South Korea - The Korea Times

'Women's health issue sidelined in sanitary towel controversy'

By Lee Kyung-minThe recent controversy over sanitary towels has failed to address the core issue of women’s health, according to an official of a women’s organization.  Leean So-young, director general at the Korea Women's Environmental Network (KWEN), said no concrete measures were discussed over the fact that many sanitary products have been found to contain toxic materials.“The core issue of the controversy is that companies manufactured and distributed products that were not verified for safety, the government has remained negligent and women have used them for over 40 years,” she said.The comment came at a meeting organized by the minor opposition Justice Party and KWEN at the National Assembly.The government has yet to announce measures to allay fears and frustrations, forcing women left with few options to seek alternatives.“Raising the issue was the right thing to do. The government blaming us for what it called inappropriate disclosure of tests, which it claims was the reason that fanned public fear, simply shows how it has neglected its du

Sep 20, 2017

Treating postpartum stress with Korean medicine

By Lee Sung-hun Traditionally, Koreans have put great emphasis on postpartum care for mothers.It is not uncommon to hear women who complain of illnesses they have developed during the postpartum months because of the lack of care even decades afterwards.Customarily, postpartum mothers were given thick clothing and blankets to keep the body warm and they were even advised against washing with cold water or going out in cold weather.Expats living in Korea may have heard of this practice and wondered about it.It is intended to protect the new mother’s body and prevent cold-qi from entering it because delivering a baby is so taxing that it uses up a lot of qi and blood.Improper postpartum care may result in what Traditional Korean Medicine refers to as “san-hu-pung” that can be translated to postpartum-wind (PPW).PPW is a condition that does not exist in Western Medicine but is explained in Traditional Korean Medicine.Most common symptoms of PPW include joint pain in the wrists, knees, shoulders and ankles. The pain tends to worsen with bad weather or cold surround

Sep 19, 2017

Gov't to increase welfare coverage for dementia

 By Lee Kyung-min About 700,000 dementia patients and their families will be covered under the state welfare program, the government said Monday.This is part of President Moon Jae-in’s campaign pledge to expand the state’s role in helping senior citizens, who contributed to the development of the country, lead a dignified life.Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo unveiled this measure three days ahead of World Alzheimer's Day which falls Thursday.Many families go bankrupt due to the heavy medical costs of treating the disease, which is expected to become more prevalent in Korea because of a rapidly aging society, the minister said.“The number of dementia patients is expected to reach 1.27 million by 2030, which will further burden their adult children. The government is planning to shoulder the increasing cost of treating the disease,” Park said at COEX in southern Seoul.Under the program, the government will increase the number of dementia support centers within community health centers to 252 from the current 47 by the end of the year.The new

Sep 18, 2017

Medical costs for insured expats double over 5 years

By Jung Min-hoAs an increasing number of foreigners join the state health insurance system here, costs for their coverage have more than doubled over the past five years, according to data revealed Friday.Data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and the Justice Ministry show that healthcare costs for insured expatriates in 2016 were 553 billion won ($487 million), up 109 percent from 2012.While they paid 426 billion won in insurance, the government covered more than 120 billion won for the total costs ― the government’s share was only 14 billion won in 2012.Their cost-benefit ratio is better than Koreans, who paid 47.4 trillion won for their medical costs of 48.3 trillion won.According to the NHIS and the ministry, the number of foreign residents surged to 2 million in 2016 from 1.16 million in 2008.Meanwhile, the number of foreigners as well as Koreans living abroad who are covered by the insurance jumped to 883,000 from 379,000. Today they account for 1.7 percent of all 50.76 million subscribers.About 870,000 insured foreigners received treatment at local hospit

Sep 15, 2017

Medical costs for insured expats double over 5 years

Adoptees struggling to find birth families

By You Soo-sunA letter issued by the government in 1975 states, “We forego somewhat our plans for social welfare and the interests of our children.” / Courtesy of Karri Ann GarzaFor many adoptees, finding their birth families is a way to mend their past and move forward. In Korea, the process is especially long and costly, lonely and upsetting ― and, more often than not, unfruitful.What further troubles many of them is the feeling that Korea, the country they were born into, had sold them off.This may not be just a feeling. In a 1975 letter issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, now the Ministry of Health and Welfare, then-Minister Ko Jae-pil wrote, “We forego somewhat our plans for social welfare and the interests of our children.” This, he defended, was inevitable to secure a stronger national defense in dealing with constant threats from North Korea.Yet, over three decades later, there are still not enough resources dedicated to them. In email and phone interviews with The Korea Times, adoptees raised questions over the legitimacy an

Sep 14, 2017

Adoptees struggling to find birth families

Huge jump in life-threatening tick disease

By Chyung Eun-juHealth authorities are urging campers, hikers and gardeners to watch out for seed-sized ticks after confirming that there has been a huge jump in tick-bite victims this year.Infection from the tick-borne disease thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has caused 31 deaths this year, according to a Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) report on Thursday ― a 63 percent increase from 2016.SFTS had been found in 139 people this year until August, a 121 percent increase from the same period last year.Ticks are active from April to November.SFTS causes fever, nausea, diarrhea and drowsiness after being latent for six or two weeks..SFTS can easily be confused with a cold or stomach flu because it does not have any specific traits that make the infection recognizable.There is no vaccine for SFTS, so doctors can only treat the symptoms.The best approach is to avoid being bitten by wearing long sleeves and long pants while walking in areas with ticks.The KCDC recommends that anyone bitten by a tick should seek medical attention immediately. 

Sep 14, 2017

Huge jump in life-threatening tick disease

Tick-borne disease claims 31 lives

By Jung Min-hoA tick-borne disease has killed 31 people this year so far, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Thursday.The KDCD noted the number of deaths from severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has increased sharply from last year’s 19.Given that ticks remain active until November, more people may fall victim to the virus.The number of people who have tested positive for the virus was 139 as of Aug. 31. It is also expected to surpass last year’s total (165).Notably, the number of patients increased to 18 and 17 from nine and eight in South Chungcheong Province and Jeju Island, respectively.SFTS has a fatality rate as high as 30 percent. The disease is most commonly found in Central Asia and China and is known to be transmitted through bites from virus-carrying ticks.After an incubation period of six days to two weeks, SFTS starts to cause symptoms such as fever, drowsiness, vomiting, diarrhea and organ failure.There is currently no effective medicine to treat the disease and the best policy against it is to avoid being

Sep 14, 2017

Kopino mother demands help in front of National Assembly

Geraldine Dy holds a poster asking for help for Kopinos in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday./Courtesy of Koo Bon-changBy Kim Se-jeong A Filipina mother staged a protest outside the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, demanding help for Kopinos, children born to Korean fathers and Filipino mothers.Next to Geraldine Dy was her eight year old son, Jared Keystone Kim, shyly clinging to his mother.The poster she was holding proclaimed: “I am KOPINO, Half of me is Korean and the other half is Filipino. I waited, am waiting and will be waiting for my father.”Kim is one of approximately 40,000 Kopinos in the Philippines ― which is only an estimate because there’s no official count.Last year, Dy filed for child support from the father, and last week, the two flew to attend a session at a court in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.The father didn’t initially recognize his son, and insisted that he see the boy in person.“They (the father and the son) looked so much alike. I was surprised. The mediator was also very surpri

Sep 13, 2017

Kopino mother demands help in front of National Assembly

SK Telecom warns of cyber scams during Chuseok

By Chyung Eun-juIn smishing, cyber scammers send a text message including a link designed to steal a receiver’s personal information. The message above, for example, reads, “Your personal information has been leaked. Tighten your security by clicking www.xxcard.com.” / Korea Times file Korean wireless telecommunications operator SK Telecom warned Monday that cyber scammers will be “smishing” ahead of Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday in the first week of October.Smishing is like “phishing,” but the scammers use text messages instead of phone calls to defraud victims.“We expect that the Chuseok holiday will be when smishing goes into in full swing,” said an SK Telecom official.“Scammers will be pretending to be parcel delivery services, because many Koreans send gifts for the occasion.“Middle-aged people and the elderly who are not adept with using a smartphone should be more alert.”The cyber attack normally happens during holiday periods, according to SK.The operator analyzed is users, around 26 milli

Sep 12, 2017

SK Telecom warns of cyber scams during Chuseok

Civic organizations vow to fight gender discrimination

By You Soo-sunCivic organizations vowed to take legal action on behalf of a teacher who was verbally attacked after advocating for feminism in the school setting. They held a press conference in Gwanghwamun Square, Thursday.  The network, Organizations Supporting Feminism Education and Teachers, was formed by civic organizations who intend to promote gender equality in schools after the incident. Twenty-two civic organizations including the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, Korea Women’s Hot Line, Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union participated in the press conference.“An elementary school teacher has for over a month been hurt by personal attacks and defamatory remarks. We are legally preparing on behalf of the victimized teacher,” the network said a press statement.In an interview in July, the teacher spoke on the topic of “Three reasons we need feminism in school” after which her identity was revealed to the public. She was verbally attacked online and in the media and is now on sick leave.The members criticized online commenters,

Sep 8, 2017

Health

Health

'Women's health issue sidelined in sanitary towel controversy'

Treating postpartum stress with Korean medicine

Gov't to increase welfare coverage for dementia

Medical costs for insured expats double over 5 years

Adoptees struggling to find birth families

Huge jump in life-threatening tick disease

Tick-borne disease claims 31 lives

Kopino mother demands help in front of National Assembly

SK Telecom warns of cyber scams during Chuseok

Civic organizations vow to fight gender discrimination

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