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, [...]
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — More South Korean men are taking paternity leave, but the majority continue to come from large companies, highlighting persistent disparities in access to parental benefits based on workplace size, a new study has found. According to a report released Sunday by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, [...]
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s rapidly aging population is reshaping the country’s most common reasons for hospitalization, overtaking once-dominant childbirth-related admissions, according to newly released health data. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) announced on June 8 that the most common cause of hospitalization covered by the national health insurance system [...]
SEOUL, June 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite generous government subsidies covering most medical expenses for tuberculosis (TB) patients in South Korea, nearly half still experience “catastrophic costs” due to hidden expenses like nutrition, transportation, and lost income, according to a landmark 2025 study. The report, commissioned by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) [...]
SEOUL, June 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A major multi-institutional study in South Korea has found that one in four patients who suffer an initial stroke dies within five years, while approximately one in six experiences a recurrence of the condition during the same period. The findings, released Monday, come from the Korea Stroke Cohort for Functioning [...]