People in S.Korea outlive N.Koreans by 12 years: study

South Koreans live 12 years longer than North Koreans on average, according to a study released Thursday in the South.

A Statistics (South) Korea report on major statistical indicators in North Korea found that as of last year, the average North Korean man is expected to live until 65.1 years and a woman 71.9 years, lower than the corresponding figures for South Korea (77.5 for men and 84.4 for women). This means that South Korean men live 12.4 more years than those in the North while women live 12.5 years longer.

South Korea`s population was estimated at 49.779 million, more than double that of the North at 24.308 million. The male-female sex ratio of the South was 100.4 while that of the North was 95.1.

tnf@donga.com