South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea's lunar orbiter likely to operate for 2 more years

In this Aug. 4, 2022 file photo, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Korea's first lunar orbiter known as Danuri, stands erect on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States. AP-YonhapKorea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri is expected to operate for two more years thanks to its energy-saving mode, a senior government official said Wednesday."Regarding its energy consumption and remaining fuel, we see Danuri would possibly operate until 2025," Vice Science Minister Oh Tae-seog told reporters during a press meeting in the central city of Sejong. "We will discuss the issue later this month."Danuri, also known as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter and the country's first space mission beyond Earth's orbit, entered the selenocentric orbit on Dec. 27 after 145 days of traveling from Earth and started its operation on Feb. 4 about a month after test runs.While rotating around the moon 100 kilometers above the surface, the orbiter is assigned to measure the terrain, magnetic strengths, gamma rays and other traits of the lunar surface using six onboard inst

Jun 7, 2023

Korea's lunar orbiter likely to operate for 2 more years

Controversy grows as fisheries ministry stresses safety of seafood, salt, beaches

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan, right, promotes seafood at E-mart's Jukjeon branch in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and FisheriesBy Park Jae-hyukThe Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is facing a growing controversy over its recent attempts to reassure consumers about the safety of seafood and salt, as well as beaches, ahead of the planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Under the pretext of protecting fishermen and merchants in fishing villages, the ministry has refuted claims that the wastewater will pollute Korean seas, defining such claims as groundless rumors.Suh Kune-yull, professor emeritus of Seoul National University's Department of Nuclear Engineering / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwonWhen Professor Emeritus Suh Kune-yull of Seoul National University's Department of Nuclear Engineering told local broadcaster YTN late last month that the wastewater could flow into the East Sea within five to seven months after the discharge begins, the ministry immediately issued a si

Jun 6, 2023By Park Jae-hyuk

Controversy grows as fisheries ministry stresses safety of seafood, salt, beaches

Deep-rooted problems push nurses to handle doctors' duties

gettyimagesbankConflict continues over roles of physician assistantsBy Jun Ji-hyeOne physician assistant said she had to carry out a polypectomy, an operation to remove polyps from the inside of a patient's colon, while another said she was once told to pronounce a patient dead.These are actual cases contained in reports the Korean Nurses Association received from physician assistants across the country about unlawful orders they received from doctors.Such procedures and duties should be handled by doctors under the Medical Services Act. But in Korea's medical profession, physician assistants have been tacitly pushed to conduct such procedures, according to the association.In other countries such as the United States, physician assistants are considered to be licensed medical professionals who examine, diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of physicians. But things are different in Korea, as hospitals appoint skilled nurses with several years of experience as physician assistants. Additional courses or professional licenses are not required to appointment them. The contro

Jun 4, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Deep-rooted problems push nurses to handle doctors' duties

Korea sees record-high number of flu patients for late spring

People line up at an ear, nose and throat clinic in Gyeonggi Province, May 29. Korea Times photo by Ha Sang-yunBy Lee Hae-rinInfluenza, which typically strikes during winter, has spread at an alarming level in late spring, marking the highest number of patients for a late spring and early summer season. Health experts and authorities presume eased COVID-19 rules involving face masks and in-person gatherings have caused an influenza surge.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Sunday, the number of people with symptoms of flu stood at 25.7 per 1,000 outpatients from May 14 to 27. This figure was also the same for the previous week.It was the highest number seen during that period of the year since September 2000 when the KDCA started collecting related statistics. In previous years, the figure has remained at less than five per 1,000 outpatients. The previous record was seven during May 14 to 27 of 2021.Also, flu cases normally decline after the peak winter season. But this time, the number peaked at 60.7 in the last week of 2022, declined to 11.6 from Fe

Jun 4, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Korea sees record-high number of flu patients for late spring

Transition to endemic

A medical worker posts a notice at a public health center in Gwangju, Tuesday, to inform the public that the mandatory COVID-19 isolation period of seven days will be shortened to five days and no longer be compulsory starting Thursday when the government is set to downgrade the classification of COVID-19 from the top level. Yonhap

May 30, 2023

Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service

A doctor gives a demonstration of telemedicine service at a clinic in Seoul's Dobong District, Tuesday, as the government is set to begin the telemedicine pilot program this Thursday. YonhapOnly consultation without prescription allowed for 1st-time pediatric patientsBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government will begin its telemedicine pilot program as planned from Thursday, mainly permitting the service for second-visit patients or regular patients of local clinics.An exception, pediatric patients will be allowed medical consultations through a telemedicine service during holidays and at night, even if they are first-time patients. But prescriptions for medications will not be offered in such cases. Because of this, critics say that the government is disallowing the telemedicine service for first-time pediatric patients, despite persistent calls from parents and those in the telemedicine industry. In addition, doctors and pharmacists will get a 30 percent bonus from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) for offering the telemedicine service.The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the

May 30, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service

Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists

By Jun Ji-hyeKorea aims to ease immigration procedures to attract more international patients who visit the country to undergo medical treatment or receive cosmetic surgery. gettyimagesbankThe Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday that the government is aiming to attract as many as 700,000 medical tourists by 2027. The number of medical tourists visiting Korea last year stood at 248,000, up 70 percent from 146,000 tallied a year earlier, as many rules and regulations induced by the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted around the world. In 2019, before the pandemic, 497,000 medical tourists visited Korea.The Ministry of Health and Welfare set a goal of boosting the figure by 26 percent every year so the number can reach 700,000 by 2027. First of all, the government will increase the number of medical institutions authorized by the Ministry of Justice to apply for e-visas for patients to more than 50 this year from the current 27. The government will also expand the range of guardians or protectors of international patients to include their siblings. Currently, only the patients' spouses

May 30, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists

Half of medical tourists visiting Korea inspired by K-culture

Two foreign women stroll through the tourist district of Myeong-dong in central Seoul, Sept. 23, 2022. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanNearly half of all foreign medical tourists visiting Korea last year were motivated as a consequence of their interest in the country's popular and dynamic culture, according to a survey, Sunday.In a survey by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), it was found that 49.7 percent of 1,200 respondents who underwent medical treatments here said their experience of K-culture, including K-pop, encouraged them to travel to Korea and undergo treatment, up from 24.3 percent in 2021. The respondents were part of 248,110 foreign medical tourists, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.K-culture refers to a wide range of practices stemming from the country, items created by Koreans and activities widely and readily accessible in Korea, such as food, tourism hotspots, traditional practices, cosmetic products, K-pop, films and dramas.Among the medical tourists, those from Southeast Asian countries displayed the highest tendency to undergo

May 28, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Half of medical tourists visiting Korea inspired by K-culture

Nuri's main payload NEXTSAT-2 enters orbit, makes communication with Earth

Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri blasts off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, on May 25, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. YonhapKorea's main satellite has successfully entered orbit and made multiple communications with ground stations, the science ministry said Friday.NEXTSAT-2 was deployed from Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri on Thursday evening, followed by seven microsatellites at 20 second intervals.Korea's King Sejong Station in Antarctica received the first signal from NEXTSAT-2 at 7:07 p.m. Thursday and a ground station in South Korea's central city of Daejeon also communicated with the satellite some 50 minutes later, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.NEXTSAT-2 also made two-way communications seven times with the Daejeon station and other overseas posts earlier Friday, the ministry said.All of the satellite's operational functions, including power generation and data processing, are working well, it added.NEXTSAT-2 ― the 180-kilogram satellite designed and developed by the Korea Advanced Instit

May 26, 2023

Nuri's main payload NEXTSAT-2 enters orbit, makes communication with Earth

Korean-trained Costa Rican team successfully transplant living-donor liver

The liver transplant team from Costa Rica's Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Hospital pose at Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, Seoul, during their training at the Korean hospital, in this 2019 photo. Courtesy of Asan Medical CenterBy Nam Hyun-wooA Costa Rican medical team, trained at Asan Medical Center in Korea, succeeded in the country's first living-donor liver transplant, paving the way for the life-saving surgery in the Central American country.According to Asan Medical Center, Tuesday, a liver transplant team at Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Hospital in Costa Rica successfully performed the country's first adult living-donor liver transplant on April 11. Through the procedure, Jeannette Lorio, 60, who was suffering from liver cirrhosis, successfully received a healthy liver from her daughter Bianca Oviedo, 32. After the 18-hour surgery, Lorio was in a stable recovery and left the hospital in a healthy condition just eight days after the surgery.The Costa Rican team, led by Prof. Vanessa Lopez, used a modified right-lobe graft technique, which was developed by Asan Medical C

May 24, 2023By Nam Hyun-woo

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