South Korea - The Korea Times

South Korea moving to give dying patients more control over own fate

South Korea's health ministry said Sunday it will ease regulations on ending life-sustaining treatment for terminally ill patients, helping them better prepare for death with dignity.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will allow patients to end their life-sustaining treatment when approved by the spouse, parents and offspring, reducing the scope of family members that are required to give approval.The existing law stipulates that "all members of the patient's family have unanimously expressed an intention" to end the life-sustaining treatment of patients.Under this law, all lineal relatives, including grandsons and great grandsons, need to give consent on ending the life-sustaining treatments.Otherwise, a patient needs to sign his or her letter of intent in advance or more than two members of the family must testify that the patient always wanted to end life-sustaining treatment ahead of falling unconscious.The revision will take effect March 28, 2019.South Korea implemented the act on hospice and palliative care and decisions on life-sustaining treatment for patients nearing

Nov 25, 2018

South Korea moving to give dying patients more control over own fate

'Goshiwon,' housing alternative for low-income urban tenants

Goshiwon is a dormitory-style single housing facility in Korea. Korea Times fileA 34-year-old mail delivery man, surnamed Cho, had lived in a 6.6-square-meter room with no windows and walls that were so thin that he could literally hear every word and every move of more than 20 tenants on the same floor.Cho was among seven victims of a fire on Nov. 9 that broke out at a low-cost boarding housing facility -- commonly referred to as a "goshiwon" in Korean and literally translated to exam room -- which occupied the second and third floors of the old and dilapidated building in Jongno Ward in downtown Seoul.Goshiwon is a unique form of dormitory-style single housing facility in South Korea that first appeared in the late 1970s, mostly near universities in Seoul. The facility provided cheap accommodation, mostly with sizes between 3 and 6 square meters, for students preparing for state-run exams to be lawyers or senior government officials.The rooms, which are smaller than a typical studio apartment, are usually equipped with a small bed and a study desk so that students can literally iso

Nov 23, 2018

'Goshiwon,' housing alternative for low-income urban tenants

N. Korea's maternity mortality rate 8 times higher than S. Korea's

By Kim Hyun-binHealth and welfare conditions in North Korea have turned for the worse in recent years, especially for pregnant women and infants, according to a report, Tuesday. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) said the report, based on the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) 2017 World Population Report, showed the North's maternity mortality rate stood at 82 in 100,000.Maternity mortality is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.”The figure is nearly eight times that of South Korea's, which stood at 11; and even is even higher than the regime's 2008 figure of 77.2.More than 50 percent of the deaths occur when women are giving birth, or from postpartum bleeding, septicemia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. The fatality rate during abortions is also high.The report not

Nov 20, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

More fathers quit their jobs and take full-time childcare

By Jung Hae-myoung The number of men who are taking on full-time childcare without any additional employment has been increasing since last year, especially among men in their 30s, according to a report, Monday.It shows the trend shows gender stereotypes are being broken.According to a Statistics Korea report on employment trends, 7,000 men who were unemployed last month said they were committed to taking care of their children full time. The number did not include working dads taking paternity leave.This figure was only around 3,000 in October last year, but shot up to 6,000 the following month. The numbers fluctuate from month to month, but the average monthly figures this year have been larger than those of last year.The increase was largely influenced by men in their 30s, as the number of retired men in their 60s taking care of their grandchildren did not increase, the statistics showed. The trend is notable in that the number of men taking on full-time childcare has increased while the numbers of marriages and newborns have been decreasing.The number of babies born in the first

Nov 19, 2018

More fathers quit their jobs and take full-time childcare

Gov't to designate more alcohol-free zones

Government to strengthen regulations on alcoholBy Kim Hyun-binThe government is set to designate no drinking zones near public areas and government offices nationwide by 2020, as part of efforts to curb damage caused by intoxicated people. The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently said it would seek to revise the National Health Promotion Act to designate alcohol-free zones similar to the current no smoking zones.It plans to ban the consumption of alcoholic beverages in government offices, medical facilities and public spaces such as libraries, as well as near youth facilities including schools, kindergartens and daycare centers.Local governments will also be allowed to designate parks and other public places as alcohol free areas through their own ordinances.The government sought to ban drinking in public places previously in 2012 and 2015 as well, but scrapped the plan due to a public backlash.“We believe the law revision will be passed due to high public support on drinking regulation these days,” a ministry official said.In a survey released in September, 94.3 perce

Nov 18, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

Gov't to designate more alcohol-free zones

Smoking to be banned around preschools, daycare centers

By Kim RahnSmoking will be banned near the 50,000 daycare centers and kindergartens nationwide starting Dec. 31, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Wednesday.Violators will be subject to 100,000 won ($88) in fines.The ministry said the revised regulation would take effect on Dec. 31 to protect children from secondhand smoking.Areas within 10 meters of the buildings will be designated as non-smoking zones. So far, smoking has been banned inside such facilities including schools, preschools and daycare centers.The ministry has expanded non-smoking areas since 1995 when the relevant law was established, from medical facilities, public transportation and internet cafes to all restaurants by 2015. Billiard rooms and indoor screen golf places also became smoke-free starting December 2017.Such efforts have significantly reduced harm caused by secondhand smoking. The ratio of non-smokers exposed to smoking at indoor public places has declined from 58 percent in 2013 to 52.2 percent in 2014, 35.4 percent in 2015, 22.3 percent in 2016 and 21.1 percent in 2017.The ratio at workpla

Nov 14, 2018By Kim Rahn

Smoking to be banned around preschools, daycare centers

Four dead: Safety of IV drips comes into question

By Jung Hae-myoung The health authorities are investigating the deaths of four patients in Incheon who died over a two-month period after being treated using intravenous (IV) drips.An 11-year-old died at a general hospital in Yeonsu-gu, Sunday, after being placed on an IV drip to treat symptoms of enteritis. Just 20 minutes after the drip was started he went into cardiac arrest and died within an hour, according to the police who are looking into the case. The boy had been treated for his symptoms and the common cold at a small clinic for two days before being transferred to the general hospital. The health authorities suspected the boy had endocarditis; but the National Forensic Service said Tuesday that after a preliminary autopsy it could not find a direct cause of death and so would conduct further more detailed tests.Earlier on Sept. 3, two women in their 60s receiving “energy boosting” treatment through IV drips at a clinic in Namdong-gu and went into septic shock. One of them died four days later.Another woman, in her 50s, also died after suffering a cardiac arrest

Nov 13, 2018

Four dead: Safety of IV drips comes into question

South Koreans overuse antibiotics: World Health Organization

Scientists have warned of the fast-spreading bacteria resistant to last-line antibiotics. APBy Jung Min-hoAntibiotic consumption is higher in South Korea, compared with most other members of the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, according to a report revealed Monday.The World Health Organization's (WHO) report on an overview of consumption of antibiotics around the world shows that South Korea used 27.68 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 people in 2015, higher than most other developed countries, including Germany (11.49) and Japan (14.19).The report, based on data from 65 countries and regions, says that antibiotic overuse in many countries ― most notably Mongolia (64.41) and Iran (38.78) ― is driving the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.“Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to health and human development, affecting our ability to treat a range of infections,” WHO said. “Treatments for a growing number of infections have become less effective in many parts of the world due to resistance.”Antibiotics were heralded as life-savers when th

Nov 13, 2018By Jung Min-ho

South Koreans overuse antibiotics: World Health Organization

Gov't to develop technology to help find missing people

Technology will be developed and harnessed in the search for missing people in Korea. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe government will invest 32 billion won ($28 million) for the next five years in developing technology to help find missing people.The National Police Agency (NPA) and science and industry ministries will collaborate to develop technology that can help locate missing people, such as children or patients with dementia, based on their moving patterns and other information.Noted scholars from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Yonsei University will take part in the project.According to the NPA, 20,000 children and 19,000 patients with dementia and other mental illnesses went missing in 2017.

Nov 12, 2018By Jung Min-ho

Gov't to develop technology to help find missing people

5% of Koreans have contemplated suicide: study

By Kim Hyun-binKorea's high suicide rate has become a serious societal issue with a study showing that around 5 percent of the population have contemplated killing themselves in the last year. Experts are calling for the government to come up with stronger suicide prevention policies to tackle the problem.According to the Statistics Korea's 2018 Societal Investigation Report, 5.1 percent of respondents said they had contemplated suicide, with most blaming financial hardship for their extreme thoughts.However, for teenagers getting good grades and the university entrance procedure was the top reason.Out of these, one out of three cited grades and excessive studying as the main cause.Among those aged between 13 and 19, 4.4 percent had suicidal tendencies ― 35.6 percent of these were struggling with getting grades and college admission; 14.5 percent pointed to financial issues and 14 percent cited family problems. Over 49 percent of the young people talked with friends or colleagues about their problems, while 28 percent talked to their parents and 13.8 percent tried to handle their str

Nov 11, 2018By Kim Hyun-bin

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