The Korea Herald

Healthy eyes in the spring

Each year, we are affected by yellow dust, particularly from the end of March to April. Yellow dust mixes with air pollutants that can adversely affect the respiratory tracts and the eyes. What is yellow dust?Yellow dust refers to dust from the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts, other deserts in China and Mongolia, and the upper regions of the Yellow River of China. This dust travels on upper air currents to reach Korea on western winds.The particles range from 10 micrometers, the size of silt, to 100

Technology March 20, 2014

[Graphic News] Per capita health care spending tops 1 million won

South Koreans spent an average of more than 1 million won ($930) on medical treatment last year, according to data released Tuesday. The National Health Insurance Service said that some 50 million public insurance subscribers spent about 51 trillion won for medical purposes, up 6.5 percent year-on-year. This means that each Korean paid an average of 85,000 won per month for health care.People over the age of 65 spent about 19 trillion won, accounting for 35.4 percent of the total medical spendin

Social Affairs March 19, 2014

[Graphic News] Per capita health care spending tops 1 million won

Saenuri unilaterally submits nuke bill

The ruling Saenuri Party unilaterally convened a sub-parliamentary committee meeting and submitted an anti-nuclear terrorism bill on Wednesday, pressuring the main opposition Democratic Party to stop its boycot and ratify the pending bill.The committee of Science, ICT, Future Planning, Broadcasting and Communications was held in the afternoon with only its five Saenuri members attending. DP committee members refused to attend the meeting, saying they would not support Saenuri’s attempt to ratify

Social Affairs March 19, 2014

Seoul mayor takes legal action against men behind smear attacks

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon took legal action against two men for allegedly spreading false information about his son’s military service record, officials said Wednesday. Park filed the complaints with the Seoul City Election Commission on Tuesday. A man surnamed Lee is accused of sending more than 20,000 letters and emails that detailed claims that Park’s son deliberately avoided military service using fabricated medical records. The recipients included a large number of public officials, includi

Social Affairs March 19, 2014

Deal with doctors stokes fears of medical fee hikes

South Korean doctors and the government reached an agreement on a set of hot-button issues such as a trial run of telemedicine services, but civic groups voiced concerns on Tuesday about a possible hike in medical costs in connection with the agreement. On Monday, the Korean Medical Association, the country’s largest group of medical doctors, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare worked out agreements over telemedicine and for-profit subsidiaries for hospitals, about a week after doctors launch

Social Affairs March 18, 2014

U.S. documents confirm Japan’s involvement in wartime sex slavery

The Japanese government systematically operated “comfort women” facilities as part of its military “amenities” during World War II, documents showed, contradicting Tokyo’s denial of the wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women.According to declassified documents from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, the Southeast Asia Translation and Interrogation Center confirmed that the Japanese government had run “comfort women” facilities for the military. The confirmation came while

Social Affairs March 16, 2014

U.S. documents confirm Japan’s involvement in wartime sex slavery

Business deregulation in Insa-dong stirs dispute

Seoul City’s push to ease development restrictions in a traditional culture district is creating concerns among those who want to protect the area against possible runaway commercialization projects. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that it would introduce a new rule to soften business restrictions in Insa-dong, a sightseeing area packed with traditional craft shops, art galleries and restaurants.In 2002, authorities designated certain areas in Jongno-gu, totaling 120,000 square met

Social Affairs March 16, 2014

Prosecutors to resume CNK stock-rigging investigation

The prosecution said Thursday that it would resume its investigation into a stock-rigging scandal involving a diamond mine as soon as a key suspect returns after fleeing overseas for two years.Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it will arrest Oh Deok-gyun, head of CNK International, on March 23 when he arrives from Cameroon. The 48-year-old suspect left for the African country in 2012, just before authorities announced their plan to investigate the stock manipulation scandal. Oh is

Social Affairs March 13, 2014

Doctors accept government’s offer of dialogue

Doctors and the government are likely to return to the negotiation table over new medical policies ahead of a nationwide strike planned later this month.The Korean Medical Association, the country’s largest group of physicians, said Wednesday afternoon that they would accept the government’s proposal for talks in order to stop the inconvenience of patients.“We welcome the government’s offer to talk and its refraining from a hardline stance,” the KMA said in a statement. The group, however, said

Social Affairs March 12, 2014

Doctors defy Park’s warning

Concerns about the country’s health services are growing as doctors plan to launch further industrial action later this month, despite stern warnings from the government.On Monday, thousands of doctors staged their first strike in 14 years to protest the government’s push to introduce telemedicine and for-profit subsidiaries for hospitals.President Park Geun-hye warned against doctors joining the nationwide strike, saying their actions were unacceptable and put lives in danger.The Korean Medical

Social Affairs March 11, 2014

Health insurance vulnerable to cheating

A 35-year-old ethnic Korean from China, identified only by her surname Cho, entered Korea in 2011. Not qualified for the country’s health insurance yet, Cho used her aunt’s social security number to get medical services at a discount. A year later, she was caught by the public insurance agency. Cho’s misguided attempt is just one of a growing number of cases of Korea’s high-quality public health insurance system being exploited. According to the National Health Insurance Service, there were a to

Social Affairs March 9, 2014

Seoul City to train temporary workers for maternity leaves

Seoul City will train a substitute workforce to temporarily fill positions left vacant by women on maternity leave to help working mothers return to work after childbirth, officials said Thursday. The new move came as concerns grew over working moms who quit their jobs to raise their children rather than taking maternity leave. Many have complained that their employers do not encourage maternity leave because of concerns over work vacancies. This year the city will open six centers for women to

Social Affairs March 6, 2014

Vitamins and our health

According to the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 40 percent of the population is consuming too much or not enough nutrition. Although the intake of protein, iron and vitamins B1 and C is adequate, the average intake of calcium was 84 percent of the recommended amount, whereas the average intake of vitamin A was only 68 percent of the recommendation. Therefore, it is suggested that people consume more dairy products such as milk and cheese, small boned fish, yellow and green v

Technology March 6, 2014

OCD on the rise in Korea

Repeated hand-washing became a “ritual” for 28-year-old graduate student Kim Ju-eun. Fearing germs, she could not stop herself from washing her hands frantically and frequently. Which made sense when Kim was later diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. The anxiety disorder is characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors that people feel compelled to perform. The number of patients suffering from the disorder has gone up in recent years, especially am

Technology March 6, 2014

Sugar should be just 5% of calorie intake: WHO

LONDON (AP) ― Just try sugar-coating this: The World Health Organization says your daily sugar intake should be just 5 percent of your total calories ― half of what the agency previously recommended, according to new draft guidelines published Wednesday.After a review of about 9,000 studies, WHO’s expert panel says dropping sugar intake to that level will combat obesity and cavities. That includes sugars added to foods and those present in honey, syrups and fruit juices, but not those occurring

Technology March 6, 2014

Articles by Lee Hyun-jeong