SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A new report warns that South Korea’s elderly population faces a growing “double burden” as rising health insurance premiums and income taxes increasingly eat into public pension payouts, significantly reducing retirees’ real disposable income. According to a study released Tuesday by the National Pension Research Institute, the 2022 overhaul of [...]
SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Korean healthcare workers believe the country is facing a severe shortage of doctors, a situation they say has worsened over the past year and is fueling systemic strain across hospitals. According to a survey released Monday by the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union, [...]
SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A new government-backed study has raised doubts about the effectiveness of routine endoscopic screenings for stomach and colorectal cancers in South Koreans aged 80 and older, prompting calls for more individualized screening guidelines for elderly patients. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) released a report Monday based on [...]
SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly half of caregivers for people with developmental disabilities in South Korea are providing care alone, often without any backup support in emergencies, according to a nationwide study released Sunday. The survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social [...]
SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Roughly eight out of ten South Koreans believe public hospitals are essential, particularly in times of medical crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and recent government-doctor disputes. Yet despite broad public recognition of their importance, actual usage of public hospitals remains relatively low, according to a new government-funded study. [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea edges into a super-aged society, dementia has become one of the country’s most urgent public health challenges. Now, a joint research team from Korea and the United States has reported a major breakthrough in Alzheimer’s diagnosis—a blood-based test that could dramatically improve early detection and targeted treatment. [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s tobacco market is undergoing a seismic shift, with traditional cigarettes giving way to e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products that promise less smoke and odor — but are raising fresh public health concerns. A government-commissioned report released Thursday by the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation, titled “2024 In-Depth [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government has released a comprehensive white paper chronicling its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, detailing a 1,564-day journey from the nation’s first confirmed case to the official downgrade of the health crisis. Titled “2020–2024 COVID-19 White Paper,” the document was published by the Ministry of Health [...]
SEOUL, June 10 (Korea Bizwire) — COVID-19 infections in South Korea are forecast to steadily rise later this month ahead of the summer vacation season, health authorities said Tuesday, urging older adults and vulnerable groups to receive vaccinations. South Korea had seen a steady increase in COVID-19 cases in summer, and this year is expected [...]
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Elderly South Koreans with lower incomes are significantly more likely to eat meals alone—and that isolation is closely linked to higher levels of depression, a new academic study has found. Published in the latest issue of the Korean Journal of Gerontology, the study titled “A Path Analysis of Income, [...]