South Korea - The Korea Times

Korean researchers develop blood and urine test for early colorectal cancer detection

A research team at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed a plasmonics-based liquid biopsy platform capable of detecting cancer-related gene mutations in the blood and urine of patients with early-stage colorectal cancer, paving the way for less invasive cancer diagnosis, KIMS said Wednesday. The research team, led by Lee Min-young, senior researcher at the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division, and Park Sung-kyu, director of the Global Top Research Consortium, developed a new testing platform capable of detecting KRAS mutations, a key genetic driver of colorectal cancer, with very high sensitivity. To test the technology, the researchers analyzed tumor tissue as well as matching blood and urine samples from patients with stage 0 and stage 1 colorectal cancer. The results showed more than 90 percent agreement across the different sample types, suggesting that the method could serve as a reliable alternative to conventional tissue biopsies. The study builds on KIMS' earlier work detecting lung cancer-related gene mutations in blood samples. This t

Jun 17, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Korean researchers develop blood and urine test for early colorectal cancer detection

Korea joins Europe in landmark joint review of biopharmaceuticals

In a milestone move toward cross-border regulatory alignment, Korea’s drug safety watchdog said Wednesday that it completed its first international joint review of a biopharmaceutical product alongside European and global regulators. The breakthrough is poised to substantially ease the regulatory bottleneck for multinational pharmaceutical companies seeking multimarket approvals. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that its evaluation arm, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, concluded a simultaneous scientific assessment under the "Opening our Procedures at EMA to Non-EU authorities" (OPEN) framework. Spearheaded by the European Medicines Agency, the initiative brought together regulatory experts from Korea, Switzerland and the World Health Organization to jointly review a changes-to-permits application for a recombinant biological medicine. Launched initially as a pilot in 2020 to accelerate the evaluation of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines, the OPEN program operates by standardizing evaluation requirements across participating countries. Historically,

Jun 17, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Korea joins Europe in landmark joint review of biopharmaceuticals

InterviewNew suicide prevention chief puts responsibility on state

Korea must treat suicide not as an individual failing but as a government responsibility, said Jung Yoon-soon, chairman of the state-run Korea Life Respect and Hope Foundation. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Jung, who took office last month, pointed to the persistently high number of Korean people who take their own lives. The rate has consistently been higher than other OECD member countries since 2003, and Jung said that blaming individuals’ “personal problems” is not tenable. “This is not about a few people making bad choices,” Jung said. “It is a structural failure, and the government must take primary responsibility for fixing it.” According to official data, the 2024 suicide rate was 29.1 per 100,000 people, with 14,872 deaths — an average of 41 lives lost every day. Although preliminary figures for 2025 suggest a modest decline of around 6.5 percent, Jung cautioned against premature optimism. Fixing it requires a whole-of-government response, he noted. The suicide rate should be read not just as a mental health statistic but as a key indicator of how K

Jun 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho

New suicide prevention chief puts responsibility on state

Korean stroke expert elected to World Stroke Organization board

Professor Kim Beom-joon of the department of neurology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital has been elected to the board of directors of the World Stroke Organization (WSO), marking an achievement for Korea’s stroke research community. According to Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Kim will serve on the WSO board as a representative of the Korean Stroke Society. His four-year term is scheduled to begin in October. "Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and reducing that burden depends on collaboration that crosses borders, disciplines, and health systems," Kim wrote on his LinkedIn posting. "I am grateful for the chance to contribute to that effort on a global stage and to help carry the voice of the Korean and Asia-Pacific stroke community into it." The WSO is the world’s largest international academic organization dedicated to stroke. It plays a leading role in establishing global standards across stroke prevention, treatment, research, education and health care policy. The organization’s board of directors serves as its

Jun 17, 2026By Anna J. Park

Korean stroke expert elected to World Stroke Organization board

1 in 4 Seoul residents don’t drink at all, survey finds

Nearly one out of four residents in Seoul reported not drinking alcohol at all in the past year, according to a new citywide survey that shows drinking frequency decreasing and flexible forms of vegetarianism on the rise. The survey, based on responses from more than 3,000 adults and released Sunday by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, showed that 23.7 percent of respondents said they had not consumed alcohol at all over the last 12 months — up from the previous year’s 21.6 percent. Among those who do drink, the number of Seoul residents drinking several times a week appears to be declining. The share of respondents who said they drink four or more times a week was 1 percent, down from 1.4 percent the previous year. Those drinking two to three times a week fell to 12.5 percent from 13.4 percent, while those drinking two to four times a month dropped to 23 percent from 31.5 percent. Less frequent drinking also became more common. The share of people who said they drink about once a month rose to 22.6 percent from 19.8 percent, and those who drink less than once a month increased to

Jun 14, 2026By Jung Min-ho

1 in 4 Seoul residents don’t drink at all, survey finds

Gov't to supply clinical-grade stem cells to speed up biotech breakthroughs

Korea’s National Stem Cell Bank will begin distributing clinical-grade induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to researchers and biotech firms later this month, a move expected to significantly lower the financial and regulatory barriers gripping the country’s regenerative medicine sector. iPSCs are adult cells, like skin or blood cells, that have been genetically reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like state, allowing them to turn into any type of cell in the human body. The distribution program, scheduled to accept applications on June 30, follows the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) breakthrough assembly of the cells in March. By establishing a formalized regulatory contract system, the government can now provide raw materials directly to laboratories developing advanced biopharmaceuticals, including cell therapies and artificial blood. For the country’s nascent biotechnology sector, the logistical assistance is immense. Securing raw materials that meet strict Good Manufacturing Practice standards has long been a bottleneck for local research institutions and startups. Bu

Jun 12, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Gov't to supply clinical-grade stem cells to speed up biotech breakthroughs

Korea joins global clinical trial networks to sharpen pandemic response

Korea is expanding its role in global infectious disease research, joining international clinical trial networks led by U.S. and Singaporean institutions in a move aimed at strengthening preparedness for future pandemics and other public health threats. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases, under the Korea National Institute of Health affiliated with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said Thursday that it has established frameworks to support Korean medical institutions participating in multinational infectious disease clinical trials through partnerships with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National University of Singapore. The initiative is designed to give Korean hospitals a greater role in international studies targeting emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, while building long-term clinical research capacity. The institute said it first joined the NIH-supported STRIVE network in 2023 and later established cooperation with the National University of Singapore's Asia Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Net

Jun 11, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Korea joins global clinical trial networks to sharpen pandemic response

Korea to put counselors in every school in teen suicide prevention push

Professional counselors will be deployed to every school in Korea and school principals will be able to arrange counseling and treatment without parental consent under a sweeping pangovernment plan to curb teen suicide announced Tuesday amid a rise in youth deaths and mental health problems in recent years. The plan involves 15 ministries and government agencies and targets a reduction in the youth suicide rate from eight per 100,000 people in 2024 to 6.5 by 2030 and 4.2 by 2035 — back to levels last seen in 2015. Officials say such a broad, cross-ministry approach is needed because teen suicide is often driven by strong impulsivity and a complex mix of causes, from academic and career pressures to family conflict, harmful online content and media influence, which cannot be addressed by a single institution. "Teen suicide is not an issue that can be resolved simply by focusing on an individual’s mental and emotional well-being or on the efforts of school communities alone. It is a challenge that demands a collective response and sense of responsibility from everyone who shapes the e

Jun 9, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea to put counselors in every school in teen suicide prevention push

Korea to roll out free public menstrual products in 12 regions from July

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will launch a pilot program in July to provide free public menstrual products through more than 700 dispensers installed across 12 local governments nationwide, the ministry said Tuesday. The initiative, branded “Pads for Everyone,” aims to expand access to menstrual products beyond the government's existing voucher program for vulnerable adolescents and make the products more readily available in public spaces. The pilot areas include Seoul’s Gwangjin and Eunpyeong districts, Gwangmyeong and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Seocheon County in South Chungcheong Province, Jung District in Daejeon, Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province, Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, Buk District in Gwangju, Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province, Geochang County in South Gyeongsang Province and Jeju City. The ministry said the products were selected based on factors including price, quality and supply stability. Each package will contain two medium-sized sanitary pads and will be distributed hygienically through dedicated dispensers. Beginning in July, dispensers will be

Jun 9, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Korea to roll out free public menstrual products in 12 regions from July

Korea increases hotline staff for suicide prevention calls, boosts multilingual support

Korea is sharply augmenting the staffing of its national suicide prevention hotline to address a severe bottleneck in crisis call management, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday. Driven by a presidential directive to eliminate connection delays and reinforce the existing public safety net, the ministry will immediately expand the workforce of the crisis hotline, nearly doubling personnel from 103 counselors to 200 by October. Since the "109 hotline" was launched in January 2024, public awareness has sent inbound call volumes skyrocketing by 46 percent, jumping from roughly 219,000 in 2023 to over 352,000 in 2025. This explosive demand has outpaced current capacity, with an average of 1,118 daily calls but staff levels currently only able to handle approximately 532 calls each day. To bridge this critical operational gap, the government is introducing targeted personnel adjustments and logistical support. Over 60 percent of the hotline's traffic arrives between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m. To ease this pressure, the ministry is partnering with the specialized civilian NGO Lifeline Korea

Jun 1, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Health