South Koreans are pinning their hopes for prosperity on the Year of the Pig — but it's bad news for condom manufacturers.
Stores are reporting a marked decline in condom sales as couples plan to have babies in an especially auspicious year, a South Korean newspaper, the JoongAng Daily reported.
GS Retail Co. reported sales fell by 15 percent at its convenience stores in the first 18 days of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006, the paper said.
PHOTO: AFP
Shinsegae's E-Mart reported a similar trend while discount store Homeplus has seen a 30 percent decline in condom sales in the first 21 days compared to the previous year.
A Homeplus buyer was quoted as saying the drop was believed to be due to couples "who want to make 'golden pig' babies."
The pig is cherished by Koreans as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, and the origin of good fortune.
Some fortune tellers have also labelled 2007 as the year of the Golden Pig, which is said to come around only once every 600 years. The year started on Feb. 18 in South Korea.(AFP)
南韓人想在豬年生「小豬仔」寄望繁榮昌盛，但對保險套商來說是壞消息。
韓國中央日報報導，由於南韓夫妻打算在吉星高照的一年生小孩，商家紛紛回報說保險套的銷售明顯下滑。
報導指出，GS公司表示相較於去年同期，超商保險套的銷售量在今年前十八天下滑了15%。
新世界公司的E-Mart表示有類似的趨勢，而相較於去年，折價商店Homeplus也看到今年前二十一天的保險套銷售下滑30%。
報導引述一名在Homeplus購物的消費者說，保險套銷售下跌應該與「想生『金豬』寶寶」的夫妻有關。
豬一向受韓國人珍愛，因為它象徵財富、繁榮與好運到。
有些算命師認為二○○七年是金豬年，據說六百年才輪到一次。南韓的農曆新年自國曆二月十八日展開。
（法新社/翻譯：賴美君）
William I of Prussia, a passionate painter, often autographed his works with “tormentis pinxit” — “painted in pain” — as a nod to his struggles with gout. Other historical figures like King Henry VIII of England and Benjamin Franklin also suffered from this “disease of kings,” which was common among people indulging in luxurious diets. Gout is primarily caused by high levels of uric acid in the body. Uric acid forms as the body breaks down purines, which are found in foods like red meat and seafood. Normally, the kidneys filter out uric acid. However, if the body produces
The UN Ocean Conference wrapped up in Nice, France on Friday last week with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month. But a lack of funding pledges and the total omission of fossil fuels disappointed some observers. The summit was just the third — and largest yet — dedicated entirely to what the United Nations calls an “emergency” in the world’s oceans. The High Seas Treaty, or Global Ocean Treaty, is also known as the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law
A: The National Palace Museum (NPM) has launched an exhibition, titled “From Impressionism to Early Modernism.” There are 81 masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on display now. B: The exhibit, held to celebrate the NPM’s centennial, must be so spectacular. A: It includes artworks by 38 artists, such as Renoir, van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse and Gauguin. B: The Fubon Art Museum has also launched an exhibit featuring a number of artworks of Impressionism, including Monet’s “Water Lilies.” A: And the New Taipei City Art Museum just had its grand opening, so there are even more exhibitions
A: What exhibitions are you going to see this summer? B: The 100% Doraemon & Friends exhibit is set to open on June 28. A: The news says there will be a 12-meter-tall giant Doraemon model at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park. B: The One Piece Carnival will set sail on the same day. A: And the D’festa Taipei 2025 – featuring exclusive content from K-pop supergroups such as BTS, NCT and Twice – is also set to begin next Friday. Isn’t that cool? A: 今年夏天還有什麼展覽可看啊？ B: 「100%哆啦A夢 & Friends特展」即將在6月28日開幕。 A: 新聞說在華山1914文創園區會場，還有12米高的巨型哆啦A夢呢！ B: 航海王「One Piece歡樂派對嘉年華」也將在同日啟航。 A:
RSS