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Koreans increasingly shun book reading: poll
SEOUL, Jul 04, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) --
Nearly three out of every 10 South Korean adults do not read one single book the whole year, a government survey showed Friday, indicating a growing number of people are choosing other interests such as Web surfing and watching TV over reading.
Some 72 percent of adults read at least one book each year, according to the culture ministry's survey of 1,000 men and women nationwide, a continuing decrease from the 77 percent in 1996 and 76 percent in 2007.
The surveyed people read an average of 12 books a year and spent about 30 minutes a day on reading, a sharp contrast to Europeans who read at least 25 books per year according to recent polls, the culture ministry said.
Reading was the fourth most popular leisure activity among adults while watching television topped the list followed by Web surfing and exercising, said the ministry. South Korean adults favored novels followed by self-help books, it noted.
In a separate survey of 3,000 elementary, junior high and high school students nationwide, 89 percent answered they read at least one book each year. Students read an average of 14 books each year with younger students spending more time on reading compared to high schoolers.
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