Korean happiness index ... 68.1 out of 100?

[photo captured from Korean NeuroPsychiatric Association]

Money Today reported that 1 out of every 4 Korean adults (26.2%), both male and female, experience severe stress. The highest percentage of respondents said their major cause of stress were work-related issues, followed by financial worries, relationship issues, and personal health.

On April 7^th, the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association reported that out of the 1006 adults surveyed last year from December to January, the highest percentage of respondents who said they were happy were in their 80s (24.7%), followed by people in their 70s at 21.6%, and those in their 50s at 21.5%.

The survey found that, for the group as a whole, 26.2% reported being either “stressed” or “very stressed.” Those who were the most stressed were also people who smoke, drink, or do not exercise on a regular basis, according to The Choson Ilbo.

Based on the survey responses, the best ways to relieve stress are exercise, drinking, talking, asking for advice, and sleeping.

Translated by Steven Wilson

Lotteria start providing home delivery service

[Photo Captured from Lotteria]

Beginning April 1st, Lotteria started a trial of their home delivery service through their call center (1600-9999). According to Maeil Kyungje, the Lotteria home delivery service will operate from 10am to midnight and will be accepting orders through the Internet (homeservice.lotteria.com) and their smartphone applications.

160 Lotteria outlets are currently participating in the home delivery trial, and Lotteria adds that they plan to expand the number of participating outlets to 280 by the end of this year. While the home delivery service is available only for orders of 8000 Won and above, items such as Pat-bingsu (Red Bean Ice Shavings) and ice cream cannot be included in the orders.

Herald Business reported that Lotteria have also commissioned the development of smartphone applications to support their home delivery service. The Android version of the application is available for download, while the iPhone version is slated for submission to the AppStore in mid-April.

To commemorate the opening of their call center, every customer who makes an order of above 10,000 Won during the month of April will receive a free Teriyaki Burger.

Translated by Kaye Lam

Soju and beer sales still booming in Korea

Last year, Korean adults consumed an average of 81 bottles of soju, or one bottle every 4.5 days, according to the Business Herald. This figure was reached by dividing the 3,274,470,000 bottles of soju consumed last year, by the population over age 19.

According to Yonhap News, Hite Jinro's "Chamisul Fresh" sold 810,840,000 bottles, constituting a 24.8% market share. Over the last four years, This Hite brand has increased their market share, finally reaching the spot of number one seller. Until last year, the most popular brand was "Chamisul Original", which sold 781,110,000 bottles, capturing 23.9% market share and second place. Cheom Cholom sold 422,370,000 bottles, taking 12.9% of the market, making it the third most popular brand.

Last year adults consumed 85.6 bottles of beer per person. Hite sold 1,554,910,000 bottles, making it the most popular beer in Korea.

Translated by Steven Wilson

Record Snow Paralyzes Gangwon Province

More than 1 meter of heavy snow fell in Gangwon Province, located on the eastern costal region of Korea. Due to the heavy snow, a fishing boat sank, a number of marine life perished, a green house collapsed, and various other damages are still occurring.

From the 10th to the 12th, more than 1 meter of snow fell. As temperatures dipped below freezing, snow turned into ice, making the clearing and restoring of roads more difficult.

Yonhap News reported that in Gangneung City of Gangwon Province, 240 civil servants, 23,800 other laborers, and more than 2,520 snow removal units were being deployed to the snow damaged areas.

SBS TV reported that according to tentative calculations, more than 10 billion won (approximately 9 million USD) worth of damage was caused by this heavy snowfall, but the government will soon be giving a special grant tax to help offset the damages.

There are plans for Gangneung City to receive emergency funds from the central government in order to repair the damages caused by this heavy snow. However, it does not seem like the city will be restored to full functionality in the near future.

Translated by Steven Wilson

Facebook in Korean shows "Love" instead of "Like" on Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! If you are a Facebook user, you already know what the "like" buttons do. If you set your language for Facebook as Korean, you usually see "좋아요", which means "I like it" or "It's good" in Korean. But today, if you change your default language is set as Korean, you will see "사랑해요" instead of the usual "좋아요". 사랑해요, as you probably know, means "I love it" or "I love you".