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung for four exhibitions attracting more than 9,000 visitors a day.

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Gangnam is worth more than the whole of Busan

by Philip Gowman 8 October 2011
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3 districts in southern Seoul account for just 0.1% of the total land area of Korea, but 10% of the total real estate value. Gangnam alone is worth more than the whole of Busan. I know which I prefer… http://t.co/X37tBkB2

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Korea’s metrosexuals lead the world

by Philip Gowman 26 September 2011
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Korea is the metrosexual capital of the world, accounting for 18% of global sales of male beauty products and potions http://t.co/mrcSq7PJ

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Cosmetic surgery not the most common surgery

by Philip Gowman 17 December 2010
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So you thought cosmetic surgery was the most common form of surgery in Korea? Wrong. It’s piles. http://bit.ly/eI4W1L #. The Korea National Health Insurance Corp gives the statistics in the Korea Times.

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