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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Number of obese people more than double over past 4 years

gettyimagesbankThe number of obese people in Korea more than doubled between 2017 and 2021, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Thursday.According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of overweight patients increased from 14,966 in 2017 to 31,170 last year.The number of obese men increased by 3.4-fold to 9,676 and that of female patients grew by 1.7 times to 20,494.By age, those in their 30s made up the largest proportion at 22.1 percent, followed by those in their 40s at 21.6 percent and 50s at 13.2 percent.The increase was fastest among those younger than 20. The number of overweight teenage patients increased by 3.6-fold to 4,457, and the figure among those under 10 tripled to 3,102. The report said changing diets and increasing unhealthy habits during the pandemic appear to have contributed to the problem. "Lack of exercise and increased consumption of instant and delivery food can be seen as one of causes of the recent increase in obese patients," the institute said. "In particular, active attention and efforts from schools, par

Apr 21, 2022
Number of obese people more than double over past 4 years

New COVID cases fall below 100,000 as Omicron wave ebbs

People walk in the popular shopping district of Myeongdong in Seoul, April 20. Yonhap Korea reported fewer than 100,000 COVID-19 cases for Wednesday with the curve of the Omicron variant continuing its downward curve that started in mid-March.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 90,867 new infections, including 31 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,674,045.The new total is down 57,558 cases, or 38.7 percent, from a week ago and marks the lowest number for a Wednesday since Feb. 17.The Omicron-driven infections have been on the steady decline after peaking at 621,178 cases March 17.The overall death toll registered 21,667, up 147 from the previous day for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients came to 846, up 38.Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province reported 22,620, Seoul, 15,192, and Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, 4,667.As of midnight Wednesday, 44.53 million, or

Apr 21, 2022
New COVID cases fall below 100,000 as Omicron wave ebbs

Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

A doctor at a clinic in Jung District, Seoul, talks over the phone with a COVID-19 patient undergoing home treatment, Feb. 17. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jinTelemedicine companies, which have been enjoying a contactless boom since the government has temporarily permitted their services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are now calling for establishing them legally so as to create a stable business environment.They have pinned high hopes on the legalization of their businesses as the transitional committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is positively reviewing deregulatory policies related to digitalization in the healthcare sector.Telemedicine, which enables doctors to treat patients remotely via telecommunications technologies, was technically illegal here in the pre-COVID-19 era under the Medical Services Act.However, through a revision to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, since February 2020, the provision of virtual healthcare services has been allowed in a limited manner as the country's infectious disease crisis level hit the highest level of alarm.The revision h

Apr 21, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Will incoming Yoon administration legalize telemedicine services?

Transition team slams gov't's lifting of social distancing rules

Transition team Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo / YonhapThe transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol slammed the government Wednesday for prematurely lifting all COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.In a statement read by a spokesperson, transition team Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo said many health workers were concerned that the removal of all restrictions at once would cause the public to let down their guard at a time when daily COVID-19 cases are still in the hundreds of thousands and deaths are over 100."It is not wise to lift all antivirus measures as if COVID-19 does not exist," he said, according to spokesperson Shin Yong-hyeon. "While returning to normal, we must simultaneously take steps to protect high-risk and vulnerable populations from the risk of COVID-19."On Monday, the government lifted all restrictions, including a curfew on business hours and a cap on the size of private gatherings. A mask mandate, however, remains in place.Ahn urged the government not to hastily lift the mask mandate, saying mask wearing was a basic rule in preventing the spread of infectious diseases

Apr 20, 2022
Transition team slams gov't's lifting of social distancing rules

Yoon holds private meeting with visiting US nuclear envoy

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, poses with Sung Kim, third from left, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Vice National Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk, left, and Rep. Cho Tae-yong during their meeting at Chung's residence in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of presidential transition committee President-elect shows strong determination to coordinate with US on North Korea policyBy Kang Seung-wooPresident-elect Yoon Suk-yeol had an unscheduled meeting with Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, Tuesday, and expressed his strong determination to coordinate with the United States on North Korea's mounting threats, according to his transition team, Wednesday.Yoon had dinner with the American envoy at the residence of Vice National Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk in Seoul, according to the transition committee. Chung, a longtime friend of Kim, arranged the gathering that lasted more than two hours. Rep. Cho Tae-yong of the main opposition People Power Party and former Vice Foreign Minister also accompanied them. Kim is visiting Seoul on a five-day

Apr 20, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
Yoon holds private meeting with visiting US nuclear envoy

Korea reports fewer than 120,000 cases for 5th day as Omicron surge declines

A coronavirus testing center near Seoul Station Plaza is empty, April 19, as the Omicron-fueled spike in infections continues to slow. Korea reported fewer than 120,000 COVID-19 cases for the fifth straight day Tuesday as the Omicron-fueled spike in infections continues to slow.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 111,319 cases, including 17 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,583,220.The new tally is down 84,100, or 43 percent, from a week ago in an apparent sign that the Omicron variant is loosening its grip.Since the virus peaked at 621,178 cases March 17, it has been receding.The death toll came to 21,520, up 166 from the previous day for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients came to 808, down 26.Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province reported 28,557, Seoul added 18,322, and Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, identified 5,435.As of midnight Tuesday, 44.53 million,

Apr 20, 2022
Korea reports fewer than 120,000 cases for 5th day as Omicron surge declines

Korea reports 118,504 new COVID-19 cases as Omicron recedes

People gather to eat and drink outside in Seoul, April 18. Yonhap New daily COVID-19 cases jumped Monday, apparently due to increased testing, but the number was about half the total from a week ago as the spread of the Omicron sub-variant appears to be slowing down.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 118,504 infections, including 20 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,471,940.The new tally is similar to the numbers seen in the third week of February when the Omicron wave started to accelerate nationwide.The virus peaked at 621,178 cases March 17 and has since been retreating. The country reported 93,001 cases for Saturday and 47,743 for Sunday. Last Monday's tally was 210,732.The death toll came to 21,354, up 130 from the previous day for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients came to 834, down 16.Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province reported 29,671, Seoul, 21,819 and

Apr 19, 2022
Korea reports 118,504 new COVID-19 cases as Omicron recedes
  • US lowers travel advisory on South Korea to Level 1 from Level 4

Long COVID worries persist amid Korea's transition to post-Omicron era

A street in Myeong-dong in central Seoul is crowded with people, Sunday. YonhapGovernment lifts most social distancing measures; daily cases fall to 10-week low of 47,743By Lee Hyo-jin While the country is transitioning in phases toward a post-Omicron-era, a significant number of COVID-19 survivors, who are suffering from the lingering symptoms of the virus, are finding it hard to return to their daily lives.For Kim So-hyun, a 29-year-old office worker in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, her COVID-19 symptoms have not gone away, even though her required seven-day self-isolation period ended in late March.“I've been suffering from migraines and fatigue, along with coughing, which get worse at night. But what worries me more is that there doesn't seem to be a cure for this, and I don't know how long these symptoms will last,” she said.Her questions about the debilitating condition still remain unanswered even after she visited a hospital last week, where she was prescribed cough syrup and advised to rest. Like Kim, roughly 10 percent to 30 percent of people who have recovered from

Apr 18, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Long COVID worries persist amid Korea's transition to post-Omicron era

Small biz owners buoyed on 1st day of no social distancing

The Han River Park in southern Seoul is crowded with people, April 17. (Yonhap)On the first day of the lifting of all COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, small business owners said they are looking forward to seeing as many customers as before the pandemic. All social distancing rules, except a mask mandate, were lifted this week, allowing restaurants, cafes and other small businesses to operate freely without a curfew and limits on the size of private gatherings. "Group reservations of 10 to 20 people keep coming in as companies resume after-hour dinners," an employee of a Korean barbecue restaurant in central Seoul said. A 58-year-old cafe owner in the busy district of Gangnam welcomed the government's decision, saying she hopes to see all tables at her cafe full with customers as they were before COVID-19 broke out. "I could feel more people hanging out at night from last week. I hope I can recover my store's sales soon," the owner said while busily preparing fruit juices to sell, adding the biggest change is that people now have no fear of having private gatherings.Some, how

Apr 18, 2022
Small biz owners buoyed on 1st day of no social distancing
  • Korea lifts most COVID-19 restrictions

Korea lifts most COVID-19 restrictions

Health officials stand near tents at a COVID-19 testing center in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, April 18. Yonhap Daily cases at 10-week lowNew COVID-19 cases dipped to a 10-week low Sunday as the Omicron variant-fueled wave continues to recede, leading the government to lift most restrictions imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported added 47,743 new infections, including 14 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,353,495. The new tally is slightly fewer than the 49,546 reported Feb. 9 when the Omicron variant started to rapidly spread across the country.Daily coronavirus infection numbers peaked at 621,178 cases March 17, and have since been declining. The KDCA reported 107,916 new cases for Friday and 93,001 for Sunday. The previous Sunday's total was 90,917.The death toll came to 21,224, up 132 from the previous day for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of cr

Apr 18, 2022
Korea lifts most COVID-19 restrictions
  • Small biz owners buoyed on 1st day of no social distancing
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