There has been a rapid increase in treatment of people in their thirties and forties for bipolar disorder, a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy and activity levels, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment service said Monday.According to its analysis of patients between 2006 and 2010, the number of people treated for bipolar disorder marked 55,000 in 2010, up 12,000 in fo

As early as July, 135 Korean food restaurants nationwide will serve dishes with less salt.The low-salt initiative will start with 45 restaurants in Seoul and will expand to 90 others in Chungcheong Provinces, Daegu, Busan and Ulsan within a month, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. “The restaurateurs will choose the five most popular dishes at their stores and reduce the sodium

The Suwon Samsung Bluewings and the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea’s K-League advanced to the next round at an ongoing continental club competition with victories.At the Suwon World Cup Stadium, about 45 kilometers south of Seoul, the Bluewings defeated Sydney FC 3-1 in Group H action of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. Ha Tae-gyun, Mato Neretljak and Yeom Ki-hun each had

Actor Cho In-sung was discharged from mandatory military service Wednesday after serving for 25 months.Cho was honorably discharged from Pyeongtaek’s Osan Air Base at 10 a.m.The popular actor who joined the Air Force in 2009 has been active as an honorary ambassador for the Military Manpower Administration. His last position as a serviceman was as sergeant in the military band.  Cho In-sung. (Yonh

South Korean national team manager Cho Kwang-rae has announced that he will call up his best players, including some of the country’s rising young stars, for two friendly games in June, much to the dismay of U23 team manager Hong Myong-bo.Cho said earlier that he would take the strongest available squad for the home friendly against Serbia on June 3 and also Ghana on June 7 in preparation for 2014

It is becoming almost commonplace but fans in South Korea shouldn’t take it for granted. Park Ji-sung is currently playing in his fourth set of UEFA Champions League semifinals. His two successes should become three with Wednesday’s second leg (3:45 a.m. Thursday Korean time) between Manchester United and Schalke 04 of Germany.The English Premier League team won the first leg 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen

Auxerre’s forward Jung Jo-gook scored his debut goal in the French top-division league just six minutes after coming on as a late substitute as the team drew 1-1 on Sunday with Marseille.Jung, who joined the French side earlier this year, had started only one game this season, and failed to score a goal in his 10 appearances.Jung Jo-gook celebrates his goal. (AP-Yonhap News)But on Sunday, the Kore

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na returned home Monday after finishing second in last week’s world championships in Moscow, saying she did her best although she was not fully satisfied with the results.“I competed in an official contest for the first time in 13 months. Although I did not show 100 percent of what I had accomplished in training, I did my best,” Kim said upon her arrival at Incheo

Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na will donate her prize money from the World Figure Skating Championships under way in Moscow to Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims, her agent said Sunday.Kim Yu-na carries the national flag after performing her free-skate program. (Yonhap News)All That Sports, the management company for the reigning Olympic gold medalist, said that Kim has decided to use her silv

Exhibitions“Paulo Robersi: Photographs”: A retrospective exhibition on Italian photographer Paulo Robersi is underway at 10 CORSO COMO. Robersi is referred to as currently one of the three best fashion photographers in the world along with Steven Meisel and Peter Lindbergh. The exhibition runs through May 8 at 10 CORSO COMO SEOUL in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. Admission is free. Minors are not

MADRID (AP) ― Lionel Messi’s clutch scoring was overshadowed by the loud complaining from the other side.Messi lit up an ill-tempered Champions League semifinal on Wednesday with two goals in the last 15 minutes to give Barcelona a 2-0 victory against short-handed Real Madrid.Messi sent substitute Ibrahim Afellay’s cross through the legs of goalkeeper Iker Casillas to open the scoring in the 76th

Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju has opened an emergency room dedicated to the treatment of minor ailments at night and during holidays. The center will help people with less serious conditions visit doctors outside of regular hours, the hospital said. Ten doctors from various departments are stationed with three nurses. The operation hours are 5:30 p.m.-8:30 a.m. during weekdays; 12:30 p.m.-

The Korea Food and Drug Administration has posted a warning against thalidomide, which is used to treat multiple myeloma. The announcement followed a similar measure posted by German authorities, which reported possible side-effects including myocardiac infarction, cerebrovascular disease and others. The KFDA plans to conduct further studies that will be reflected in the future authorization of th

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are asking people to watch out for possible malarial infections. The number of people infected with the disease marked 1,772 last year, a sharp increase from 1,023 in 2008, the authorities said. Currently, Ganghwa Island of Incheon is designated as a danger zone, while six regions of Gyeonggi Province, two in Gangwon Province and three in Incheo

Korean male figure skater Kim Min-seok failed to qualify for the free skating at the ongoing world championships here in Russia.Kim scored 56.19 points in his short program of the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships at Megasport Arena Wednesday, Russian time, to rank 27th among 30 skaters. Only the top 24 from the short program qualified for the free skating scheduled for Thursday.Kim started

The PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee welcomed a new board director on Thursday with less than three months before the final decision on the host country of the 2018 Winter Olympics.Ex-presidential secretary Ham Young-jun was appointed as a vice-chairman of the PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee. Ham served as a senior presidential secretary for culture and sports affairs from 2009 until recently.Ham You

The world’s taekwondo athletes are gathering in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the World Taekwondo Championships. The 20th world championships kicks off on Sunday at Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium and will run until May 6. More than 1,000 athletes from 149 countries will compete in the biannual event, according to the World Taekwondo Federation. The athletes are divided into eight male and ei

Canadian scores 93.02 points to grab a wide leadMOSCOW (AP) ― Patrick Chan played it cool, starting his short program with his hands stuffed in his pockets.He couldn’t contain his enthusiasm a few minutes later when he saw his marks, and realized he’d set a world record.Canada’s Patrick Chan performs during the men’s short program. (AFP-Yonhap News)The Canadian scored 93.02 points Wednesday at the

TAIPEI (AP) ― Taiwan’s main opposition party says chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen has secured its presidential nomination after winning an island-wide telephone poll.The Democratic Progressive Party is expected to announce Tsai’s nomination formally on May 4. The poll results were disclosed at a party press conference in Taipei on Wednesday.The 54-year-old British and American-educated Tsai will face Pres

It’s been more than a year since she took a break from competitive figure skating. But Kim Yu-na seems not to have lost her form, and looks fresh with new programs for this week’s World Figure Skating Championships.Kim, who earned the nickname “Figure Queen” after winning a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics, is now in Moscow, working hard to win her second world title. Kim Yu-na takes part in a prac