Parents in South Korea apparently need more money if they want to see their children often in their twilight years. Studies have found that the poorer the parents are, the less often they are visited by their grown-up offspring.
A survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on the nation's elderly found a correlation between the wealth of elderly parents and the frequency with which their children visit them.
Researchers found that South Korea is the only country to show a relationship between the wealth of elderly parents and the frequency of visits by their children. The frequency doubled with every additional a percent of income.
You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English, I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Good food and good conversation go hand in hand. But cell phones can interrupt the natural flow of conversation with their incessant beeping, vibrating and brightly lit screens.
So restaurateur Jawdat Ibrahim is Israel offering a financial incentive in exchange for a phone amnesty. If you give up your mobile phone whilst visiting his dining room, he will give you 50% off your bill. Abu Ghosh is a well-known restaurant named after its hometown, an Arab village located about 10 kilometers (six miles) outside of Jerusalem.
Ibrahim says smartphones have destroyed the modern dining experience. He hopes the generous discount will bring back a more innocent time when going to a restaurant was about companionship, conversation and appreciating the food, rather than surfing, texting or talking to the office.
Ibrahim is not the first restaurateur to take aim at this trend. Eateries around the world have begun to offer discounts — generally far lower than Ibrahim's — to diners who turn off their phones. Some have even banned cellphone use altogether.
By offering half off the bill, Ibrahim appears to have taken the art of the discount to a whole new level. He admitted that he is taking a financial hit in the short term. But he believes in the long run, the move will pay off by attracting new customers and visitors to his village.
What is the reaction from the customers? Virtually every customer has taken advantage of the offer.
You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English.
