South Korea - The Korea Times

80% of airborne bacteria found in S. Korea, China overlap

More than 80 percent of airborne bacteria in South Korea and China overlap, a report said Monday, suggesting that the bacteria may be blowing to the Korean Peninsula along with Chinese microdust.A team of researchers from Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Health measured fine dust concentrations in Seoul, Beijing and Japan's Nagasaki over a period of one year and analyzed them for bacterial DNA. Their findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Scientific Reports.The study showed 83 percent of the total species of airborne bacteria were common to both Seoul and Beijing, higher than the 73 percent between Seoul and Nagasaki and 66 percent between Beijing and Nagasaki. "The bacterial communities of Beijing and Seoul were much more similar to each other than any other two cities," the report said, noting that the highest similarity was observed between spring and fall.Bacterial diversity was most correlated with the speed and frequency of prevailing northwesterly winds in the region, the report said.Kim Ho, one of the researchers of the study, s

Aug 28, 2017

Concerns over sanitary pads go unabated

Drug safety agency under fire over belated inspectionBy Kim Bo-eun The drug safety authorities are belatedly launching an inspection of sanitary pads, after a public uproar erupted over side effects of a domestic manufacturer’s product.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it would look into 896 types of pads of 56 manufacturers, including imported products, to check whether they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).It will scrutinize whether the products contain 10 types of VOCs which are known to be harmful including benzene and stylene, and complete the inspection by the end of next month.The criterion is based on findings from a civic group earlier this year. The Korean Women’s Environmental Network (KWEN) in March said 22 harmful substances were found in 10 types of pads of 22 domestic manufacturers.However, drug safety authorities did not take action until the controversy snowballed over domestic pad manufacturer Kleannara’s Lilian products. This comes shortly after the ministry was slammed for the pesticide-tainted egg scare.Over the past year,

Aug 27, 2017

Gov't suspends sales of European pork products

By Jung Min-hoThe Korean government has suspended sales and distribution of European pork products here after British media reported thousands of Britons may have caught the hepatitis E virus from pork products from other European countries.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday it will strengthen its inspections of pork products imported from Europe. Until further notice, sales and distribution of products such as sausages and ham will be suspended.Symptoms of hepatitis E include fever, reduced appetite, nausea and vomiting, lasting for a few days; some may also experience abdominal pain, skin rash or joint pain. It occasionally develops into an acute, severe liver disease.According to the World Health Organization, there is no treatment capable of altering the course of acute hepatitis E.The ministry advised everyone to cook pork products properly before eating. It said they can kill the virus by cooking the food for several minutes at temperatures of 70 degrees Celsius or higher.The Sunday Times reported earlier that between 150,000 and 200,000 Britons contract the vir

Aug 25, 2017

Gov't suspends sales of European pork products

Lilian sanitary pads cause stir

A woman, first from right, who experienced health problems after using Kleannara's "Lilian" sanitary pads speaks out at a press conference hosted by civic group Ecofem in central Seoul, Thursday. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunSanitary pad manufacturer Kleannara said Thursday it will provide refunds for consumers who have purchased its disputed “Lilian” sanitary pads.The move follows complaints from thousands of women who claim they experienced side effects such as changes in their menstrual cycles after using the product.The manufacturer initially claimed its products were safe and that it would request a safety test from the Korea Consumer Agency, and would take appropriate measures after results were unveiled.But it announced refund plans following the uproar from consumers over its products.Law firm Bubjungwon has led a movement to take collective legal action against the manufacturer. It created online communities on portal sites Naver and Daum.“As of Wednesday, 14,000 people have expressed their intentions to take part in a lawsuit,” a law firm official said Thurs

Aug 24, 2017

Korean moms flex muscles across board

Gov't to expand welfare policy to boost birthrate

 By Lee Kyung-min Starting next month, the government will give 500,000 won ($443) in state support to women who failed to report their pregnancies to health authorities in time.Under the current law, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) issue a debit card with a 500,000 won balance to pregnant women as part of its welfare support. They can use it only for pregnancy-related treatments.The health ministry said eligible under the expanded program will be women who had miscarriages before applying for the state support, or who simply delayed reporting it. Only those who report a miscarriage or childbirth within 60 days of either will be eligible.Up to 200,000 won will also be given to women living in ministry-designated remote provincial areas with low medical access.They include islands off Incheon, six counties in Gangwon Province, three in the Chungcheong provinces, nine in the Jeolla provinces and 15 in the Gyeongsang provinces.Since January, women pregnant with twins or more were given 900,000 won, up 200,000 won from a year

Aug 24, 2017

Doctors to stage rally against 'Moon Jae-in care'

By Lee Kyung-minA group of doctors plan to stage a rally Saturday to protest the recently revised healthcare plan announced by President Moon Jae-in, under which about 3,800 treatments will be insured under the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), they said Wednesday.Many doctors have profited by recommending expensive procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, something a sick person cannot afford to refuse.Doctors who run small- to medium-sized clinics say their practices will definitely go bankrupt because patients will stop coming to them if the government pays the additional fees needed to see doctors at university-run, large hospitals. This, they claim, will result in significant decreases in their revenue.Their fear is based on an element of the revision, under which the government will remove “selective treatment.” This is an option for which a patient has to pay an additional 50 percent of the medical fees to get a professional opinion from doctors with over 10 years of experience, most of whom work at big medical centers. The gove

Aug 23, 2017

Infected US beef could have been on sale

US accused of not sharing enough dataBy Park Jae-hyukThe meat of a cow infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), could have been sold here, as the U.S. health authorities did not notice the outbreak of the disease before the cow’s death in Alabama last month, according to a legal expert here, Tuesday.Song Ki-ho of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society disclosed a letter purportedly sent to the government  from the U.S. Embassy in Korea. The letter was written under the name of the agricultural affairs official and   included additional information on the contaminated cow.According to the lawyer, the letter reads that the cow died on the night of July 5, before it was transported to a slaughterhouse, and that an official from the Veterinary Services in Alabama took a tissue sample afterwards.“This means that the U.S. government officials did not know the cow was contaminated before its death,” Song said. “If the cow had been sent to a slaughterhouse before it died, its meat would have been on the market. Unless the

Aug 22, 2017By Park Jae-hyuk

Infected US beef could have been on sale

'Gov't wrong about risks of tainted eggs'

Doctors express concern over their long-term effectsBy Jung Min-hoA health association has expressed concern over the health risks of eggs contaminated with insecticides, rebutting the government’s claims that they pose no major health concern.The Korean Society of Environmental Health (KSEH) said Tuesday that the Ministry of Food Safety overlooked such eggs’ long-term effects when it announced that “an adult will be fine unless the person eats more than 126 such eggs a day.”“Our biggest concern is the effects of chronic toxicity because people eat eggs almost every day,” the KSEH said in a statement. “The ministry should investigate chronic toxicity instead of saying the risk of acute toxicity is low.”During its investigation into tainted eggs, the ministry found five chemical agents ― fipronil, bifenthrin, flufenoxuron, etoxazole and pyridaben, which are used to kill insect pests.“The ministry made a hasty conclusion based on insufficient information,” the KSEH said. “It is not a proper way to deal with the problem.&

Aug 22, 2017

'Gov't wrong about risks of tainted eggs'

Gov't to train 1,500 counselors in suicide prevention

By Jung Min-hoKorea’s suicide rate has been the highest among all OECD member nations since 2003. Among Koreans in their teens, 20s and 30s, it is the No. 1 cause of death.Health Minister Park Neung-hooYet, for a long time, the government paid little attention to the problem, simply dismissing it as a regrettable choice it cannot change anyway. The Ministry of Health and Welfare spent 9.9 billion won ($8.7 million) last year on suicide prevention, a fraction compared to Japan’s 750 billion won.New Health Minister Park Neung-hoo finally promised to be more active in helping those at risk who need help.During a question-and-answer session with citizens at Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday, Park said he will train 1,455 counselors over the next five years as part of an effort to tackle the problem.“I will set up a system where anyone can readily receive counseling anywhere,” he said.For now, the ministry only has two officials for dealing with suicide-related issues. Park said he will create a department dedicated to the task.Suicide is a serious problem that affects many pe

Aug 21, 2017

Gov't to train 1,500 counselors in suicide prevention

Korean tourists to India stricken with typhoid

Medical staff and a patient talk in Myongji Hospital’s quarantine ward. / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanFive Korean students who visited India  have been stricken with typhoid fever.The students are from Sangmyung University’s Cheonan Campus in South Chungcheong Province, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.They had visited India’s northern region, including the cities of Agra and New Delhi, with 18 other students and two instructors as part of the school’s overseas education program from July 19 to 27.After they returned, seven sought medical attention for fever, chills and diarrhea. Four were diagnosed with the typhoid.In a follow-up check, another student was diagnosed with the disease.Four of the five students remain quarantined in a hospital. One student was released from quarantine on Friday.Of 225 Koreans who caught typhoid fever abroad, between 2011-2016, 23 percent had visited India.The health authority advised that people planning to visit India should be vaccinated against the waterborne disease, wh