SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s health insurance costs for advanced imaging are surging, as hospitals sharply increase MRI and CT scans after acquiring new equipment — a trend raising fresh concerns over unnecessary testing and long-term fiscal strain. According to data submitted to the National Assembly and released Thursday, hospitals that installed MRI [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Roughly one in three South Korean parents have given their children nutritional supplements such as calcium, vitamin D, or height-enhancement products to promote physical growth, a new survey has found. The Korean Society of Pediatric Endocrinology (KSPE) released the findings Thursday in partnership with Gallup Korea, based on a survey [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — More than one in eight expectant mothers in South Korea now develop gestational diabetes, a ten-year study has found, prompting government efforts to track and prevent the long-term health risks that can follow both mothers and their children. The Korean Diabetes Association and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — In a bid to merge urban mobility with wellness culture, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has transformed parts of three subway stations into fitness and leisure spaces for runners, offering free access to facilities that blend convenience with community. The new “Runner’s Base” zones — located at Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5), [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Beginning October 30, South Koreans will, for the first time, be able to convert death benefits from their life insurance policies into a steady stream of pension-style payments while still alive — a move regulators hope will reshape the country’s aging-era financial landscape. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — More than six years after South Korea’s Constitutional Court struck down the nation’s longstanding abortion ban as unconstitutional, lawmakers have yet to pass replacement legislation—leaving women and medical professionals in a state of growing uncertainty. A new government-backed study released Tuesday by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 2.3 million people in South Korea sought medical treatment for influenza last year, marking the second consecutive year flu cases have exceeded 2 million, government data showed Sunday. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 2.36 million people were treated for influenza in 2024, slightly below [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will soon allow organ donations from patients who die after life support is withdrawn and their hearts stop beating — not just those declared brain dead — in a major policy shift aimed at easing the nation’s severe shortage of transplant organs, the government announced Thursday. The change, [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study has found that only 8 percent of South Korean adults would choose to continue life-sustaining treatment if diagnosed with terminal, untreatable cancer, with the vast majority preferring to end life-prolonging care or seek euthanasia or physician-assisted death. According to the Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative [...]
GWANGJU, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Combining chewing gum exercises with electrical stimulation therapy can significantly strengthen oral muscles and improve swallowing function among older adults, according to new research from Chosun University. A research team led by Professor Choi Jong-bae from the university’s Department of Occupational Therapy found that pairing gum-chewing exercises with targeted [...]