The number of people in South Korea who have given up on looking for jobs has increased sharply this year.  

Statistics Korea said Saturday that 457-thousand-700 people had stopped looking for work in April, a rise of 40-thousand-800 from a year ago.  

This demographic refers to people who are willing and able to work and have the experience of seeking employment in the past year, but who have not done so in the previous four weeks due to reasons such as tough labor market conditions.

Statistics Korea said that along with the number of unemployed, this figure is a key index to gauge the unemployment situation.  

Meanwhile, the number of economically inactive people rose 122-thousand last month year-on-year to reach just under one-point-five million, the highest figure since records began in April 2003.