About 1 in 3 South Koreans have latent tuberculosis as of last year, a lawmaker said Wednesday. 123rfRep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party cited the annual Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2016 conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed that 33.2 percent of 2,051 participants tested positive for latent TB infection. LTBI is a condition in which TB bacteria are present in the body but are dormant. That is the highest incidenc

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2017

The next extended Chuseok holiday similar to that of this year will come in 2025, according to the calendar.  123rfThis year saw the annual Chuseok holiday extend for a record 10 days, thanks to the traditional festival falling between two national holidays -- National Foundation Day and Hangul Day and two weekends. In addition, the government’s designation of Oct. 2 as a national holiday this year allowed the holiday to extend from Sept. 30 to Oct. 9. The country will not see a similarly long C

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2017

Hundreds of diehard supporters of former President Park Geun-hye gathered near the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday ahead of a court hearing in the ousted leader’s corruption trial. Supporters of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye wave national flags near the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Oct. 10, 2017. (Yonhap)Waving banners that read “Park is innocent” and national flags, they demanded the court release the jailed leader whose detention warrant expires on Oc

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2017

The Seoul Central District Court is set to decide Tuesday whether to extend the detention of former President Park Geun-hye, who is on trial for corruption charges. On Thursday, the appeal trial will begin for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted in August of bribing Park to win political support for the conglomerate’s smooth leadership transition in favor of him. Park, the first female president elected in South Korea, was expelled from power on March 10, arrested o

Social Affairs Oct. 9, 2017

Baby feeding rooms in two of Seoul’s most crowded subway stations are filthier than toilet bowl lids in nearby public restrooms, a lawmaker said Sunday. 123rfAccording to Rep. Choi Do-ja from the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, nursing station facilities in Seoul Station and Yongsan Station had contamination levels of up to 13,476 relative light units per milliliter. That is about 14 times the average contamination level of toilet bowl lids in nearby restrooms, which was 951 RL

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2017

As a software engineer, Yoo Yong-sik never thought that he would be unable to live independently. Since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2010, Yoo, 55, now finds himself facing the reality that the country’s disability care budget covers only half the cost of the home help services that he needs for 24 hours a day.“I can no longer work and take care of myself, but I sure don’t want sympathy. I just want to be treated fairly by the government

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2017

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday said that it would tackle homelessness by focusing on providing housing units and medical care, and helping the homeless find jobs. Homeless people take shelter underground at the Seoul Station subway. (photo: Lee Won-yul/The Korea Herald)Bae Byung-joon, director general of the Health Industry Bureau at the Welfare Ministry, said that the ministry would swiftly carry out countermeasures to reduce the number of homeless people and help them live ind

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2017

South Korea’s environmental authorities on Tuesday unveiled a package of measures to tackle the worsening air pollution, including shutting down aged coal power plants and reducing pollutants from diesel vehicles and factories.The measures are aimed at helping reduce fine dust emissions by more than 30 percent by the end of President Moon Jae-in’s term in 2022, authorities said. Seoul’s Namsan Tower is blanketed in thick smoke. (Yonhap)According to the Ministry of Environment, the Moon administr

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2017

South Korea had 2.2 medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2015, the fewest among member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, health authorities in Seoul said Monday. The figure is far lower than the average 3.3 medical doctors of OECD member states, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. (photo: Yonhap)Korea’s number of licensed doctors includes physicians practicing oriental medicine. Korea was followed by Poland with 2.3, Japan and Mexico with

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2017

A South Korean 18-year-old girl who was sentenced to life in prison for colluding with the teenage murderer of an 8-year-old victim has applied to appeal the court’s decision made last week, the court said Sunday. According to Incheon District Court, the accomplice -- identified by the surname Park -- filed an appeal against the court’s verdict for the first trial, which handed down a lifetime sentence to the murder accomplice Friday. Park had no direct role in the murder, but the court acknowle

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2017

State prosecutors are set to launch an investigation this week into allegations that the National Intelligence Service blacklisted media professionals deemed unfriendly to the Lee Myung-bak administration, sources said Sunday.  The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, which is looking into the NIS over its involvement in blacklisting left-wing figures under the Lee administration, is reported to be planning to question individuals on the list starting this week. Union workers of major Sou

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2017

Rest stops are an essential part of a highway system, offering drivers chances to gas up, use the restroom or just stretch their legs on long trips. But increasingly in South Korea, these roadside establishments offer something a little extra, becoming tourist attractions in their own right. South Korea’s 4,000-kilometer highway system boasts 189 rest areas, which last year generated a combined 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in revenue, up 13 percent from 2014. From local delicacies, traditiona

Travel Sept. 22, 2017

At Park Hyun-soo’s home in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, weekday mornings are just like in any other household with young students. 　She wakes up her daughter, fixes her something to eat, and rushes around the house to get everything she needs for the day in her school bag. Protesters argue at a forum held on Sept. 5 to gather opinions on the planned establishment of a special school in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul. Advocates of the plan clashed with local residents who have demanded its cancellation,

Social Affairs Sept. 17, 2017

The Korea Kindergarten Association on Friday called off its plan to stage a strike next week. The strike scheduled for Monday was averted as the association representing private kindergartens nationwide agreed to continue talks with the Ministry of Education over its demand for an increase in state subsidy. The decision came after the two sides met for talks at Government Complex Seoul in Gwanghwamun on Friday afternoon.  Members of the Korea Kindergarten Association hold a banner reading “Equal

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2017

The deadly tick-borne disease Thrombocytopenia Syndrome is continuing to spread in South Korea, infecting 139 people as of October, according to the Korea‘s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among infected patients, 31 have lost their lives, a twofold increase from the corresponding period last year, the KCDC’s data showed Thursday. SFTS is an infectious disease transmitted by ticks with fatality rates ranging to as high as 30 percent in some regions. In 2014, the tick-borne disease in

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2017