The Korea Herald

Obama urges more funds for ‘new era of medicine’

WASHINGTON, (AFP) ― U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday called for the United States to lead the way toward a “new era of medicine” by boosting funds for modern medical research.During his State of the Union speech, Obama said a key area of focus should be a fast-growing field known as precision medicine, which aims to deliver the best treatment for cancer and other illnesses based on an individual’s genetics.“I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2015

Obama urges more funds for ‘new era of medicine’

AbbVie’s new hepatitis C treatment gets approval in EU

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) ― Drugmaker AbbVie Inc. said its new, all-pill hepatitis C combo treatment has been approved for patients in the 28 European Union member countries.The company said the European Commission had granted marketing authorization for the combination of Viekirax and Exviera. Viekirax itself is a combination pill containing antiviral drugs ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir; Exviera is a single pill containing dasabuvir. It’s already approved in EU nonmembers Switzerland, N

Technology Jan. 22, 2015

AbbVie’s new hepatitis C treatment gets approval in EU

Foods that can help you give up smoking

Compared to nonsmokers, most smokers tend to consume more alcohol and high caloric food ― such as fatty foods. They also have lower intake of antioxidant vitamins (vitamins C, E and A) from healthy vegetables and fruits, thereby having a higher risk of atherosclerosis and various cancers. Most smokers tend to consume more coffee (3-10 cups per day) and have irregular dietary habits.Changes in serum lipid levelsNicotine in cigarettes increases the free fatty acid levels in the serum, to raise the

Technology Jan. 22, 2015

Vitamin D deficiency grows in Korea

A growing number of Koreans are seeking medical attention for vitamin D deficiency, a common condition among those who do not get enough exposure to sunlight, a government report showed.According to the National Health Insurance Service, the number of Koreans who sought medical help for vitamin D deficiency increased ninefold from 2009-2013 ― from 2,027 to 18,637.“More people are now aware that vitamin D deficiency can affect one’s muscles, bones and immunity and is even associated with cancer,”

Technology Jan. 22, 2015

Elderly poverty rate nears 50%

South Korea’s elderly poverty rate was close to 50 percent in 2013, which was 3.5 times higher than the national average, a report showed Wednesday.According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the poverty rate of Koreans aged 65 or older was 48 percent in 2013, while the average rate for all Koreans was 13.7 percent. Single-person households had the second-highest poverty rate ― 47. 2 percent ― among all groups of people, including children, the employed and single-parent hous

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2015

Four killed in crane demolition accident

A crane undergoing deconstruction collapsed at a shipyard in Busan on Wednesday killing four workers.At about 9:46 a.m., the crane’s machine room fell about 20 meters to the ground, immediately killing four workers, including one who was crushed by the debris.The authorities believe that the workers, employees of a demolition contractor, were in the process of detaching the machine room from the 40-ton crane. According to reports, three of the workers were cutting through structures holding the

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2015

Man convicted of raping migrant wife

A Korean man was sentenced to a suspended jail term for raping his foreign-born wife. The Jan. 7 ruling marked the first time that a local court has convicted a man for spousal rape that does not involve the use of a deadly weapon.The man married his wife, who is 20 years his junior, in 2012 through an international marriage agency. He was convicted of raping her about 10 times during the first two months of their marriage, as well as physically abusing her. His wife managed to escape from the h

Social Affairs Jan. 20, 2015

Heated debate greets proposal for CCTV at day care centers

Following a series of child abuse cases at day care centers, the debate is intensifying over whether the government’s recently announced countermeasure ― installing surveillance cameras at all children’s institutions nationwide ― will be an effective deterrent.“Surveillance cameras can’t solve everything,” said scholar Yoon Deok-gyeong from the Korean Women’s Development Institute. “What if abusers take the child to a place where no cameras are installed? To bring about a fundamental change, we

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2015

Korea tightens child protection policy

Counselors take phone reports of child abuse cases at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday. (Yonhap)Following a controversial child abuse case involving a day care worker in Incheon, the ruling Saenuri Party and the government announced a joint plan to protect children’s rights on Friday.The 33-year-old worker, surnamed Yang, was taken into police custody on Thursday after surveillance video footage was revealed of her harshly beating a 4-year-old for not finishing her food.“This case is t

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2015

Korea sees number of obstetrics clinics plunge

The number of obstetrics clinics in South Korea has halved since 2004 due to the country’s critically low birth rate, according to government data.According to the data, the number of clinics where women can give birth dropped from 1,311 in 2004 to 641 this year. Fifty-five of 232 municipalities nationwide do not have any clinics for expectant mothers. This means 1 out of 4 municipalities across the country do not have maternity units.One of the main reasons for this is the nation’s low birthrat

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2015

‘Underground city’ proposed in central Seoul

An idea to build an “underground city” that connects City Hall, the Gwangwhamun and Jonggak subway stations, and a soon-to-be established public park near the Seoul Metropolitan Council building is being considered by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, according to its Public Development Center.The Seoul Institute, a think tank working closely with the city government, is researching ways to connect the two major subway stations in central Seoul and the City Hall building, said Lee Seong-chang,

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2015

President reiterates commitment to public pension, tuition reforms

President Park Geun-hye on Monday insisted on proceeding with the controversial public pension reform during a New Year’s press conference, despite a fierce backlash from the nation’s public sector.“Last year, 2.5 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in taxpayers’ money was needed to cover the shortfalls in the public pension fund. (If we don’t proceed with the reform), the current system would require 10 trillion won in government subsidies over 10 years,” Park said, calling on the parties to draw up re

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2015

Seoul City offers W8.5b for disabled children’s hospital

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it would offer 8.5 billion won ($7.8 million) in support for building a hospital specializing in rehabilitation treatment for children with disabilities, the first of its kind in the capital city.The 8.5 billion won would be used to build the hospital ― which is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2016 ― and purchase necessary medical equipment, the SMG said.According to the city government, there were about 13,272 children

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2015

Korean-Chinese with forged passports urged to surrender

Korean-Chinese with forged passports will be allowed to re-enter South Korea with legal passports a year after deportation as long as they turn themselves in starting Jan. 19, the Korea Immigration Service said Thursday.Those who fail to report themselves, however, will be banned from entering the country for 10 years on being caught and deported, the KIS said. Ethnic Koreans of other nationalities are also encouraged to report themselves if they are residing in South Korea with forged passports

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2015

Seoul to consider allowance for illegal immigrants’ children

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday said it would consider giving out a monthly allowance for children of undocumented immigrants, after being advised by human rights experts.Yeom Gyu-hong, one of the three independent human rights officers hired by the city government, said excluding illegal immigrant’s children from the city’s monthly childcare allowance program violated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which South Korea signed in 1991.Currently, all Seoul ci

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2015

Articles by Claire Lee