South Korea - The Korea Times

'Dogs' behavior is reflection of owners'

James Crosby, a dog aggression expert, poses with his dog Henry, a pure bred Curly Coated Retriever, on the front porch of his home in Jacksonville, Florida, in this undated photo.  / Courtesy of James Crosby Canine expert warns of one-size-fits-all dog legislationBy Kang Hyun-kyungAn American dog expert voices concern about the idea of introducing sweeping dog legislation, rather than focusing on the behavior of an individual dog, and says a policy disregarding individual characteristics of dogs is doomed to fail to prevent deadly dog aggression.James Crosby, a veteran dog aggression expert who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, noted most dog aggression comes from owners’ flawed upbringing of their dogs.“As far as breeds having more or less aggression, much of that is based on upbringing and how they are taught,” he told The Korea Times. “If the dog was never trained or given clear guidance around strangers, any dog can be a problem.”Overall, Crosby said the actions of the dog, regardless of breed, are largely determined by the environment and t

Nov 14, 2017

'Dogs' behavior is reflection of owners'

Korea health system lacks patient safety measures: OECD

By Lee Kyung-minThe Korean health system lacks clear mechanisms to assure patient safety, according to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Monday.Efforts should be undertaken to build a system in Korea as part of a national program on patient safety including feedback mechanisms to assist medical associations maintain professional standards.The recommendation reflects efforts by health systems across OECD countries over the past two decades that have sought to monitor individual clinical performance to identify undesirable trends in clinical practice and improve this.The systems are necessary to monitor breaches in patient safety and provide a means for the delivery of feedback on their experience of health care services, it added.The report said Korea has world-class information technology infrastructure and health care data which should be harnessed to improve quality, and drive policy, saying the health system does not make the most of the data available to it.Korea does not have a strong community-based primary-care system, resulting in

Nov 13, 2017

'We learned to prioritize foreign patient safety via KAHF'

4 medical institutions accredited for foreign patients-focused service By Lee Kyung-min “Is there anything inconvenient or unsafe to foreign patients here? How can we best tend to their needs?”These are the two questions constantly playing in the back of the mind of a woman, surnamed Hong, a manger of international healthcare center at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon.Everywhere she goes, the first thing that comes to her mind is how a foreign patient would feel during and after receiving medical treatment at where she works.“We know it is not an easy decision for patients to come to a foreign country to seek advanced treatment. The decision is all the more hard since it concerns their health, which is the most important thing in people’s lives.”“That is why we devote our utmost attention to the smallest details trying to make them feel at home, not to mention maintaining top quality of medical services.”Hong said she became so “thoroughly exacting” after trying to meet stringent standards set by the Minis

Nov 12, 2017

'We learned to prioritize foreign patient safety via KAHF'

Soldier dies after military physical assessment

By Chyung Eun-juA South Korean recruit soldier died after running during a physical fitness test at a training center in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, according to police.The military unit and police said on Friday that the soldier, 19, fainted on Thursday at 5:25 p.m. while running a 1.5 kilometer fitness course.He received first aid and was then moved to a military hospital in Yangju.His condition deteriorated, so he was moved to a private hospital in Uijeongbu.However,  the ambulance broke down at a crossroad in Hoeam-dong, northern Yangju. The soldier was then moved to another ambulance, but died.“When the ambulance broke down the soldier had already had a cardiac arrest,” a fire department official said.“We will have to investigate whether the accident had any effect on his death.”The recruit joined the training center in October.

Nov 10, 2017

Soldier dies after military physical assessment

Terminal patients to make end-of-life choices sooner

Law to allow patients to refuse over 4 life-sustaining treatments  By Lee Kyung-min  More terminally ill patients will be able to refuse life-sustaining treatment sooner, following a recommendation by a committee under the health and welfare minister, Wednesday.Following the recommendation of a 15-member deliberative body looking into hospice and palliative care, patients who doctors conclude have only a few months left to live will be able to sign a document refusing treatment. This followed criticism against the current law under which only those who have a few days left are allowed to make such a decision, a requirement which fails to reflect the reality of patients at that stage being unable to fully communicate. Patients will also be able to refuse treatments including the provision of oxygen, nutrients, water and pain-alleviating medication. Currently, they are allowed to refuse only cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chemotherapy, mechanical ventilation and blood dialysis.Only one doctor’s opinion is required to pronounce whether a patient

Nov 9, 2017

Foreign patients favor Korea's advanced treatments

By Lee Kyung-min A girl, born in the UAE in 2001, was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease, where patients are unable to evacuate stool because part of the colon lacks certain nerves that regulate its movement.Her condition did not improve despite two surgeries _ one in India and one in her country _ which led to Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) seeking help from pediatric surgery specialists in London in 2013. Despite three operations there, her condition worsened.Doctors in London said bowel diversion was the only option left, adding they could not promise anything.  HAAD recommended her family seek treatment in Korea, a country that was increasingly garnering a worldwide reputation with foreign patients for its advanced medical technology and high success rates.While her parents were initially reluctant to send their child to a country they were not familiar with, they became convinced by many success stories of children younger than her daughter with similar diseases.When she came to a hospital in Korea in January 2014, despite the incredibly adverse conditions,

Nov 5, 2017

Foreign patients favor Korea's advanced treatments

Challenge and response to low fertility in era of ageing population

Park Neung-hooBy Park Neung-hooKorea is burdened by socio-structural instability in employment, housing and education and an immature social safety net in the global low-growth environment.Growth-oriented policies driven by effectiveness made Korea the world’s 11th economic giant at an unprecedented pace, but life satisfaction fell into the lowest bracket of 29 out of 35 OECD member countries.Against this backdrop, the young generation which hold the future in their hands almost despairs of marriage and parenthood.A whopping 9.4 percent of youth unemployment as of August 2017 and the excessive burden of housing costs get in the way of their marriage.Even married couples are let down by the social system and culture that generate unbearable costs of childbearing and rearing.And this reality led to the low-fertility phenomenon. The number of newborns in Korea, which once recorded more than 1 million in 1971, plunged to 406,000 last year.Low fertility, an aging population and subsequent disruptions in demographic structure would cause a significant shock across our society.To pree

Nov 5, 2017

Challenge and response to low fertility in era of ageing population

Entrepreneur promotes cruelty-free fashion

Vegan Tiger CEO Yang Yoo-na / Courtesy of Yang Yoo-naBy Kim Bo-eunThe term ‘vegan fashion’ will baffle many in Korea, where awareness of veganism is low.However, with Italian fashion house Gucci’s recent announcement it will go fur-free starting next year, more are becoming familiar with the concept.Also behind efforts to promote animal rights is Yang Yoo-na, 34, who runs the cruelty-free fashion brand, Vegan Tiger.“Basically, it means we do not use any sort of animal fiber _ so no fur, leather, wool, angora or buttons made from animal horns,” Yang said in an interview at her office in Seoul Innovation Park last month. “We use substitutes instead.”Yang said there are many quality artificial fur and leather materials, but this is not the case for wool or silk.“I spend a lot of time finding the right textiles,” she said.The bottom line is to make the best possible substitutes.“If you are targeting people who like fur, you have to make substitutes good enough so they will opt for them,” Yang said.“We produce high-qu

Nov 3, 2017

Entrepreneur promotes cruelty-free fashion

Food safety ministry advises against unverified ADHD drugs

By Lee Kyung-minThe ministry said many students have allegedly taken drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), symptoms of which appear before a person is 12 years old and are present for more than six months.ADHD is characterized by short attention span, excessive activity or difficulty controlling behavior, resulting in, in some cases, poor school performance.“We have received reports saying high school students are taking the drugs on the unverified information that it improves attention and better focus for studying ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT),” it said. The ministry said it strongly advises against doing so, given the side effects include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia and loss of appetite.In extreme cases, children can experience hallucinations and develop schizophrenia. Some may even become violent. “Before taking the drugs, people should have a thorough consultation with doctors and pharmacists to avoid side effects,” the ministry said.The cause of most ADHD cases is unknown and is believed to i

Nov 2, 2017

18% of babies born from premarital pregnancies: report

By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooNearly one in five first-born children in 2015 was born from premarital pregnancies, according to a report.The report showed women in their early 20s were most vulnerable to premarital pregnancies -- 30.5 percent of first-born children of mothers aged between 20 and 24 were conceived before marriage. The ratio fell to 23.4 percent among teenage mothers and to 15.4 percent for mothers in their late 20s.Researcher Lee Byung-ho at the Gyeonggi Research Center conducted the survey based on state data on babies born in 2015.The report showed premarital pregnancies are increasing. In 2001, only 7.5 percent of newborn babies were conceived before their parents’ marriage. It jumped to 17.8 percent in 2015. 