While summer offers great opportunities for outdoor activities and sports, the warm weather can be a serious health threat especially to those with chronic medical conditions.　According to Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, the fatality rate of diabetes and heart disease patients increases when the average temperature during the summer months rises. 　“The heat can be especially dangerous for those with diabetes, chronic kidney conditions and high blood pressure,” said Dr. Shin Gil-ja from

Technology July 30, 2015

Earlier this month, a 34-year-old mother was arrested for running away after strangling her 6-year-old son to death in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. During her tearful meeting with the police, she confessed to committing the crime out of anger, as her husband had recently left her following a series of fights over child care. She had been on medication for severe postpartum depression. 　“The initial plan was to kill myself,” the mother told the police. “But I was afraid that my son would

Social Affairs July 30, 2015

Seoul announced that it will make efforts to change the nation’s hospital culture, which involves family members staying with patients in hospital rooms as main caretakers, after declaring a “de facto end” to the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome Tuesday. 　“We now confirm that the citizens can worry no more (about the possible infection),” Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said, announcing that the outbreak in South Korea is practically over. 　“I ask the public to shake off all your wo

Social Affairs July 28, 2015

South Korea on Monday released the last of 16,693 suspected patients who had been quarantined to prevent the possible further spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome since the first outbreak in late May. With no one remaining under quarantine and 12 confirmed patients still at hospitals for treatment, Seoul is to announce a “de-facto end” of the health crisis Tuesday.　“We can now confirm that the possibility of community-transmission of the virus is almost zero,” said Choo Moo-jin, head o

Social Affairs July 27, 2015

Park Jin-hyung, a 28-year-old university graduate, feels more anxious than ever before. He has just finished his second internship at a big firm, with no full-time job lined up. Park, who holds a double degree in business and international relations, has applied to about 60 companies since January, but was only interviewed by three firms that eventually did not offer him any positions.　“I spent an extra year after graduating high school to write my college entrance exam again, and I spent two ye

Social Affairs July 26, 2015

South Korea spends the least in supporting its citizens’ health care costs among OECD nations, a study showed Wednesday.　According to the study provided by the National Assembly Research Service, government support for the nation’s health care expenses, such as through the national health insurance payments, accounted for only 54.5 percent of total health care costs in 2012. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average was 72.3 percent. 　The study also showed that 45.5 perce

Social Affairs July 22, 2015

In 2013, police arrested a high school student for taking intrusive pictures of a woman’s body from a distance using his smartphone. The 17-year-old had been hiding under a large parasol on a beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, and took pictures of the woman swimming in the ocean wearing a swimsuit using his phone’s zoom feature. 　The teen was caught by one of the police officers on patrol at the time. But the victim, an 18-year-old student, had no idea that she had been observed and

Social Affairs July 21, 2015

As South Korea’s Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak shows signs of fading, two medical institutions that have been closely involved with the health crisis resumed their services on Monday.　The National Medical Center, one of the government-designated facilities responsible for treating MERS patients under quarantine since June 4, hasn’t received any new patients as of Monday. The facility treated a total of 40 people infected with MERS, including the nation’s first patient. There are abou

Social Affairs July 20, 2015

The Health Ministry plans to appoint a health expert in a key leadership role in the wake of the recent Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. 　The Ministry of Health and Welfare is headed by Moon Hyung-pyo, a former economist who has been blamed for his lack of expertise in public health ever since the MERS outbreak took place in May. The ministry’s vice minister is Chang Ok-ju, who has degrees in rather social work, women’s studies and law, but not health-related fields.　As the leaders of

Social Affairs July 19, 2015

In 2001, seven years before South Korea’s abolishment of the male-dominated family registration system took effect, novelist Gong Ji-young wrote an angry column for a local daily for the sake of her children.　Before the abolishment of the system, women were not allowed to register their children under their own family name, as the law stipulated that all individuals must be registered under their biological father’s name only. This meant the children’s names could not be changed even if their mo

Social Affairs July 19, 2015

The idea of undergoing a surgical procedure for the first time can be overwhelming for many, especially for those who are afraid of surgical scars and post-surgery pain, which are very often unavoidable.　According to Dr. Moon Hye-sung, who is the current head of the Robotic Surgery Center at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, the fear of pain and scars is especially common among women who are required to undergo a laparotomy -- a procedure involving a large incision through one’s abdomen -

Technology July 16, 2015

The government may need to spend 4.6 trillion won ($4.3 billion) to establish a new hospital system that offers full nursing care to include assistance usually provided by patients’ family members, a study showed Tuesday.　South Korea currently has the lowest patient-to-nurse ratio among the OECD nations, at 0.28 nurses per patient. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average is 1.25. 　The system in which family members provide basic care normally carried out by nursing staf

Social Affairs July 14, 2015

Park Sun-young, a 30-year-old nursing assistant at a medical clinic, is still bitter whenever she relives the moment her mother asked her to give up on her college dreams. 　“She told me that there was no money in the house, and I should get a job instead (rather than going to college),” Park said.　What hurt Park even more was her mother’s secret plan to borrow money from relatives to send her twin brother to study abroad. When Park confronted her mother about the issue, she was told that as a ma

Social Affairs July 13, 2015

South Korea reported no additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome for the seventh consecutive day Sunday, while hospitals resumed services and amusement parks and movie theaters saw a significant rise in visitors, showing signs that the outbreak is almost over. 　Once the outbreak is officially over, sources said Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo, who has been criticized for his handling of the health crisis, is likely to be replaced.　The MERS outbreak has killed 36 and infected 186 since

Social Affairs July 12, 2015

　송아영 (30, 가명) 씨는 지난 2008년 근 4개월간 교제했던 남자친구 이모(30)씨와 헤어진 후 전화번호를 교체하고 길었던 머리를 짧게 잘랐다. 툭하면 폭력을 행사했던 전 연인과 혹시라도 길거리에서 마주칠까 두려웠기 때문이었다.　처음엔 “반지만 빼고 뭐든 다 사줄 정도”로 자상했다던 이씨의 폭력은 사귄 지 2개월 쯤 지났을 때 갑자기 시작됐다. 송씨가 약속 시간에 20분 정도 늦었던 것이 화근이었다. 이씨는 보기로 했던 영화의 도입부를 놓치게 된 것에 대해 화를 내다 급기야 송씨의 머리를 때렸다.　한번 시작된 폭력은 점점 심해졌다. 저녁 메뉴를 고르다 같은 음식을 먹고 싶어하지 않는다는 이유만으로 주먹이 날아왔다. 송씨의 오빠가 우연히 팔에 든 멍을 발견하기 전까지 그는 거의 2달간 폭력을 견뎠다. 송씨는 “당시 그 전 남자친구가 바람을 피워 헤어졌기 때문에 자존감이 낮았다”며 “자꾸 이런 취급을 받는 데는 나에게도 문제가 있기 때문이란 생각이 들었고, 내가 잘하면 바뀔 수

한국어판 July 9, 2015