A Mongolian-registered freighter sank off the southern coast of South Korea, leaving two North Korean crew members dead and 11 missing, maritime authorities said Friday. The 4,300-ton Grand Fortune 1 sent a rescue signal at 1:19 a.m. about 34 kilometers off the southern port city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, the Coast Guard said. The ship, with 16 North Koreans on board, was en route to Shanghai, China, from North Korea’s eastern city of Chongjin.Three were rescued in the early morning and b

Social Affairs April 4, 2014

As much as 1.5 trillion won ($1.4 billion) is spent every year on thyroid cancer examinations in Korea, a report showed Thursday, as concerns grow about overdiagnosis of the disease.According to a report released by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Koreans were estimated to have spent somewhere between 120 billion won to 1.5 trillion won a year ultrasonic tests for thyroid cancer. The research agency made this calculation based on a survey of 800 hospitals across the

Social Affairs April 3, 2014

The South Korean health authorities released Wednesday a massive amount of medical information to the public to boost research into health and genetics, officials said. State-run Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would provide health data on about 210,000 Koreans that it has been tracking since 2001 for research purposes. The information includes data on health conditions, daily habits, blood and urine information and family history. Personal data has been excluded from th

Social Affairs April 2, 2014

A major German drug maker called off its plan to discontinue the supply of a hemophiliac drug to the South Korean market in response to the fierce protests from patients, health authorities said Tuesday. Bayer HealthCare Korea announced in February that it would stop providing Kogenate FS for Korean hemophiliac patients from July, citing its integration process of global manufacturers. Hemophiliac patients immediately launched several protests against the plan, leading the Ministry of Food and D

Social Affairs April 1, 2014

South Korea has seen the number of atopic dermatitis patients rise, especially among women, data showed Wednesday.According to the state-run National Health Insurance Service, the yearly average number of patients receiving atopic dermatitis treatment hit 1.04 million between 2008 and 2012, with over half of them women. Atopic dermatitis is an itchy skin disorder that is inflammatory and non-contagious. Patients show allergic reactions to particular foods or inhaled substances. The exact cause i

Social Affairs March 26, 2014

An association of South Korean doctors said Wednesday it was considering a second strike, arguing that the government was not keeping promises it made during recent negotiations.The Korean Medical Association, the country’s largest group of doctors, said it would decide whether to stage the second walkout, which was suspended last week, during a general meeting scheduled for Sunday. “Even though there is a negotiation document based on mutual trust and respect, the government is frustrating us b

Social Affairs March 26, 2014

About 1,000 salt producers in South Jeolla Province vowed Tuesday to stamp out forced labor and human rights abuses at salt farms, aiming to fend off mounting public criticism after the recent discovery of slavery at salt farms involving disabled workers.“I’m more than ashamed as a salt producer over the latest human rights abuse case. (The salt farm owners) will ban abusive language and violence and prevent similar cases from happening again,” said Park Hyung-gi, the president of the group of s

Social Affairs March 25, 2014

South Korea’s health authorities on Monday mapped out their plan for staging a legal battle against tobacco firms to recoup rising health costs from smoking-related diseases. The state-run National Health Insurance Service released six possible options for the tobacco lawsuit, seeking compensation ranging from 54 billion won ($50 million) to 330 billion won depending on the smoking history of patients with larynx cancer or lung cancer. “The final plan will be settled no later than Tuesday,” said

Social Affairs March 24, 2014

The South Korean government released Monday a set of anti-tuberculosis measures as part of efforts to better fight the disease. “The ministry will strengthen efforts to achieve the goals of the first five-year anti-tuberculosis plan,” Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo said in a ceremony marking National Tuberculosis Prevention Day. Last year, the government released the first comprehensive plan to halve the disease occurrence rate to 50 patients per 100,000 Koreans by 2020. As of 2011,

Social Affairs March 24, 2014

Each Seoulite uses nearly 300 liters of water day, marking a higher level of consumption than other cities such as New York City, Tokyo and Shanghai, data showed Friday.According to the Seoul Institute, a Seoul citizen consumes 286 liters of water per day, down 8 liters from 10 years ago. The city supplies over 300 liters of water to each citizen everyday. About 20 liters of water is wasted in the process of moving from the water treatment system to homes, the report said. The report was release

Social Affairs March 21, 2014

The South Korean government said Friday it will come up with a comprehensive package of anti-cancer measures by year-end to raise public awareness and help prevent and treat the disease. “(The Health and Welfare Ministry) will improve the national cancer checkup program, expand clinical research and create a big data platform for cancer study,” Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo said in a ceremony marking the 7th National Cancer Prevention Day. The measures will cover several steps, from

Social Affairs March 21, 2014

The country’s largest group of medical doctors said Thursday that they would suspend a plan to stage a nationwide strike next week, following government negotiations on contentious medical policies. The Korean Medical Association said that over 60 percent of its members voted against staging a second walkout and agreed to accept the government’s plan to allow telemedicine and for-profit hospital subsidiaries. Doctors launched a one-day strike last week in protest of the government’s new medical

Social Affairs March 20, 2014