Unemployment Hits 18-Year High in 1st Half

The number of long-term unemployed people hit an 18-year high in the first half of this year.

Data released by Statistics Korea on Saturday shows the monthly average number of the long-term jobless for the first six months of this year stood at 144,000, up 17,000 from the same period last year.

Long-term unemployed refers to those who have been searching for a job for more than six months. The monthly average of those giving up on looking for a job reached some 500,000, the highest level since 2014.