The Korean Lupus Support Group is holding a campaign to raise awareness about lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, at Cheonggye Plaza in central Seoul on Friday.

The event marks World Lupus Day that fell on Tuesday.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America’s definition, lupus is disease that can affect any part of the body as the “malfunctioning” immune system turns the body against itself.

Normally our immune system produces antibodies that protect the body from foreign invaders. Being autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissue, and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue.

These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body. The cause of the disease, which primarily affects women of childbearing age, is not yet known.

According to the KLSG, about 8,000 people in Korea are diagnosed with the disease every year.

(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)