<Anchor> This
is a friendly economic time.
Today (the 4th) I will be with reporter Han Ji-yeon.
Did you say that there was a statistical survey that showed that household spending last year was a bit more for subsistence consumption?
<Reporter>
Yes, that is related to food, clothing, and shelter, but the first thing we need to talk about is food expenses.
The 'Engel's coefficient', which is the proportion of eating and drinking in total household consumption, recorded the highest in 21 years.
This is a report published by the Hyundai Research Institute. Last year, the Engel coefficient of Korean households was 12.86%, the highest since 13.29% in 2000.
In general, as the economy develops and national income increases, the proportion of expenditure on food, clothing and shelter related to basic survival decreases, and the proportion of non-essential consumption that is not significantly related to survival such as culture, leisure, and education increases.
However, it was not a situation to enjoy cultural or leisure life due to Corona.
Everyone must be similar, but in my case, I don't think I've ever been to a concert hall or a theater in over a year.
There are fewer dinner parties here and even on weekends, we eat three meals a day at home, so the cost of food must have increased.
In addition, the soaring food price, which is often referred to as the 'table price' because it is mainly on the table of households, also had an effect on the sharp increase in the Engel's coefficient.
The rate of increase in the import price of agricultural, forestry and fishery products jumped from 0.6% in 2020 to 13.5% last year.
Inflation rates for food and non-alcoholic beverages also rose 5.9% last year, the highest rate in 10 years.
<Anchor>
As the time at home increases and the price rises, it seems that the amount of money you spend on eating has increased a lot.
In particular, the Jeonse price and monthly rent must have gone up a lot.
<Reporter>
Yes, the ratio of rent, water, electricity, and gas to total household consumption is called 'Schwabe coefficient'.
This is also high level.
Last year, the Schwabe coefficient was close to 18%, slightly lower than in 2020, but excluding this time, it is the highest level in five years.
The biggest impact is probably the price of the house.
The large increase in house prices also reflected a large increase in the monthly rent.
If you add up the Engel's coefficient, more than 30% of household expenditure is used for eating and sleeping, but it is analyzed that the proportion of food and housing expenses that cannot be reduced increases, and unnecessary consumption decreases that much, indicating that the household's livelihood has become more difficult.
<Anchor>
I think a lot of people, many people, will agree with the analysis that the living conditions are getting tougher.
But even in this situation, there seems to be an increase, but the statistic that the cost of academy has increased, although it is another statistic?
<Reporter>
Yes, this time it is a survey by the National Statistical Office.
In the fourth quarter of last year, it was found that households with two or more unmarried children spend an average of 470,000 won a month on private education, up nearly 25% from the same period last year.
In the fourth quarter of last year, it was about 370,000 won, a decrease of 14% compared to a year ago.
The total education cost in the fourth quarter of last year was a little over 490,000 won, of which the money spent on regular education decreased by 10% from a year ago to only 14,000 won.
Why did private education expenses only increase? As school distance learning has been extended, the number of parents who rely on private academies has increased.
It is analyzed that the school economy has recovered as the distance between private academies in the metropolitan area, which banned gatherings in the first year of the corona virus, is lifted.
<Anchor>
The last news today is about accessories.
Hazardous substances detected in accessories sold online?
<Reporter>
Yes, there are many advertisements for 'allergic' on earrings and necklaces sold online, so be careful.
In some products, nickel, lead, and cadmium were detected exceeding safety standards.
The Korea Consumer Agency investigated 15 necklaces and earrings from 5,000 won to 10,000 won each in six open markets, including Coupang and Naver Shopping, and a total of 11 products found hazardous substances.
In five of these products, cadmium exceeded the threshold by up to 970 times.
Cadmium, which is irritating to the nose and throat, has been confirmed to be carcinogenic to humans.
There are also products with possible carcinogens. Lead, which affects the nervous system, was detected up to 58 times higher than the safety standard in three products.
In five products, nickel, which causes dermatitis and eczema, exceeded the safe value by up to 37 times.
In addition, of the 12 products advertised as using gold plating or silver needles for earring needles, 7 of them did not confirm the corresponding ingredients. Overall, all 30 products under investigation did not comply with safety standards.