SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul residents who fear accidental drug exposure during overseas travel, such as over the Chuseok holiday, can undergo free and anonymous drug testing at local public health centers, the city government said Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government operates the program across all 25 district health centers, offering tests for [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Koreans suffering from sleep disorders has surged by more than a quarter over the past five years, surpassing 1.3 million patients last year, according to newly released government data. Figures from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, disclosed by Rep. Nam In-soon of the National [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — While much of the world races to unlock the economic and therapeutic potential of medical cannabis, South Korea remains mired in outdated regulations that treat even non-psychoactive compounds as narcotics. Lawmakers and experts warn that this rigid stance is stifling domestic innovation, draining public healthcare funds, and pushing patients [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — References to family—especially to mothers and fathers—appear more often than any other words in the final notes left by people who died by suicide, according to a new study that offers insight into emotional and social patterns surrounding such deaths in South Korea. The Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention analyzed [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Cigarette smoking rates among men in their 30s have slumped by 19.5 percentage points over the past nine years amid steady declines among some other age groups, government data showed Thursday. The figure stood at 28.5 percent in 2024, compared with 48 percent in 2015, according to an annual [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s middle-aged population — once considered the backbone of the nation — is increasingly dying alone, as government attention and welfare programs remain focused on the young and elderly. According to data from the National Data Office and the National Assembly Research Service, 74.8 percent of the 21,897 [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — As Japan confronts the strains of a rapidly aging population with robots and digital care technologies, a new report is urging South Korea to follow suit and invest in “Age-tech” — a burgeoning industry combining artificial intelligence, robotics, and ICT to support the elderly. According to a study released [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Drinking and depression are on the rise among Seoul residents, with women also showing an increase in smoking over the past four years, according to a new report highlighting widening gender differences in public health. The Seoul Foundation of Women and Family said in its latest study, “Health Status of [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s healthcare landscape is growing increasingly polarized as profit-driven clinics such as cosmetic surgery and dermatology offices multiply, while essential medical services like pediatrics and obstetrics continue to decline. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service obtained by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly’s [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite repeated warnings, South Korea’s legal framework still fails to prevent unauthorized access to patients’ medical records, leaving sensitive information vulnerable to misuse. At the center of the concern is a glaring legislative gap: under current medical law, hospitals are only required to keep logs when electronic medical records [...]