SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting next month, national health insurance coverage for pregnancy and childbirth will be expanded as part of the government’s effort to encourage couples to have children. On August 28, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) announced that starting in September, entitlement to pregnancy and childbirth insurance coverage will [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea plans to inspect all sanitary pads currently being retailed for harmful chemicals amid growing concerns about their impact on women’s health. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday it will examine 896 sanitary pad products manufactured or imported by 56 companies over the past three [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — The government’s anti-smoking campaign, funded partly by increased revenue from a cigarette price hike, has not been effective, officials said Friday. Monthly cigarette sales in January 2015, when the price of cigarettes was raised 80 percent from 2,500 won (US$2.21) to 4,500 won, were 295 million packs. Currently, monthly [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – Six out of 10 users of the controversial Lilian sanitary pads have experienced a change in their menstrual cycle due to possible side effects, an activist group said Thursday, as growing numbers of consumers question the product’s safety. The Seoul-based Korean Women’s Environmental Network held a press conference to [...]
BUSAN, Aug. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on August 23 that it will be holding a special raffle event as part of its citywide cleanup efforts. The event will be restricted to Millak Waterfront Park to tackle waste left by visitors who do not correctly dispose of their garbage. To place [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Veganism is all the rage at university campuses across South Korea, as more and more young people show interest in animal rights and the environment. Vegan clubs for those who are on a diet that strictly oppose anything that comes from animals, including not only meat, but also eggs and [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of eggs in South Korea sharply declined last week amid safety concerns sparked after eggs from local farms were found to be contaminated with banned chemicals, industry data showed Sunday. Egg sales at the country’s largest discount store chain E-Mart from Wednesday to Saturday declined 40 percent compared to the same period the previous week, its operator E-Mart Inc. said. Lotte Mart, another [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Samsung Bioepis Co. said Monday that it has reached an agreement with Japan-based drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. to jointly develop new original drugs in a bid to expand its business area beyond copies of drugs. Under the partnership, the two will develop novel [...]
SEOUL/SEJONG, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – The government offered an apology again on Friday for the ballooning concerns over food safety stemming from eggs contaminated with illegal insecticides or chemicals, while promising to beef up a nationwide system to prevent similar cases from recurring. “I sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and concerns,” Agriculture Minister Kim [...]
SEJONG, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The quarantine agency said Friday it has stepped up inspections at airports and seaports against the transfer of venomous fire ants that were turning up recently in South Korea. Foods and plants coming in from Japan, China and Indonesia have been closely watched since last month, and people visiting [...]