my timesThe Korea Times
LifestyleTrends

Trends

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Over 16% of Korea's population aged 65 and older: report

gettyimagesbankPeople aged 65 and older made up 16.5 percent of South Korea's population this year, a report showed Wednesday, highlighting concerns that the fast-aging demographic transition could pose a drag on the country's economy.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the number of people aged 65 and older stood at 8.53 million this year. The South Korean population is projected to peak in 2028 before going on a downward curve, the report showed. However, the graying of South Korea will accelerate, with the number of elderly people rising to 12.98 million in 2030 and 17.22 million in 2040. XBy 2050, the number of elderly people could account for 43.9 percent of the country's population, according to the report.The fast-aging population, coupled with record low birthrates, could become a burden on the nation's finances as the cost of health and welfare services for senior citizens increase.In 2020, the number of elderly heads of households stood at 4.73 million, and 35.1 percent of them were one-person households, the data showed. Meanwhile, divorces among people aged 65 an

Sep 29, 2021
Over 16% of Korea's population aged 65 and older: report
  • Korea's childbirths at fresh low in July

Over 42% of Koreans in their 30s unmarried

gettyimagesbankMore than 42 percent of 30-somethings in South Korea remained unmarried last year, census data showed Monday, underscoring the trend in which many young people delay or give up on marriage amid a prolonged economic slowdown.Out of 13.7 million singles aged 15 and older, 2.82 million people in their 30s were single last year, up from 2.68 million five years earlier, according to the 2020 census by Statistics Korea.The percentage of unmarried people in their 30s reached 42.5 percent last year, up 6.2 percentage points from 36.3 percent in 2015, the data showed.It marked the first time for the number to top 40 percent for the age group.By gender, 50.8 percent of men in their 30s remained unmarried, while single women accounted for 33.6 percent.Many young South Koreans are opting to distance themselves from life's three major milestones ― dating, marriage and having children ― because they cannot find decent jobs amid a protracted economic slowdown and skyrocketing home prices.Accordingly, the country is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths.Last year, South Kore

Sep 27, 2021
Over 42% of Koreans in their 30s unmarried
  • Nearly 90 cities, counties in danger of extinction due to population decrease

Tired of bustling big city life, urbanites explore rural lifestyles during weekends

Park So-yeon, a 28-year-old Seoul resident and yoga instructor, poses near Mount Gyeryong in South Chungcheong Province on July 16. Courtesy of Park So-yeonBy Park Ji-wonPark So-yeon, 28, a yoga instructor in Seoul, leaves the city for a house located near Mount Gyeryong in South Chungcheong Province, about 140 kilometers southwest of Seoul, once she is done with her busy workweek.The house is owned by her friend's parents, and there she relaxes doing only yoga and essential household chores. She also works on a farm near the house, exploring a rural lifestyle that is completely different to her weekdays in the city.“For my work as a yoga instructor, I need to travel a lot and take a subway to meet students. I can easily get stressed out and exhausted on the crowded subway, as there is no personal space there,” she told The Korea Times. “Spending four to five days in the city and two days in the countryside is perfect for a balanced life. It makes me feel alive. I am planning to continue to live like this.”“I feel grateful to live in the city because I c

Sep 23, 2021By Park Ji-won
Tired of bustling big city life, urbanites explore rural lifestyles during weekends

Imports of cats, dogs double in 2 years amid pandemic: data

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea has imported twice as many cats and dogs this year compared with two years ago as people spend more time at home amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, customs data showed Wednesday.According to the data by the regional customs office in Incheon, a main gateway for trade located about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, the number of cats and dogs brought in to the country via air carriers reached 10,241 in the January-August period this year, including 7,961 canines and 2,280 felines. The combined figure marked a twofold increase from the imports of 5,222 cats and dogs in the same period in 2019, a time before the breakout of the pandemic. It consisted of 4,165 dogs and 1,057 cats.The latest number was also about 10 percent more than what the country imported over the same period last year at 9,270 cats and dogs.The customs office said the hike is largely attributable to the pandemic-era social distancing mandates and the expansion of working from home that made more people stay at home. A separate report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs als

Sep 22, 2021
Imports of cats, dogs double in 2 years amid pandemic: data

INTERVIEW Co-worshipping: Churches share worship hall amid pandemic

Revs. Yoon Chul-jong of Want-to-Revisit Church, from left, An Nam-ki of Springing Fountain Church and Kim Hak-beom of Gimpo Myungsung Church pose at the entrance of the Co+Worship Station, Wednesday, where up to nine churches from seven different denominations hold services sharing one hall in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Park Ji-wonAt the end of the 19th century, Christianity was something to be eradicated by the Confucian Joseon Kingdom and therefore many believers, priests and pastors were persecuted for their commitment to the teachings of Christ following the establishment of the peninsula's first Protestant church in 1883.Compared to then, things are now much different. As of 2015, the number of Protestants topped other religious believers with 9.6 million adherents, followed by 7.6 million Buddhists and 3.8 million Catholics, according to Statistics Korea. The data show that the Protestant congregation has grown the fastest.Some of the churches had contributed to shaping modern Korean history by saving lives of Korean War-hit citizens and fight

Sep 20, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] Co-worshipping: Churches share worship hall amid pandemic

Farmer of Seoul's last remaining rice growing region in upbeat mood

Rice farmer Kang Han-sung poses on his farm in Seoul's northwestern district of Gangseo, Thursday. His farm is located in Ogok-dong near Gimpo International Airport, and is one of Seoul's last remaining rice farming areas. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulRice price increases, good harvests, and rising demand for locally produced premium brand rice help urban farmers feel their hard work pays offBy Kang Hyun-kyungFarmer Kang Han-sung, 65, beamed with a smile of satisfaction, while checking with his tanned hands the ripening rice grains of the plants in his paddy, stretching far into the distance in Seoul's southwest Ogok-dong, Gangseo District. “Japanese rice varieties will be disappearing soon, as local Korean rice brands will replace them sooner or later,” he said Thursday, pointing to the plants in his rice paddies. “I mean, the quality of Korean rice has been getting better, and some strains are as good as the preferred Japanese rice, so in the near future, farmers will seriously consider planting premium varieties of Korean rice.” Pleasantly chewy rice

Sep 20, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
Farmer of Seoul's last remaining rice growing region in upbeat mood
  • Korea promotes home-developed rice varieties amid boycott of Japanese products

Number of regular churchgoers declines while pastors, church numbers increase

gettyimagesbankBy Park Ji-wonChurches have needed to close their doors to worshippers due to the tightened social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, banning people from church-related activities, such as face-to-face worship services and other gatherings. A few big or specific churches that were already able to provide online sermons before the pandemic, ended up receiving more offerings from congregations through online payments, as well as accommodating new churchgoers. Meanwhile, many smaller churches have found it difficult to adjust to the new reality created by the virus and have seen both members and donations decline. Some denominations have even revised their rules to allow pastors to take on side jobs in order to make some extra money to survive.Recent data gathered by Protestant churches has corroborated this reality felt by Korea's clergy, revealing that the pandemic has accelerated a decline in the number of churchgoers over the last year, although the number of churches and the number of pastors have both surprisingly increased.According to the report by

Sep 13, 2021By Park Ji-won
Number of regular churchgoers declines while pastors, church numbers increase

Progressive Protestants, Catholics launch solidarity network for anti-discrimination law

Lim Bo-rah, a pastor of the Sumdol Presbyterian Church in Mapo District, Seoul, speaks during a press conference held to announce the launch of “Christians for a World Without Discrimination and Hatred” in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonProtestants and Catholics joined hands to launch a Christian solidarity network to pass an anti-discrimination bill, amid a backlash from conservative Christians against sexual minorities.Representatives of up to 32 Christian organizations, such as the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) Human Rights Center, the human rights center of the Social Apostolate of the Society of Jesus Korea and a group of Korean Anglican priests seeking justice, gathered Monday to announce the launch of the organization called “Christians for a World Without Discrimination and Hatred.”In a declaration stating the launch of the organization, it said “Jesus loved those who were hated by others and seen as immoral, sinners, minorities or weak and created a community while eating with them … We support the legislation of the an

Sep 8, 2021By Park Ji-won
Progressive Protestants, Catholics launch solidarity network for anti-discrimination law

CCF 2021: Gov'ts should support artists affected by pandemic

Dinesh Patnaik, director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, speaks at the 2021 Culture Communication Forum at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of CICIBy Dong Sun-hwaGovernments around the world should do more to help artists affected by the pandemic to continue their creative work, cultural experts said during the 2021 Culture Communication Forum (CCF), Wednesday. Launched in 2011, the CCF is an annual event where cultural leaders around the world discuss ways to promote cultural exchange and development. It is co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korean Culture and Information Service and the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI). “Big platforms are seeing a growth in their profits amid the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, but historically, it was smaller platforms like nightclubs that gave birth to the new cultures,” Dinesh Patnaik, director general of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, said during his closing remarks for the forum, which ran from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 at the Grand

Sep 2, 2021By Dong Sun-hwa
CCF 2021: Gov'ts should support artists affected by pandemic

INTERVIEW Confucius Institutes trigger dispute between US-educated, China studies professors

gettyimagesbank CI director denies allegations about the China-funded language centers, promotes benefits of academic partnerships with China By Kang Hyun-kyung Kim Hyun-cheol, a professor in Yonsei University's Department of Chinese Language & Literature and the director of the Confucius Institute (CI) on its campus Kim Hyun-cheol, a professor in Yonsei University's Department of Chinese Language & Literature and the director of the Confucius Institute (CI) on its campus, had a meeting with the university's president recently to discuss the CI's presence on their campus. The meeting was held after a string of universities in the United States and Canada have been shutting down CIs on their campuses, one after another, following various controversies surrounding the Chinese government-funded cultural and language institutes. In North America, Austr

Sep 2, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung
[INTERVIEW] Confucius Institutes trigger dispute between US-educated, China studies professors
previous page
5556575859
next page

Most Read in Lifestyle