South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea reports 2 more local mpox infections

This Aug. 17, 2022 file photo, provided by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) shows the mpox virus. YonhapKorea confirmed two more cases of mpox Wednesday, bringing the country's total to 18, health authorities said.The two patients are Korean nationals, who are residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, respectively, and have not recently traveled abroad, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is traditionally confined to regions in Central and West Africa, and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms.Korea reported the first case of mpox on June 22 last year and four more cases through March. The first five cases were linked to overseas travel.But the recent 13 infections that began April 8 were locally transmitted with no recent overseas travel history. (Yonhap)

Apr 19, 2023

Korea reports 2 more local mpox infections

Korea reports 3 more possible community transmissions of mpox

A sign displaying symptoms of monkeypox is displayed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul in this July 24, 2022 file photo. YonhapKorea confirmed three more cases of mpox Tuesday, bringing the country's total to 16, health authorities said.Two of the patients are Korean nationals, who are residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, while the third is a foreigner living in the southeast region of North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The three had not recently traveled abroad, it added.Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is traditionally confined to regions in Central and Western Africa and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms.Korea reported the first case of mpox on June 22 last year and four more cases through March. The first five cases were linked to overseas travel.But the recent 11 infections that began April 8 were locally transmitted with no recent overseas travel history. (Yonhap)

Apr 18, 2023

Korea reports 3 more possible community transmissions of mpox

Korea reports 3 more cases of mpox

This June 23, 2022 file photo shows a notice on mpox at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanKorea confirmed three more cases of mpox Monday, bringing the country's total to 13, health authorities said.The country's 11th patient is a Korean national in Seoul, who tested positive Friday, while the other two are residing in the southeast region of South Gyeongsang Province and tested positive Saturday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The three had not recently traveled abroad, it added.Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is traditionally confined to regions in Central and Western Africa, and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms.Korea reported the first case of mpox on June 22 last year and four more cases through March. The first five cases were linked to overseas travel.But the recent eight infections that began April 8 were locally transmitted with no recent overseas travel history. (Yonhap)

Apr 17, 2023

Korea aims to curtail suicide rate with more frequent mental health checkups

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday, after a government meeting presided by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to tackle the country's suicide rate. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinKorea will implement mental health checkups once every two years and establish community-tailored suicide prevention programs across the country to tackle the country's notoriously high suicide rate, the government announced, Friday.Prime Minister Han Duck-soo presided over the sixth meeting with the suicide prevention plan committee in Seoul, Friday, and passed a set of comprehensive measures to tackle the problem.The government's new five-year plan, which will take effect from 2023 to 2027, aims to lower Korea's current suicide rate of 24.1 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2021 to 18.2 per 100,000 people by 2027. Korea has held the highest suicide rate among OECD nations for almost 20 years, with the latest figure in 2021 being more than double the average for OECD member nations, which is 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people.According to the new

Apr 14, 2023By Lee Hae-rin

Korea aims to curtail suicide rate with more frequent mental health checkups

Government to check on infants without medical records

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a government meeting on child policies at the Government Complex in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government will conduct a full investigation into the issue of infants under the age of two who did not get essential vaccine shots or do not have recent medical records, in an effort to identify children at risk of abuse and protect them in advance.The government will introduce a system that requires medical institutes to notify municipalities of the birth of a child to prevent any attempts to evade birth registration. The government also aims at establishing a law that governs the rights of children and the state's responsibility toward them.These are part of the new child policies unveiled by the government, Thursday.“The latest plans focus on supporting the growth of children and enhancing the welfare system for children from vulnerable groups,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a government meeting.Han said the government will look into the cases of some 11,000 children under the age of two, who have not received

Apr 13, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Government to check on infants without medical records

Hongseong Medical Center hires 3 specialists to boost regional medical services

From left are Ahn Yong-boong specializing in neurosurgery, Kim Young-chul specializing in neuropsychiatry and Kang Dae-hyun specializing in emergency medicine who recently joined the Hongseong Medical Center. Courtesy of Hongseong Medical CenterBy Jun Ji-hyeThree experienced physicians recently joined the Hongseong Medical Center in South Chungcheong Province, with growing expectations that they will contribute to improving medical services in the region and resolving a worsening disparity between big cities and municipalities.According to the medical center, Kim Young-chul, specializing in neuropsychiatry, Kang Dae-hyun, specializing in emergency medicine and Ahn Yong-boong, specializing in neurosurgery, recently began practicing at the hospital.Kim, who graduated from the Seoul National University College of Medicine, has built up his experience at several major hospitals in Seoul, including the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital and Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.Kang graduated from the Seoul National University College of Medicine and completed his intern and residency program at

Apr 13, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Hongseong Medical Center hires 3 specialists to boost regional medical services

3 locally acquired mpox cases raise concerns

A sign explaining the symptoms of mpox is displayed at Incheon International Airport in this photo taken on June 23 of last year when Korea reported its first mpox case. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanBy Jun Ji-hyeConcerns are growing over the transmission of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, as Korea has reported three locally acquired cases in just five days. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, health authorities confirmed two more mpox cases ― the country's seventh and eighth ― on Monday and Tuesday, after the sixth case was reported last Friday.The KDCA concluded these three cases were locally transmitted, as the three new patients had not traveled overseas in the past three months.The latest cases were compared with the previous five cases that were linked to overseas travel. Concerns are raising that the virus may already be widespread in local communities.Mpox is an infectious disease that causes rashes, fever, muscle aches and backaches. The disease continues to occur in central and west Africa, but cases outside of Africa have be

Apr 12, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

3 locally acquired mpox cases raise concerns

Korean lunar orbiter Danuri sends back photos of moon's far side

This photo of the Szilard M crater, provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), was taken with a camera onboard the Korean lunar orbiter Danuri, March 24. YonhapKorea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri has sent photos of the moon's far side during its mission to collect selenographic data, the science ministry said Wednesday.Danuri, which is rotating around the moon 100 kilometers above the surface, took pictures of the Tsiolkovskiy crater on March 22 and the Vallis Schrodinger and Szilard M craters each on March 24 with its high-definition cameras, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).They are the first photos of the moon's far side that Korea has taken.On top of that, Danuri has sent separate photos taken with its wide-angle polarimetric camera, PolCam for short, designed to study the moon's surface composition and its volcanic deposits through measuring the degree of polarization.The science ministry said people can check the real-time location of Danuri on the lunar orbit, along with its photos and collected da

Apr 12, 2023

Korean lunar orbiter Danuri sends back photos of moon's far side

Korea sets May 24 as 3rd launch date of homegrown space rocket Nuri

This photo provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT shows lower stages of Korea's space rocket Nuri. YonhapKorea on Tuesday set May 24 as the third launch date of its homegrown space rocket Nuri, about a year after its successful test launch.Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, is set to lift off from the Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung at 6:24 p.m., the Ministry of Science and ICT said after a launch management committee meeting.The ministry also set the period from May 25-31 as the launch window for possible schedule changes like weather conditions.The 200-ton Nuri will carry eight satellites, including the country's second next-generation small satellite and four satellites developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, codenamed SNIPE.The satellites will be delivered to the Naro Space Center around May 1-2 and loaded with the space rocket in the coming three weeks, according to the ministry.In June last year, Korea successfully launched the space rocket Nuri in the second attempt to put satellites into orbit, reaching a major miles

Apr 11, 2023

Korea sets May 24 as 3rd launch date of homegrown space rocket Nuri

Korea reports first locally transmitted case of monkeypox

A sign displaying symptoms of monkeypox is displayed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, July 24, 2022, in this file photo. YonhapHealth authorities reported the nation's first possible case of community transmission of mpox Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to six.The infected individual, a Korean national with no recent overseas travel history, tested positive for the disease the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The person visited a hospital Monday with a skin rash and was reported to health authorities as a suspected case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, Thursday.Unlike the previous five cases in the country, which were linked to overseas travel, the latest patient had not traveled abroad within the past three months, the KDCA said.The individual also had no known contact with an infected person, it added.The individual had been experiencing symptoms since the end of March and had been in contact with others for several days.The patient is currently hospitalized and is in good health, the KDCA said.

Apr 8, 2023

Health