SEJONG, Jun. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — A third of South Korean people are obese, causing Asia’s fourth-largest economy to shoulder nearly 7 trillion won (US$6.12 billion) in social costs every year, the government said Wednesday. Also, some 25 percent of boys aged between 5 and 14 in South Korea suffer from obesity, compared with an [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Consumption of kimchi does not raise blood pressure despite its high salt content as the lactic acid bacteria in the fermented dish actually helps drive sodium out of the body, a survey showed Wednesday. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of fermented napa cabbage, salt and pepper. [...]
SEOUL, June 21 (Korea Bizwire) – New regulations targeting insurance packages sold on shopping channels have seen fewer customers misled by false advertising. The Korea Life Insurance Association said on Tuesday that the measures implemented to counter misleading advertising introduced last year have helped curb what are widely known in South Korea as ‘incomplete sales’, a [...]
SEOUL, June 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite the South Korean government’s national health insurance reform, which will cover palliative care for an extended number of terminally ill patients from August, many fear the lack of hospice care infrastructure in the country will not live up to the expectations of ‘dying well’. Hospice care, which refers [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans used about 60 percent of the paid holidays given to them on average in 2013, government data showed Monday, amid growing calls to improve poor working conditions and long hours on the job. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, South Korean [...]
SEOUL, June 20 (Korea Bizwire) – Ramyeon instant noodles raises blood sugar, blood pressure and the chance of artery hardening and heart attack due to its high fat, sodium, sugar and carbohydrate content, the latest findings showed Monday. Those who regularly eat ramyeon three or more times a week are 2.6 times more susceptible to cardiovascular metabolic disease than those who have the instant noodles once or less frequently [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has decided to extend its national insurance coverage to patients with obesity starting next year. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced yesterday plans to invest 9 billion won to provide insurance coverage for the surgical treatment of [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — As excessive drinking and related crimes are emerging as one of the most pressing social issues facing South Korea, calls to ramp up regulations on the sale of alcohol and drinking in public spaces are notably growing. According to the Korea Health Promotion Foundation and the World Health Organization, [...]
SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Dieters have turned out to be one of the secrets behind the success of ‘meokbang’, a unique internet culture originating in South Korea where people stream themselves binge eating for viewers. According to a research team at Ewha Womans University, many of those who are on a diet in [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of South Korean medical researchers developed a new type of anti-cancer immune material derived from a plant, the science ministry said Thursday, opening up new treatment opportunities for patients. The team, led by Lee Chang-hwan of Ulsan University, developed the new substance made from the plant named [...]