The Korea Herald

Park honors Ebola relief team

President Park Geun-hye has awarded medals to 24 health care professionals for completing a nearly three-month Ebola relief mission in Sierra Leone. “I was deeply touched to find out that so many health care professionals applied for this mission in spite of the potential risks,” Park told the health care workers during the ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae last Friday. “We believe philanthropy requires courage. I am convinced that the completion of this mission has been indebted to your courageous deci

Technology May 17, 2015

Boosting serotonin

Serotonin is also called the “happy substance” or “study substance” because it is associated with happiness and learning ability in modern people living busy lives. It also calms the mind and improves immunity, as well as promoting endorphin production.Lifestyle factors that increase serotonin1. Eat foods rich in vitamins B6 and B3, and magnesiumThese substances are needed to make serotonin from tryptophan.Foods rich in vitamins B6 and B3: brown rice, whole wheat, peanuts, shiitake mushrooms, oy

Technology May 14, 2015

[Herald Interview] Agency calls for health care support for North Korea

When Lee Soo-ku, president of the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare, visited a dental facility in North Korea for the first time in the early 2000s, he was almost speechless. “There was literally nothing except a few very basic instruments,” he said. “There was a mouth mirror and an extractor. That’s about it.”Lee, who is also a practicing dentist, has been serving as the head of the KOFIH since 2012. His organization is the only South Korean public agency that provides health care s

Social Affairs May 14, 2015

[Herald Interview] Agency calls for health care support for North Korea

Seoul seeks to guarantee children’s right to play

South Korea’s Welfare Ministry on Wednesday announced its plan to tackle children’s unhappiness, including establishing a charter on “children’s rights to play.”According to the ministry’s 2013 data, Korea scored the lowest among the OECD in terms of children’s “life satisfaction” with a total of 60.3 out of 100 points. The government’s goal is to increase the index to 77 points by 2019.Some of the major reasons behind the statistics include lack of leisure time and hobbies, as well as stress ov

Social Affairs May 13, 2015

Women more vulnerable to workplace bullying

In 2012, a former bank employee won damages from her employer and coworkers, who bullied her after returning from a year of maternity leave. The banker, who had been in charge of accounts and mostly worked as a teller before taking leave, was asked to be an usher instead when she returned. Her own desk was gone, and as an usher she had to stand the whole time. When she confronted her boss after waiting for a month, he told her: “I don’t consider you as my employee. If you feel this is unfair, yo

Social Affairs May 12, 2015

Koreans hesitant on early dementia testing

Kim Seon-hwa, a 59-year-old housewife, lost her mother to dementia three years ago. While she currently has no signs of the brain disease, Kim recently visited her doctor to find out if there are any options available for an early diagnosis. “Dementia is a terrible disease,” Kim said. “After losing my own mother to the very disease, I wanted to be proactive and minimize my risks as much as possible before it is too late.”Her doctor suggested Kim get a FDG-PET scan, a medical imaging technique th

Social Affairs May 11, 2015

Koreans hesitant on early dementia testing

Government’s teaching aid for sex education under criticism

South Korea’s official teaching aid for sex education is under criticism for some of its content, including its definition of dating and a section on date rape.　According to PowerPoint slides provided by the Education Ministry, which is currently available to the public online, dating is defined as “a process for young men and women in a relationship without any commitment for the future.” The teaching aid also states that teenage dating “does not lead to marriage” in another slide. Government’s

Social Affairs May 8, 2015

Government’s teaching aid for sex education under criticism

Authorities warn of illegal remedies for erectile dysfunction

Health authorities Thursday warned that many “natural remedies” for erectile dysfunction that are currently being sold illegally online contain sildenafil, a medication that can be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription. An overdose of the drug, which is most commonly sold as Viagra, can lead to serious health problems including a heart attack. The authorities strongly advised the public to consult a doctor before purchasing any medical or non-medical remedies for erectile dysfunction. Amon

Technology May 7, 2015

Ministry to fill day care workforce shortage

The Welfare Ministry on Monday said 30,000 more assisting nannies will be assigned to public day care centers suffering from a chronic workforce shortage, as part of the long-term measures to enhance child welfare and prevent abuses.Currently, a single assisting nanny is appointed for every four day care workers caring for children aged from 3 to 5 at state-run centers. Under the Child Welfare Law of Korea, a single day care worker is allowed to take care of a maximum of three babies aged less t

Social Affairs May 4, 2015

Parties agree on pension reform bill

The reform bill for civil servants’ pensions will be put to a vote at the National Assembly this Wednesday, but Cheong Wa Dae and the government say the deal has not gone far enough to address shortfalls in the nation’s pension funds.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Saturday agreed to raise the contribution rate of public service pensions from the 7 percent to 9 percent in the next five years, while reducing entitlements from 1.9 percent to

Politics May 3, 2015

More Koreans donate, volunteer, survey shows

By Claire LeeMore South Koreans are choosing to donate funds to charities and participate in volunteer work, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Welfare Ministry, Koreans donated 12.49 trillion won ($11.9 billion) in 2013, which is 1.5 times the donations in 2006 ― 8.14 trillion won. Total donations in 2013 accounted for 0.87 percent of gross domestic product. The ministry said while Koreans are donating more funds, the amount remains low compared to average donations in other cou

Social Affairs April 29, 2015

Youths open to common-law marriage

The majority of young South Koreans are willing to have common-law relationships or marry a foreigner, the latest government data showed Tuesday.According a survey by Statistics Korea last year, 56.8 percent of young Koreans aged 9 to 24 said they were willing to live with their partners without getting married, while 74.2 percent said they wouldn’t mind marrying a foreigner.However, only 26.4 percent said they were willing to have children outside marriage. Almost 50 percent of them said they w

Social Affairs April 28, 2015

Conviction threatens Seoul education chief

Major projects being pushed by progressive top educator Cho Hi-yeon faces hurdles as he could be forced to step down from his post after a local court found him guilty of running a smear campaign against his rival candidate last year.The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday evening fined Cho, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 5 million won ($4,600) for spreading false rumors against his conservative rival Koh Seung-duk during his campaign.Under current election l

Social Affairs April 24, 2015

Conviction threatens Seoul education chief

More teenagers at risk of Internet addiction

A few years ago, Kim Seon-jung, a middle school math teacher, noticed one of his students would always jiggle his legs while he sat down in class. As his behavior became distracting, Kim told him numerous times to stop. The student responded by pounding on the desk and swinging his pen with his fingers.Alarmed by the student’s behavior, the teacher consulted with the parents, only to find out the teen was addicted to the Internet. “He was an introvert who didn’t have many friends in school, and

Social Affairs April 22, 2015

More teenagers at risk of Internet addiction

‘Small weddings’ drive aims to solve low fertility

In its attempt to raise the nation’s fertility rate, the government said Tuesday it would start supporting “small weddings” to alleviate the burden of pricey ceremonies in hopes that more marriages will lead to more childbirths. The Gender Equality Ministry signed an MOU with the heads of the country’s four biggest religious bodies ― the Christian Council of Korea, Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Won-Buddhism and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul ― to collaborate on promoting the so-called “sm

Social Affairs April 21, 2015

Articles by Claire Lee