“Feeling burnt out? You’ve come to the right place,” the doctor said during my consultation at a clinic in Yeouido, Seoul's financial district, before prescribing what he called a “garlic injection.” As an average South Korean national, I am used to eating tons of garlic, but I wasn’t quite ready to have it injected into my veins. It turned out that the “garlic injection” wasn't actually a shot of garlic extract or anything similar. It&

Social Affairs June 15, 2024

South Korea's economy grew at the fastest pace in over two years in the first quarter of the year as the recovery in exports continued and private spending remained firm, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's real gross domestic product -- a key measure of economic growth -- increased 1.3 percent on-quarter in the January-March period, matching an earlier estimate, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The first-quarter expansion compares with the 0.5 percen

Economy June 5, 2024

Wearing marks at hospitals in South Korea is not a must anymore as the government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 and lifted most last-remaining antivirus regulations. Effective Wednesday, the country lowered the four-grade COVID-19 crisis level from the second-highest "alert" to the lowest "concern" in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The decision came more than four years a

Social Affairs May 1, 2024

Investments in several acquisitions and new joint ventures worldwide.  European overland transport provides stability; air and sea freight suffers from overcapacity and decline in rates. Investments totaling around EUR 500 million are planned for 2024. HONG KONG, March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- After the economic boom in logistics resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide disruption to supply chains, normalcy returned to the industry in 2023. Dachser was among tho

PR Newswire March 25, 2024

South Korea's economy grew 1.4 percent last year, matching an earlier estimate, amid sluggish exports and tightening monetary policies around the globe, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's real gross domestic product -- a key measure of economic growth -- increased 1.4 percent last year, in line with the central bank's earlier estimate in January, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. But last year's economic expansion marked a slowdown from a 2.6

Economy March 5, 2024

"Doctor, are you going on a strike too? Then how should I receive treatment from now on? I have respected doctors all this time, but I was so surprised and disappointed to see doctors leaving their patients behind to strike," a patient receiving treatment for panic disorder asked me. Up until now, the patient and I have had a solid mutual trust relationship. If the task were merely about fixing machines, knowledge and skills would suffice. However, the subject of medical art is not a m

Viewpoints Feb. 29, 2024

South Korean budget airline Jin Air Co. said Wednesday it posted record earnings in 2023 on strong demand, shaking off the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. Net income came to an all-time high of 135.8 billion won ($101 million) on a separate basis last year, the first black ink in five years, the low-cost carrier unit of top full-service airline Korean Air Co. said in a regulatory filing. Sales also hit a record high of 1.28 trillion won, up 115 percent from a year earlier and even up 40.3 p

Industry Jan. 17, 2024

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a global company advancing protein-based vaccines with its Matrix-M™ adjuvant, today announced that Nuvaxovid™ XBB.1.5 COVID-19 Vaccine (NVX-CoV2601) has been granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) by the World Health Organization (WHO) for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 and older. The EUL assists WHO member states in assessing vaccines with the aim of expediting availability a

PR Newswire Nov. 28, 2023

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife at a glittering banquet at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, as Britain rolled out the red carpet for a formal state visit aimed at strengthening trade and defense ties between the two countries. The UK government hopes the Korean leader's three-day visit will help cement an “Indo-Pacific tilt ” in its foreign and trade policy. The king and Queen Camilla hosted Yoon and first lady Kim Keon H

Foreign Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

About half a million students sat the college entrance exam across the country Thursday, South Korea's most important annual academic event during which airplane takeoffs and landings will be temporarily banned for noise control. A total of 504,588 high school seniors, graduates and others signed up to take this year's state-administered College Scholastic Ability Test, a nine-hour, five-session exam that began at 1,279 test sites nationwide. For the first time since the onset of the C

Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2023

Some 40,000 people took their own lives over the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the suicide rate increasing among the younger generation, data showed Wednesday. A total of 39,453 people died from suicide from 2020 to 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Rep. Baek Jong-hean of the ruling People Power Party said in a release. The release highlighted that the number of deaths by suicide was higher than the 3

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023

This Emergency Use Authorization and CDC recommendation makes Novavax's vaccine the only protein-based non-mRNA COVID vaccine option in the U.S. Novavax expects doses will be available in thousands of locations across the U.S. in the coming days, including CVS Pharmacy and Rite Aid Find Novavax's vaccine at us.novavaxcovidvaccine.com or vaccines.gov GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a global company advancing protein-based vaccine

PR Newswire Oct. 4, 2023

South Korea's economy grew at a slightly faster pace in the second quarter of this year than three months earlier despite a slump in exports, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's real gross domestic product -- a key measure of economic growth -- increased 0.6 percent on-quarter in the April-June period, matching an earlier estimate, according to the Bank of Korea. The second-quarter expansion is higher than the 0.3 percent expansion in the first quarter. Asia's fourth-l

Economy Sept. 5, 2023

As South Korea reclassifies COVID-19 to the same category as the seasonal flu starting Thursday, coronavirus tests will still be available, but will no longer be free of charge to everyone, health authorities said Wednesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has announced that COVID-19 will go down from class 2 to class 4, the lowest infectious disease category, bringing changes to state policies that have provided COVID-19 testing for free and discounted medical benefits for more

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

South Korea's finance minister said Thursday the country will make efforts to take advantage of the latest decision by Beijing to allow group tours to the country. "In response to the resumption of group tours to South Korea by China, we plan to promptly come up with measures to attract Chinese tourists by offering conveniences in terms of visas and transportation, as well as by developing various tourism programs," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said. The remark came after China&

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2023

South Korea’s Ministry of Education on Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan aimed at attracting 300,000 international students to tackle the nation’s rapidly declining school-age population and to strengthen the competitiveness of local universities already reeling from enrollment shortages. To attract more foreign students to enroll in Korean universities, the Education Ministry plans to revise the International Education Quality Assurance System, which stipulates that more than 30 p

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2023

By Cho Seung-hwan, minister of oceans and fisheries As summer arrives, the blazing sun glazes up the asphalt and the summer heat intensifies. Indeed, the season to embark on a well-deserved summer vacation has arrived. And yet, we inevitably mull over the specifics of somewhat vague but long-awaited vacations around this time of the year. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel priorities have shifted, focusing more on nature, outdoor activities, healing, relaxation and unique experiences.

Consumer Aug. 8, 2023