South Korea - The Korea Times

Halting life-sustaining treatments now possible now

By Kim Jae-heunSixty hospitals began halting life-sustaining treatments for patients who want to end their lives naturally, Sunday. The so-called “Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment” (POLST),’ is different from “death with dignity” or euthanasia where doctors are actively involved in assisting the patient to end their life. POLST only stops the medical care under a doctor’s supervision. The patient or their family also has to agree that they will no longer receive life-sustaining treatment. It is distinguished from euthanasia in that the patient has to have no chance of survival and they have time to face death “naturally” before a doctor stops the treatment.The practice was enabled by a law enacted in February last year. During the last year, 10 medical institutes ran a pilot program in an attempt to detect any major problems. Starting Sunday, the 60 hospitals were authorized to practice it. According to POLST and following enforcement ordinances, patients who wish to stop life-sustaining treatment can make the request, whic

Feb 4, 2018

Voices growing against abortion ban in Korea

By Lee Kyung-min A woman in her 20s, surnamed Kim, had an abortion last year. “I bought a pregnancy test kit and after I did the test, the stick had two lines. I rushed and called a hospital far from where I lived and made an appointment.” The doctor at an obstetricians and gynecologists (ob/gyn) office in Seoul told her she was five weeks pregnant and the procedure would cost 600,000 won ($563). “That was a lot of money as I was and still am a student, but I didn’t even for a second think about having the baby.” Kim made the decision alone without telling her boyfriend of nine months, mindful that letting him know could have made it an issue she may not have been able to control. “I broke up with him soon after the abortion, not because I did not like him anymore, but because I didn’t want to be reminded of what I did; till this day I am not sure whether he would have suddenly changed how he thought of me. You know, you can never guarantee how a person changes after a breakup.” Kim is sure that she ma

Feb 2, 2018

Patients can choose right to die starting from February 4

By Lee Kyung-min More terminal patients who doctors concluded have only a few days left to live will be able to make autonomous end-of life decisions following the full implementation of the law under which they can refuse four expensive life-sustaining treatments on Feb. 4. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday that it will allow patients or their families to refuse four treatments _ cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chemotherapy, mechanical ventilation and blood dialysis based on the Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), through which the ministry has sought to encourage healthcare providers to communicate with patients on specific medical orders regarding their health if a person becomes unable to do so. Forty-seven people have died after refusing the treatment over the three-month trial run participated in by seven private and three state-run hospitals since last October. They were among 107 terminal patients who signed the POLST, most of whom were end-stage cancer patients. Others suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes sever

Jan 31, 2018

'I want autonomy, not patronization or condemnation'

By Lee Kyung-min A woman in her 20s surnamed Lee said she would get frustrated thinking about a recent visit to an obstetricians and gynecologists (ob/gyn) clinic for an emergency contraceptive pill. “I went there because I needed the pill, nothing else,” she said with her boyfriend of six months. “The doctor started asking questions including whether I used a condom and wanted other details about sexual intercourse I didn’t want to share. Isn’t it my right to take a pill if I felt uncertain whether the condom worked or not?”Lee said she did use a condom, but her boyfriend removed it during intercourse. She thought whether it was rape for him to do so after she repeatedly told him earlier that she didn’t want sex without it. “I was and still am angry and I even thought of calling the police, but I ended up doing nothing. All I could think of was that I cannot get pregnant, otherwise I would have no choice but to have an abortion.”  “I needed the pill to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Why do I have to explain the

Jan 28, 2018

Unconstitutional to deny childcare support for families with overseas residence permits

By Kim Se-jeongThe Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that rejecting childcare and daycare support for parents with overseas residence permits is unconstitutional.In a unanimous vote, all nine justices said the government’s policy toward these parents is discriminatory.“These parents are no different from other Koreans. They pay taxes and therefore should be able to benefit from basic benefits provided by the government,” the court said in the ruling.The plaintiffs were Koreans who had lived in Japan who were denied childcare for their children when they moved back to Korea, although the children had been granted Korean citizenship.“Even parents with dual citizenship are eligible for childcare support. There’s no reason Koreans should be rejected for the support. That is discrimination without any good reason,” the court said. The government provides parents with support for childcare and daycare centers until a child becomes eight years old. Daycare center support is designed for working parents and the government covers the entire costs. The ch

Jan 26, 2018

Professors name children as co-authors in dissertations

By Lee Kyung-min  Professors at 29 universities named their children as co-authors in dissertations over the past decade as a deceitful means to help boost their academic profiles ahead of the university admissions, the government said Friday. The Ministry of Education said it reviewed dissertations published between February 2007 and last October and found 82 such instances nationwide. Most of the children were high school juniors or high school seniors.Of the total, 39 cases found at 16 universities were part of a joint program by high schools and universities in which the latter supervises paper writing of the former. Sungkyunkwan University had eight cases, followed by Yonsei (seven), Seoul National (six) and Kookmin (six). The remaining 43 cases found in 19 universities had no such program. Seoul National University had six cases, followed by Yonsei (four), and Catholic University of Korea (four). Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Sookmyung Women’s University each had three. Of the total, 80 cases were science and engineering, with humanities studies accounting

Jan 26, 2018

Coffee to be banned at middle, high schools

By Kim Hyun-binBuying coffee at a school cafeteria or vending machine could become a part of history starting July.The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee has passed a revised bill recently that will prohibit coffee and high-caffeine-concentrated products from being sold in elementary, middle and high schools, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday.Once the revised bill passes through National Assembly vote it could go into effect as early as July.Under the current law, products high in calories or caffeine or low in nutrition are restricted or banned at schools to improve students’ health, with the exception of coffee which is classified as an adult beverage and has been sold in school vending machines and snack shops for teachers to consume.However, once the bill is passed no coffee will be available even for teachers.Some people believe the ban is too extreme.“I think the government is going overboard with this policy. Most of the coffee consumption is from teachers. I have never seen an elementary student drink coffee at this school,” said

Jan 25, 2018

Coffee to be banned at middle, high schools

More Koreans opting to isolate themselves

Illustration by the Korea TimesBy Kim Se-jeong Relationships in Korea were traditionally formed by two important factors: where a person was from and what schools they attended. They were so important that they could change a person’s career and social status. These relationships were maintained through regular meetings after work and weekends during which people engaged in drinking sessions, karaoke and group hikes among others. The drinking sessions were particularly frequent in December and January.. Much of the tradition still persists, but this is changing slowly with a younger generation that chooses to spend more time alone.Jang, from Seoul, is among those who refuse to go to the meetings. Until last year, her December and January months were usually filled with year-end dinners with her high-school friends, university colleagues, middle-school friends and other old acquaintances. But this year, she attended none and spent that time alone at home. “I only saw them once or twice a year. Frankly, I didn’t have that much of a personal connection with them,&rdquo

Jan 25, 2018

More Koreans opting to isolate themselves

Only 603 maternity hospitals left in Korea

Number of hospitals cut in half over last 10 yearsBy Kim Jae-heunThe number of maternity hospitals has almost halved in the last decade, leaving only 603 across the country. The low birthrate has played a big part in the closure of the hospitals with the number of births marking their lowest point ever in 2016. According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service's report Thursday, the number of maternity hospitals decreased by 46.1 percent in 2016 from 1,119 in 2006. During the period, the number of births dropped 8.5 percent from 437,096 to 400,067.A decrease in the number of natural births was also observed.Mothers having natural birth fell 17.4 percent from those in 2006. Only 231,009 mothers underwent natural birth in 2016. Meanwhile, mothers having caesarean sections increased from 157,429 to 169,058. As late marriage has become a social trend, the age of women becoming pregnant and giving birth went up and many older women choose to undergo caesarean section.The number of births by caesarean section accounted for 42.3 percent of all births last year. Ten year

Jan 25, 2018

Law revision proposed to ban coffee at schools

 / YonhapA law revision recently passed a parliamentary committee to ban selling coffee at all elementary, middle and high schools, the food ministry said Thursday.Proposed changes would remove coffee and coffee drinks from school cafeterias, snack stores and vending machines, which mostly cater to faculty members, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The revised law would go into effect in July, pending passage at the National Assembly plenary session.The law as it is now prohibits foods and beverages that contain high levels of caffeine but not coffee, giving access to students.The ministry recommends no more than 2.5 milligrams of caffeine per 1 kilogram of weight per day for children and youths, and warns excess intake could cause nausea, irregular heart beat and sleep disorders. (Yonhap)

Jan 25, 2018

Health

Health

Halting life-sustaining treatments now possible now

Voices growing against abortion ban in Korea

Patients can choose right to die starting from February 4

'I want autonomy, not patronization or condemnation'

Unconstitutional to deny childcare support for families with overseas residence permits

Professors name children as co-authors in dissertations

Coffee to be banned at middle, high schools

More Koreans opting to isolate themselves

Only 603 maternity hospitals left in Korea

Law revision proposed to ban coffee at schools

Most Read in South Korea