SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government’s plan to reform how medical clinics are paid for lab tests has sparked strong opposition from doctors, who say the changes threaten their income and overlook the realities of clinical care. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Monday that it will end the decades-old practice [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to invest more than 900 billion won, or about $622 million, over the next seven years to develop advanced medical devices that officials described as “game-changing,” the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Wednesday. Under the initiative, which runs from 2025 through 2030, the government will [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — As the South Korean government tightens oversight of new weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro to curb misuse, some users are sidestepping domestic restrictions by traveling to Japan for easier access. Despite recent price stabilization in the domestic market, a growing number of South Koreans are turning to Japanese [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The next wave of obesity treatments is expected to center on multi-action drugs and oral formulations, according to a new report by global pharmaceutical research firm IQVIA, as drugmakers race to overcome the limitations of current blockbusters such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro. The two companies currently [...]
BUSAN, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean researchers have scientifically identified the psychopathological traits of “Hwabyung,” a culturally specific mental disorder long recognized in Korea and listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic standards. Busan National University announced that the study, published on October 30 in the BioPsychoSocial Medicine journal, provides the first systematic clinical [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Cabinet approved a series of legislative revisions on Tuesday, including a law aimed at preventing “emergency room carousel” (being repeatedly sent from one ER to another) and protecting civil servants who take proactive administrative action. The revised Emergency Medical Service Act requires hospitals to set up dedicated phone [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has ruled that the government must compensate a man in his 20s who developed a rare neurological disorder believed to be linked to a COVID-19 vaccine, marking a significant decision in ongoing disputes over vaccine-related injuries. According to the Seoul Administrative Court on Monday, the [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean health authorities have confirmed the discovery of a tropical mosquito species capable of transmitting infectious diseases such as West Nile fever, marking the first verified presence of the insect in the country and heightening concerns about climate-related shifts in disease vectors. According to the Korea Disease Control and [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — With less than three weeks since the launch of the 2025-2026 seasonal vaccination campaign, select medical facilities in South Korea report a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed to seniors, raising concerns over preparedness ahead of the influenza season. On October 15, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of people employed in caregiving and nursing assistant services reached a record high in the first half of this year in line with the country’s aging society, government data showed Tuesday. As of April, 1.69 million people were employed in non-residential nursing assistant and caregiving services, up [...]