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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.

National pension rate forecast to be raised

By Kim Hyun-binTo ensure the smooth management of the National Pension Service (NPS), the government conducts a recalculation every five years of its financial earnings and expense, which is called the The National Pension Service Financial Forecast. The results of the fourth financial forecast and proposals to enhance the pension system are expected to be unveiled this July.“We wanted to submit our financial forecast in March, but faced some delay and we are scheduled to publicize the results and system enhancement proposals in the month of July or August,” said Sung Ju-ho, head of the financial forecast committee at the NPS.The Ministry of Health and Welfare will hold a public hearing after the results are released to garner public opinion.The government has maintained the insurance premium at 9 percent of current income for the last two decades. However, with this rate the National Pension could be depleted by 2055, due to a decline in the numbers of people paying into the system.The nation's low birthrate and decrease in adult working population are expected to quicke

Apr 24, 2018

South Korea reports first tick-borne disease death in 2018

A 62-year-old woman died from a tick-borne disease last week in the first such case in South Korea this year, health authorities said Tuesday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the woman, who had been working at a livestock farm in Cheongyang, a town in the central province of South Chungcheong, was diagnosed with a severe fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome, or SFTS. She received treatment but died on Friday.SFTS is a new infectious disease reported in South Korea, Japan and China. South Korea has seen a steady increase in people getting sick. The number of people infected with the disease came to 272 with 54 deaths reported for 2017.Common symptoms are high fever, vomiting and diarrhea with severe cases resulting in organ failures and death.There is currently no effective medicine to treat the disease and the best preventative measure it is to avoid being bitten by ticks.The ministry cautioned to look out for ticks, especially for those working outdoors in rural areas. (Yonhap)

Apr 24, 2018
South Korea reports first tick-borne disease death in 2018

Doctor's plea: 'Don't crack down on foreign TB patients'

Oh Kyung-hyun, head of  Korean Institute of Tuberculosis' program cooperation departmentBy Jung Da-minOver 2,000 foreigners are taking advantage of free tuberculosis (TB) treatment, eating away at taxpayers' money, but cracking down on them is not the answer, a doctor has told The Korea Times. “If you pursue those freeloaders, they would go underground and run the higher risk of spreading the disease,” Oh Kyung-hyun, head of the state-run Korean Institute of Tuberculosis' program cooperation department, said. “So treating them at our expense is better for our national health.” TB is a contagious disease, the treatment of which is 100 percent covered by the government, even if the person does not subscribe to national health insurance. Korea has the highest rate of TB among the rich OECD member nations. Foreigners accounted for 6 percent of patients in 2017, 0.5 percentage point down from the previous year, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). They include long-term resident foreigners who pay medical insurance and thos

Apr 19, 2018
Doctor's plea: 'Don't crack down on foreign TB patients'

Korean medicine attracting more foreigners

Visitors to KCON Japan 2018 check out the Korean traditional promotion booth. / Courtesy of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)By Jung Da-minThe number of foreigners visiting Korea for traditional medical treatments is increasing, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tuesday.A total of 18,011 foreigners visited traditional Korean medicine hospitals in 2016, up 36 percent from the previous year. The number accounted for 4.2 percent of 425,380 medical tourists.Of all medical tourists, the proportion of those seeking traditional medicine has been rising since 2014. In 2016, 15.4 percent of Japanese medical tourists visited traditional Korean medicine hospitals. This was second only to those who sought dermatology treatments (44 percent). The so-called wellness tour programs are becoming popular with Japanese, with many seeking traditional treatments.The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), in collaboration with the health ministry, held exhibitions for the Korean Medicine Project in Japan, in Tokyo this year and last year, and in Osaka in

Apr 17, 2018
Korean medicine attracting more foreigners
  • Western, traditional Korean medicine doctors clash over X-ray, blood tests

Korea to establish public medical school for provinces by 2022

By Kim Jae-heunThe government and the ruling party said they will establish a public medical school in Namwon, North Jella Province by 2022 as part of efforts to expand medical services in the region. It will use Seonam University that recently closed as the school's campus. The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a meeting at the National Assembly to discuss the plan Wednesday. “There is an urgent problem to secure manpower to deal with patients, diseases and childbirth in the provinces,” said Kim Tae-nyeon, a DPK lawmaker.“The government has decided to take responsibility in establishing a public school to provide quality medical services.”Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said creating a public medical school will resolve the shortage of medical staff in the provinces.Students will have to fulfill their mandatory medical training and practice at assigned locations after graduation. If they don't, students will have to surrender their license to practice medicine. “We are considering a mandatory nine

Apr 15, 2018

Beware: seasonal flu is raging

A visitor looks down over Seoul from N Tower’s observatory deck in Mount Namsan, Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Park Si-soo Spring has come and with it seasonal flu. Hospitals see a sharp increase in the number of coughing and sneezing patients at this time of year.Experts say the hike is typical and can be blamed on the big morning-evening temperature gap. They warned this year could see more patients than previous years due to raging ultrafine dust that often contains flu-causing viruses. Insurance data also proves spring is a “season of flu.”Nearly 8.7 million people caught flu between March and May 2016, the second-most flu-prone period of the year, followed by December-February with 9.63 million, according to the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). “During a season with a big morning-evening temperature gap, our immune system gets weakened, leaving people vulnerable to flu and other diseases,” a NHIS official said.

Apr 11, 2018
Beware: seasonal flu is raging

Coffee's cancer risk under scrutiny in Korea

The cancer risk of coffee has come under scrutiny in Korea. / AFPBy Jung Min-ho, Choi Ha-youngKorea's health authorities are scrutinizing the risk of a potentially cancer-causing chemical in coffee, following a Los Angeles judge's decision to require Starbucks and other coffee sellers in California to put cancer warnings on their products.According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Tuesday, the risk of acrylamide has come under scrutiny. The ministry is also doing research on how much of the chemical people have been exposed to in light of coffee consumption soaring in recent years.“Our findings will be announced as early as the end of this year,” a ministry official told The Korea Times.So far, the ministry has said the level of acrylamide from coffee is not harmful to people.Acrylamide, which can be found in cigarette smoke and some foods such as French fries and black pepper, is a byproduct of roasting coffee. It is present in high levels in brewed coffee.The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, describes acrylam

Apr 11, 2018
Coffee's cancer risk under scrutiny in Korea

Chronic insomnia grows on high stress

By Kim Se-jeongHow did you sleep last night?If you had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, you may have insomnia.Acute insomnia lasts one night or two mostly due to dramatic changes in the environment. Chronic insomnia occurs at least three times a week and lasts more than three months. Chronic insomnia has more causes than the acute form, such as changes in the environment, clinical disorders, medications and unhealthy habits. People with chronic insomnia need treatment to return to healthy sleeping patterns.According to the National Health Insurance Service, the number of people who visited doctors for insomnia is gradually rising. In 2016, the number was 541,958, 34 percent up from 403,417 in 2012. In 2013, it was 430,000, 465,000 in 2014 and 513,000 in 2015. Women tend to suffer more from insomnia. In 2016, approximately 332,000 women were treated for the condition, while the number of male patients was 210,000. In 2015, the number of female patients, 314,000, was more than double the number of male patients at 199,000. People in their 50s suffered the most from insomnia

Apr 9, 2018

Traditional Korean medicine to get boost in eight developing countries

By Park Si-soo The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) has rolled up its sleeves to promote traditional Korean medicine to developing countries. The institute on Monday started a training program for 16 medical and public health experts from eight countries. The program will continue through April 23, during which time they will learn basic theories of traditional Korean medicine and government policies/training programs needed for the medicine to be promoted in their countries. The countries are Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Peru, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Uzbekistan. The annual program, funded by Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA), began in 2001.

Apr 9, 2018
Traditional Korean medicine to get boost in eight developing countries

Gov't helps at-risk children via 'big data'

By Lee Kyung-min A 17-year old boy, whose identity is being withheld, receives 245,000 won ($223) in monthly state support for housing after a social service official in his district found him in a motel in Seoul, where he had been living with his father for months. Upon visiting the room smaller than 3.3 square meters, where no one could barely set foot due to heaps of putrid-smelling garbage and laundry, the official helped the two-member household apply for a basic welfare program, under which households earning less than 30 percent of the median income are given a monthly state subsidy for housing, medical and other expenses. The amount is calculated based on the number of family members and whether they are on other state support programs. The official referred the boy to DreamStart _ a comprehensive social services center supervised by the Ministry of Health and Welfare _ to help him receive proper education to recover physical, psychological and emotional fitness. HIs case was referred to the ministry-affiliated National Child Protection Agency for a review over suspected chil

Apr 8, 2018
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