South Korea - The Korea Times

Govt's inept response to red fire ants raises need for collaborative action plan

By You Soo-sunThe Ministry of Environment acknowledged Wednesday that a joint government response manual was lacking when venomous red fire ants were discovered in the southern port of Busan Sept. 28, the first of the species to be found in Korea.Although the government has tentatively concluded that the fire ants have died, serious concerns are rising over the government’s capability to cope with the possible influx of harmful organisms in the future.“A system for relevant government bodies to respond to red fire ants was nonexistent,” a ministry official said. “Red fire ants had never been discovered in the country, and so the Ministry of Environment did not have a manual of its own.”According to the ministry’s report submitted to the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee, Wednesday, a joint meeting was held  Sept. 15, in which the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs decided to form a collaborative response group and devise a response manual to address the

Oct 11, 2017

Police give up hunt for men who had sex with HIV-infected teen

By Jung Min-hoPolice have given up searching for men who had unprotected sex with a girl who is HIV positive.According to police, Tuesday, the 15-year-old girl had sex with at least 10 men. Between August and September last year, she met them through chat applications to make money.Police said the exact number of men is hard to determine.In May, she tested positive for HIV.It is also uncertain when exactly she was infected with the virus and whether she continued to have sex with strangers even after she found out about her health condition.Police confirmed she had sex with more than 10 people at motels in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, after receiving 150,000 won ($131) to 200,000 won from each person.Police said they struggled to track down the men because the chat applications she used provided little information about them, not even their real names. Moreover, much of the data in her mobile phone and surveillance footage from cameras in and around the motels have already been deleted, so police had to rely heavily on her memory.“She does not remember exactly when and where she

Oct 11, 2017

Police give up hunt for men who had sex with HIV-infected teen

Autistic son turns father's life around

By Park Jin-haiHan Sang-minHan Sang-min, CEO of Seoul ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) Institute, is often referred to as Korea’s Augusto Odone, the father who found Lorenzo's Oil after a relentless search for a cure for his son’s rare genetic disorder. Since finding his youngest child showing symptoms of autism at 28 months old, Han’s life has changed drastically.“At the time when I heard my child’s autism diagnosis nine years ago, the developmental disorder was hardly a recognized concept. Few people knew about the disorder and when I searched on the web I could find what little information there was about it, not to mention known treatments for it,” Han said during an interview with The Korea Times. “Feeling at a loss, without knowing what to do, I made up my mind to find useful information myself and it has completely changed the course of my life.”ABA, an applied form of behavior analysis, uses a great deal of positive reinforcement in order to increase desirable behaviors and improve the skills of children and adults with behaviora

Oct 10, 2017

1 out of 6 Korean youths are obese: data

One out of six South Korean children and youths are obese with the rate increasing every year, government data showed Tuesday.The data by the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that 16.5 percent of elementary, middle school, and high school students suffered from obesity in 2016, up 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier.The obesity rate increased from 11.2 percent in 2008 to 14.3 percent in 2010, 14.7 percent in 2012 and moved up to 15 percent in 2014, the data showed.Also, the data showed that 77.1 percent of children and teens drink soft drinks at least once a week, up from 74.2 percent in 2014.People whose body mass index reaches 25 kg/㎡ or over are considered obese.The ministry said it will stage a campaign to reduce the obesity rate by encouraging youth to eat more fruits and vegetables. (Yonhap)

Oct 10, 2017

1 out of 6 Korean youths are obese: data

Gov't guards against spread of venomous fire ants

By Lee Kyung-minQuarantine authorities in Busan have moved 640 containers from where Korea’s first infestation of more than 1,000 red fire ants was confirmed late last month.The containers were moved to a nearby area as part of efforts to inspect and sterilize ports in the southern city to prevent further spread of the species native to South America, known to inflict painful bites that in some cases lead to anaphylactic shock and death.The ants are 2 to 6 millimeters in size, and are coppery-brown.The Busan Port Authority and officials from Gamman Port said Sunday extermination efforts would continue because the “queen ant” _ which lays up to 1,500 eggs a day _ has yet to be located and confirmed as exterminated.The authorities are considering burning soil and concrete plowed from beneath where the containers were unloaded. Only containers that underwent complete and full sterilization were allowed to leave the port.The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency said it would continue to inspect 163 traps and sterilize quays in the area.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food an

Oct 8, 2017

Gov't guards against spread of venomous fire ants

Chuna: spine correction in traditional medicine

By Lee Sung-hunPatients visit their local traditional Korean clinics for many different ailments, but the most frequently sought-after treatment is probably for musculoskeletal issues.Chuna chiropractic is a manual therapy just like the western chiropractic treatment that addresses such issues.Chuna treatments date back millennia as records of them can be found in documents from over 2,200 years ago.Breaking down the word “Chuna,” the first syllable, “Chu” means to push and the second, “Na” means to pull.Literally, Chuna treatment means that the doctor “pushes and pulls” on misaligned body parts to adjust them for correct alignment, sometimes with the aid of equipment and at other times with bare hands and body weight.Structurally, our body is formed by the muscles and tendons holding the bones as the framework.If the bones are misaligned, the surrounding organs and tissues such as nerves and fascia become agitated, leading to tension and pain in the surrounding muscles and tendons.Chuna treatment directly addresses these misalignments

Oct 8, 2017

One million Korean smartphone users 'at high risk of addiction'

Subway passengers use their smartphones. State data shows more than one million South Koreans are addicted to the devices. / Korea Times fileBy Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-sooMore than one million South Koreans are smartphone addicts who face the risk of developing depression, insomnia or other health problems unless they receive immediate consultation or treatment, according to state data released on Sunday.The National Information Society Agency (NIA) said 1,042,000 people were at “high risk of addiction” in 2016, up 1.6 percent from the previous year.Teenagers (aged 10-19) made up the biggest portion of 30.6 percent, followed by preschoolers (3-9) at 17.9 percent, adults under 60 at 16.1 percent and adults over 60 at 11.7 percent.Messenger apps were the No.1 culprit for addiction, followed by games, web surfing and social media.High-risk addicts refer to people who use smartphones for more than 5 hours 15 minutes a day.Their diagnostic criteria include persistent smartphone use despite recurrent physical or psychological side effects, continued unsuccessful attempts to

Oct 8, 2017

One million Korean smartphone users 'at high risk of addiction'

Two small quakes strike S. Korea

Magnitude-2.1 quake happened at 12:10 p.m. in the central city of Nonsan / Screen captured from KMABy Bahk Eun-jiTwo small earthquakes hit South Korea on Wednesday, the state weather agency said.The Korea Meteorological Administration said the earthquakes were so small that they could hardly be felt.The first, a magnitude-2.4, occurred about 2:11 a.m. 42 kilometers off the coast of the southeastern city of Ulsan.  The following magnitude-2.1 quake happened at 12:10 p.m. in the central city of Nonsan, the weather agency said."There were no reports that they were felt," a KMA official said. “No major damage or casualties have been reported.”

Oct 4, 2017

Poisonous fire ants found in Busan

Members of authorities inspect a potential nest of fire ant at a harbor in the southern port city of Busan. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPoisonous stinging fire ants have been found in the southern port city of Busan ― the first time the species has been detected in Korea.The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency carried out an emergency inspection on Monday and sterilized the container wharfs where the ants were found.Authorities said they had yet to find a queen ant.Workers at a harbor found 25 fire ants on a paved road inside the wharf area on Thursday, reports say.Quarantine authorities also found 1,000 ants near what appeared to be a nest, which was removed.The species, native to South America, is notorious for inflicting painful, stinging bites that can lead to anaphylactic shock and death.The “killer ants,” have also been found in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and the U.S.In North America, more than 100 deaths have been attributed to the ants.    

Oct 2, 2017

Chuna - Spine Correction in Traditional Korean Medicine

By Lee Sung-hun  Patients visit their local traditional Korean clinics for many different ailments, but the most frequently sought-after treatment is probably for musculoskeletal issues.Chuna chiropractic is a manual therapy just like the western chiropractic treatment that addresses such issues.Chuna treatments date back millennia as records of them can be found in documents from over 2,200 years ago.Breaking down the word “Chuna,” the first syllable, “Chu” means to push and the second, “Na” means to pull.Literally, Chuna treatment means that the doctor “pushes and pulls” on misaligned body parts to adjust them for correct alignment, sometimes with the aid of equipment and at other times with bare hands and body weight.Structurally, our body is formed by the muscles and tendons holding the bones as the framework.If the bones are misaligned, the surrounding organs and tissues such as nerves and fascia become agitated, leading to tension and pain in the surrounding muscles and tendons.Chuna treatment directly addresses the

Oct 1, 2017

Health

Health

Govt's inept response to red fire ants raises need for collaborative action plan

Police give up hunt for men who had sex with HIV-infected teen

Autistic son turns father's life around

1 out of 6 Korean youths are obese: data

Gov't guards against spread of venomous fire ants

Chuna: spine correction in traditional medicine

One million Korean smartphone users 'at high risk of addiction'

Two small quakes strike S. Korea

Poisonous fire ants found in Busan

Chuna - Spine Correction in Traditional Korean Medicine

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