The Korea Times

Doctors at top hospitals spend only 4 minutes per patient: data

gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-youngPatients who go to the top hospitals in Korea usually wait for more than an hour but they usually see their doctor for only about four minutes ― and this situation is only getting worse.According to Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) data submitted to Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, doctors at SNUH, which is one of the capital's three most popular hospitals along with Samsung Medical Center and Asan Medical Center, spent on average 4 minutes and 26 seconds seeing each outpatient between January and August this year. That is even shorter than last year when they spent 4 minutes and 37 seconds per patient.By department, cardiology, endocrinology and metabolism outpatients saw their doctors for 3 minutes and 28 seconds on average. Urologists, nephrologists, gastroenterologists, doctors of rehabilitation medicine, hemato oncologists and neurologists all had less than four minutes to spend on each of th

Oct 21, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Doctors at top hospitals spend only 4 minutes per patient: data

Law & Crime

Spy agency monitoring foreign nationals who threatened Afghan evacuees: report

Taliban fighters stand guard after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. AP-Yonhap By Yoon Ja-youngKorea's spy agency is monitoring foreign nationals residing here who have posted threats on social media against Afghan evacuees, a local newspaper reported Wednesday.According to a report in the Donga Ilbo, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is tracking foreign nationals who have threatened “Afghans of special merit to Korea” ― people who worked for Korean missions in Afghanistan and were later evacuated to Korea.After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, about 390 Afghans were airlifted here and are currently staying in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, preparing to settle permanently. The evacuees are comprised of Afghans who worked for the Korean embassy and other facilities run by Korea in Afghanistan, as well as their family members. The government recognized their contributions to Korea and granted them special residence permits.According

Oct 21, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Spy agency monitoring foreign nationals who threatened Afghan evacuees: report

Economy

High inheritance tax hampering entrepreneurship

In this 2010 file photo, late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, center, is seen with his family members at the Consumer Electronics show held in Las Vegas. Courtesy of Samsung GroupBy Yoon Ja-youngOct. 25 marks the first anniversary of the death of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee. During the past year, the bereaved family handled a huge task: paying 12 trillion won ($10.1 billion) in inheritance tax. The family, which obtained loans to pay the tax, recently decided to sell 2 trillion won worth of shares. The story has turned the spotlight on Korea's high inheritance tax, which the business circle says hampers entrepreneurship, and has prompted the government to consider revising the taxation systemNecessary but too muchFew people would disagree with the view that inheritance tax is necessary for a healthy society by lowering the concentration of wealth and enhancing equity. It is also true that only a handful of the rich are subject to the tax. According to the National Tax Service, only 2.9 percent of the heirs of deceased persons were subject to inheritance taxes last year.Bus

Oct 21, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

High inheritance tax hampering entrepreneurship

North Korea

Kim Jong-un's half-brother was linked with South Korea's spy agency: report

Kim Jong-nam / YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngKim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was murdered in Malaysia in 2017, was linked to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), according to a report by South Korean broadcaster SBS, Tuesday.SBS reported that it had confirmed from a number of former and current NIS officers that Kim Jong-nam had been providing information on top North Korean officials including Kim Jong-un for at least five to six years before he was killed.The estranged half-brother was the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and was once regarded as the heir apparent to the regime. However, he lost his father's trust after he was involved in a series of problematic incidents, including trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001. At that time, he said he was attempting to visit the Tokyo Disneyland; and since then, he had been living in Macau, and traveling to other countries.In February 2017, Kim was in Kuala Lumpur International Airport when two young women ― one from Indonesia and the other from Vietnam ― sudde

Oct 19, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Kim Jong-un's half-brother was linked with South Korea's spy agency: report

Environment & Animals

Weather forecaster warns of disappearing spring and fall

People wearing down coats cross the street in Gwangwhamun in central Seoul, Oct. 17, as unseasonably cold weather has gripped the country. Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngMany Koreans cite “four distinct seasons” as uniquely characterizing the country, but this historical climactic character may change soon. With many people startled by the early cold wave currently gripping the nation, a weather forecaster has said that spring and fall may virtually disappear from Korea's four seasons.Ban Ki-song, the director at Kweather, a private weather service provider, said in an interview with CBS Radio, Oct. 18, that his agency predicts the winter to be colder than usual this year.He said that Korea's winter tends to be especially cold when La Nina has formed, and added that La Nina has continued recently. He also cited melting Arctic ice and the fact that the Arctic Oscillation Index is hovering below zero as indicators that this winter will be colder than usual. Ban said that the recent sudden temperature drop is related to climate change, which is producing extreme changes in

Oct 19, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Weather forecaster warns of disappearing spring and fall

Companies

Chanel sets '1 bag per person per year' rule in Korea

Chanel's Classic flap bag / Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngChanel has started restricting the number of bags each customer can buy in Korea. In the case of some popular bags, a single person can now buy only one per year. According to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Chanel Korea has adopted a new policy in which each customer can buy one Timeless Classic flap bag and one Coco Handle hand bag per year. The “one bag per person per year” rule also applies to items that it categorizes as “small leather goods,” mainly wallets and pouches, if the customer wants more than one of the same model in the category. The measure comes following increasing “reselling” of the Chanel bags. At major department stores in Seoul where Chanel stores are located, people have been seen standing in line starting in the early morning to do “open runs,” or dashing into the store as soon as it opens. They wait for hours to enter the shop as early as possible and increase the possibility of getting the items they want. While many of them wan

Oct 13, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Chanel sets '1 bag per person per year' rule in Korea

Companies

EDGC applies for cancer detection technology patent in US

gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-youngA Korean genetic sequencing firm has taken a step towards the commercialization of its liquid biopsy technology, which aims at detecting early stage cancer with a simple blood test and suggesting optimized treatment.Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC) announced that it applied for a U.S. as well as an international patent under the PCT system for its DNA methylation analysis technology.The technology is based on a liquid biopsy, which is a cutting-edge technology that can be applied throughout the whole treatment cycle, from the early detection of cancer and monitoring of its recurrence and spread, to the provision of anticancer drugs tailored to each patient. For mass screenings aimed at the early detection of cancer, a small amount of blood is taken from a person in order to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), or DNA that originates from cancerous cells. In the case of early-stage cancer, however, ctDNA exists in an extremely sma

Oct 12, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

EDGC applies for cancer detection technology patent in US

Shows & Dramas

Pohang residents overwhelmed by 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' fan visits

A scene from tvN's rom-com series, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" / Korea Times fileBy Yoon Ja-youngResidents of a small seaside village in Pohang say they are suffering from fans of the drama who, in some cases, have even trespassed on residents' properties.Through a social media message on Oct. 5, the production team of tvN's popular Saturday-Sunday drama, “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha,” urged fans not to visit private areas where the drama was filmed. “The residences of Hye-jin, Du-sik, Gam-ri and Cho-hui in the drama are private properties that were granted permission for use during the shoot, and the owners currently reside there,” the production team said in a statement.“The owners provided support for the drama production in good will. However, their daily lives are now being interrupted due to visitors. When you visit the village from the series, please refrain from entering those residences.”Based on the 2004 film, "Mr. Handy,” the drama features realistic, big-city dentist Yoon Hye-jin, played by actress Shin Min-a, moving to the small seaside vill

Oct 6, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Pohang residents overwhelmed by 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' fan visits

Economy

Structural problems drive self-employed into 'Squid Game'

gettyimagesbankThe self-employed hold 24.6 percent of all jobs in Korea, sixth highest among OECD nationsBy Yoon Ja-youngIn the hit Netflix series, “Squid Game,” the main character, Seong Gi-hun, joins the fight-to-the-death challenge, driven by the 400 million won he owes, after the failure of his restaurants, a business he started after losing his job at a car manufacturing company. Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the economy, many small business owners say they are no different from Seong. In an internet forum on the country's top search engine and platform, Naver, where the self-employed share information, a man who runs a small sushi restaurant said he could not take his eyes off the show. “The show depicts in detail what it is like to be on the edge of a precipice,” he wrote. Another said he felt like he was living right in the middle of the game. The only difference is that “there will be no prize money even if I win,” he commented.According to the National Self-Employed Emergency Response Committee, at least 22 small business ow

Sep 30, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Structural problems drive self-employed into 'Squid Game'

Steep government debt growth raises alarm bells in Korea

Shows & Dramas

Presidential hopeful offers 100 million won to buy phone number exposed in 'Squid Game'

A poster for “Squid Game” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Yoon Ja-youngA presidential hopeful has offered 100 million won ($85,000) to buy the phone number of a man who says he has been bombarded with unwanted calls and messages after it was shown in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game.”Huh Kyung-young, the National Revolutionary Party's honorary chief who announced his bid for presidency last month, said on Facebook Sept. 26, “I heard that the owner of the phone number showed on a business card in Squid Game is suffering serious damage from prank calls. I would like to buy the number for 100 million won.”In the Korean original series which has topped the charts of the global streaming service in a number of countries, a mysterious man played by actor Gong Yoo gives business cards containing an eight-digit phone number to the main character Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, and others in despair. He tells them to call the number if they want to join the game, where participants bet their lives to win a huge amount of prize money. It seems some viewers c

Sep 27, 2021By Yoon Ja-young

Yoon Ja-young

Read more

Doctors at top hospitals spend only 4 minutes per patient: data

Spy agency monitoring foreign nationals who threatened Afghan evacuees: report

High inheritance tax hampering entrepreneurship

Kim Jong-un's half-brother was linked with South Korea's spy agency: report

Weather forecaster warns of disappearing spring and fall

Chanel sets '1 bag per person per year' rule in Korea

EDGC applies for cancer detection technology patent in US

Pohang residents overwhelmed by 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' fan visits

Structural problems drive self-employed into 'Squid Game'

Presidential hopeful offers 100 million won to buy phone number exposed in 'Squid Game'

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