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Work-life balance comes first for millennial workers

By Bahk Eun-jiFor young workers, the balance between work and life is more important than a high salary, a survey showed, Thursday. Millennial generation think that balance between work and life is more important than a high salary, a survey showed, Thursday. /gettyimagesbankJob Korea, a recruitment portal site, recently surveyed 507 workers of the millennial generation ― those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s ― asking what makes a good company.When multiple answers were allowed, 49.9 percent picked a company providing work-life balance.The second-most important factor for a good company was the employees' financial satisfaction such as salary and incentives, at 48.9 percent, followed by quality welfare programs at 30.6 percent, a non-hierarchical and liberal working environment at 20.3 percent, and job stability at 12 percent.The reality, however, is different from hope, as 48.3 percent of the respondents said “there is no good company in this country.”In order to create good companies, 40.6 percent of the millennials surveyed said corporate culture and execu

Jan 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Work-life balance comes first for millennial workers

Age takes toll on safe driving ability: study

By Park Si-soo Drivers aged over 60 are “significantly” slower in reflexes, cognitive/decision performance and other factors affecting safe driving, a state transport institute has said.The Korea Transport Institute suggested authorities come up with regulatory countermeasures as the population ages dramatically ― those aged 65 and over accounted for 14.3 percent in 2018, while this expected to soar to 34 percent by 2040. The institute made the claim based on a driving ability assessment of 580 people aged over 20. In a nutshell, people aged 60 and more were behind younger drivers in all test areas including memory, attentiveness, motor control, visual acuity and speed estimation ability, just to name a few. While the average score of test takers aged over 60 was 76 (out of 100), that of younger drivers was 78. In a separate analysis of data from test takers in their 70s and 80s, the score was 71 for those their 70s, falling to 65 for those their 80s.

Dec 31, 2019
Age takes toll on safe driving ability: study

How to deal with plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the bones of the heel and toes. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 257,929 people were treated for plantar fasciitis in 2018, a 44 percent increase from 179,057 in 2014. /GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiWaking up in the morning with stabbing foot pain might be one of the most common orthopedic complaints especially among menopausal women who experience many changes to their bodies. Such pain can be serious enough to disrupt their daily lives. It's called plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the bones of the heel and toes. It manifests as pain in the heel or at the bottom of the mid-foot area. It commonly causes stabbing pain, usually when the person takes the first steps in the morning. The pain normally diminishes as one gets up and moves around, but it may return after some time of standing or when standing up after sitting.Plantar fasciitis does not necessari

Dec 29, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
How to deal with plantar fasciitis

'Moon Jae-in Care aims at offering equal opportunities for healthcare'

Rep. Kim Jin-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea /Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Eil-chulKorean citizens have a strong desire for equality, and equal access to healthcare is no exception, so it should be the government's basic duty to provide it for the lowest costs possible because it is related to the people's lives, said Rep. Kim Jin-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.“This is the basic concept of the Moon Jae-in administration's policy on healthcare ― expanding the coverage of the state-run health insurance,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in the National Assembly on Dec. 9.Kim was the head of the “committee on national policy planning,” which was the de facto transition team for the Moon administration which took power in May 2017 without a proper transition period from the previous administration of Park Geun-hye who was ousted. He was in charge of drawing up a blueprint of the Moon government's major policies, including healthcare.“Dubbed as “Moon Jae-in Care” or &ld

Dec 22, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
'Moon Jae-in Care aims at offering equal opportunities for healthcare'

Cerebral aneurysm: ticking time bomb

A brain aneurysm, also known as a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 70,828 people received treatment for brain aneurysms in 2016, a 2.7-fold increase from 25,713 in 2010. /GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiRecently, actor Jung Il-woo, 32, revealed he was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm when he was 27 years old.Jung, who is best known for his role in famous drama “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012) said he even suffered from anxiety and depression because he felt the disease was like a ticking bomb inside his head.A brain aneurysm, also known as cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain. It occurs when a person has a weak spot in the wall of an artery in the brain. If the aneurysm bursts in the brain, it can cause a stroke, brain damage, or even death.The number of patients diagnosed with the illness is steadily increasing. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), 70,828 people were tr

Dec 16, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
Cerebral aneurysm: ticking time bomb

E-liquids contain lung injury-causing chemical

A clerk at a GS25 convenience store removes liquid e-cigarettes from shelves in this Oct. 24 file photo following the government's warning of possible health hazards. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Thursday that a substance causing serious lung injury has been found in e-liquid products sold here. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA substance that could potentially cause serious lung disease has been found in liquid e-cigarettes sold here, the health authorities said, Thursday.The vaping products, however, did not contain the chemical that is said to be responsible for most cases of lung damage from vaping reported in the U.S.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced the results of its toxicity tests on seven potentially harmful ingredients in 153 liquid e-cigarette products, or e-liquids, amid growing anxiety among vapers following the health authorities' strong warning against using them issued in October.The ingredients were vitamin E acetate, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), three kinds of flavoring ingredients ― diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione ― and two solvents that

Dec 12, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
E-liquids contain lung injury-causing chemical

BPPV: dizziness may come from ear problem

A woman presses her hands against her forehead after feeling dizzy. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 372,654 people were treated for BPPV in 2018. The number of patients was a 20.8 percent increase from 303,656 in 2014. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiOffice worker Kim Jae-won, 35, suddenly fainted in the morning a few weeks ago after feeling very dizzy. He was not that worried in the first place, because he drank soju and beer the night before and hit his head on the edge of his bed.“I got a bump on the right side of my head and thought it was nothing serious,” Kim said.And then the next morning, the world was spinning around and he could not even sit. “I tried to stand up, but fell down again. I began to worry that I had a serious disease such as anemia or a brain tumor, but it turned out to be a few tiny calcium crystals in my ear,” Kim said.A loss of balance often occurs due to a problem with the signals the ear sends to the brain. These usually control the sense of balance and spatial awareness, but if a person has a condition t

Dec 8, 2019By Bahk Eun-ji
BPPV: dizziness may come from ear problem

Pet-caused fires on rise in Seoul: data

The number of fires caused by pets has increased in recent months. YonhapThe number of fires caused by pets is on the rise, data showed Saturday, raising the need for pet owners to take precautionary measures.Thirty-one 31 fires reported in Seoul from the January to September period were accidentally caused by pets, according to the data from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters.This marks a sharp rise from 19 cases in 2018, seven cases in 2017 and eight cases in 2016 during complete years.Of the 65 fires caused by pets since 2016, 62 involved cats.Except for one case where a lamp caught on fire, all the other cases occurred when pets accidentally stepped on the controls for table top electric cookers.Fire officials suggested unplugging the cookers stoves or installing safety caps over the controls. They also warned pet users to avoid leaving flammable objects near stoves.The number of Seoul residents who keep pets is on the rise as solo households are increasingly adopting cats as pets, according to separate data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.The number of

Dec 7, 2019
Pet-caused fires on rise in Seoul: data

Swine fever-infected wild boars on steady rise in Korea

The number of wild boars infected with the African swine fever virus has been increasing in South Korea. YonhapThe number of wild boars infected with the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus has been continuously increasing despite a two-month hiatus of new outbreaks at local farms, data showed Saturday. The total number of boars infected with the virus here has reached 39 since the first such case was reported in October, according to local quarantine authoritiesThe animal disease struck South Korea for the first time at a farm bordering North Korea, Sept. 17.So far, the country has confirmed 14 cases of ASF at local farms, although the last case among domesticated pigs was reported Oct. 9.Although the incubation period is around three weeks, authorities are still remaining vigilant as another outbreak could happen anytime through contact with the wild boars. As part of preventive measures, the government has already culled nearly 400,000 pigs.Last month, it also completed the construction of fences totaling 118 kilometers in length and 1.5 meters high in Gyeonggi and Gangwon prov

Dec 7, 2019
Swine fever-infected wild boars on steady rise in Korea

WHO decries 'collective failure' as measles kills 140,000

Measles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, according to the World Health Organization. GettyimagesbankMeasles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, as devastating outbreaks of the viral disease hit every region of the world, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.In figures described by its director general as "an outrage", the WHO said most of last year's measles deaths were in children under five years old who had not been vaccinated."The fact that any child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease like measles is frankly an outrage and a collective failure to protect the world's most vulnerable children," said the WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus.The picture for 2019 is even worse, the WHO said, with provisional data up to November showing a three-fold increase compared with the same period in 2018.The United States has already reported its highest number of measles cases in 25 years in 2019, while four countries in Europe - Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and Britain ?

Dec 6, 2019
WHO decries 'collective failure' as measles kills 140,000
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