Sleep is not just rest, but a very important process for performing mental and physical activities. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also necessary for maintaining mental and physical health. Chronic sleep deficiency or poor quality of sleep significantly increases the risk of depression, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease.Human sleep consists of 20-25 percent REM (rapid eye movement) and 75-80 percent Non-REM sleep. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly and most people experienc

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The same U.S. government scientist who recently found forgotten samples of smallpox at a federal lab also uncovered over 300 additional vials, many bearing the names of highly contagious viruses and bacteria. The new revelations raise serious concerns about the government’s ability to secure its collections of potentially deadly pathogens.Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday the undocumented collection contained 327 carefully packaged vials, listing pathogens l

In June, the police forcibly removed camps of elderly locals in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, who were involved in a long-term protest against the construction of a high-voltage power line in the region.The project, which is to deliver 765,000 volts of electricity from two nuclear power plants in Ulsan to an electrical substation in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, has been fiercely protested against by the locals since the government approved it in 2007. The conflict between the go

Some 30,000 seniors who own expensive vehicles or memberships to golf clubs and resorts won’t benefit from the newly introduced pension program taking effect next week. The revised basic pension program is to benefit the poorest 70 percent of Koreans aged 65 and older by giving them a monthly allowance from 100,000 won ($97) to 200,000 won depending on their income level. Some 4.13 million people have benefitted from the former old-age pension program, which paid a monthly allowance of 97,000 wo

Seoul’s population, which currently ranks 29th in the world, will drop by 14 notches by 2030, according to the United Nations’ Department of Economics and Social Affairs.The U.N. body predicts that Seoul’s population, which is 9.77 million this year, will edge up to 9.96 million by 2030. Despite the increase in population, Seoul is projected to drop to 43rd place in 2030. The drop in ranking would be the biggest among the top 30 cities on the list. Tokyo remains the world’s most populous city wi

The Ministry of Education plans to create a set of new guidelines aimed at preventing plagiarism in response to public criticism over the alleged misconduct of minister nominee Kim Myung-soo.The guidelines, which were last updated back in 2007, only define plagiarism as “using the ideas and research findings of another person without citing them.” The ministry is to introduce a more detailed definition of plagiarism and how to avoid it.The code, however, will only apply to research projects that

The average number of years that a Korean can expect to live in “full health” is 70.74, according to a state-run health research institute.According to a research paper released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Koreans born in 2011 are expected to live 81.20 years on average, while their healthy life expectancy is 70.74 years.In other words, Koreans born in 2011 will likely spend an average of 10.46 years in less than full health due to diseases or injuries throughout their

Heat wave warnings were issued for some 30 cities nationwide on Thursday, including Seoul and Daegu, following the passing of Typhoon Neoguri.The warning is issued if the temperature is expected to remain above 33 degrees Celsius.The Korea Meteorological Administration said Typhoon Neoguri brought heat and humidity to the Korean Peninsula, which eventually generated a post-typhoon heat wave across the country. The agency issued the year’s first heat wave warning for Seoul on Wednesday. The tempe

The state weather agency issued the year’s first heat wave warning for Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The warning is issued if the temperature is expected to remain above 33 degrees Celsius.On Wednesday, the temperature in Seoul was 32.6 degrees Celsius as of 1 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Seoul and a number of other regions nationwide have also experienced “tropical nights” since Wednesday, defined by nighttime lows above 25 degrees Celsius. The agency also issued a

More than half of the 100 most used medicines worldwide will be biologics by 2018, experts said on Wednesday, stressing the need for developing the local biopharmaceutical industry.“As the world market for biomedicine is getting bigger, we think it will create a lot of future opportunities for local companies,” said Jang Byung-won, vice minister of the Food and Drug Safety Ministry, during the Global Biopharmaceutical Forum in Seoul.“Medical biology is the key business that will directly affect

Seoul Metropolitan Government is offering special discount coupons from this week for Korean nationals who plan on visiting four Asian cities ― Tokyo, Delhi, Jakarta and Taipei.The coupon, dubbed the “One Asia Pass,” offers discount rates ranging from 5 to 50 percent to the cities’ various tourist attractions and accommodations, such as restaurants, tour buses, airfares and museums. The coupon, which can be downloaded for free at the website of Seoul Metropolitan government, can be used in all o

South Korea’s public health insurance institution is expected to see a deficit by 2016 should it maintain the current yearly 1.35 percent rate increase in insurance premiums.The National Health Insurance Service predicts that its budget deficit will be some 2 trillion won ($1.97 billion) by 2018, if it does not raise premiums while implementing Park Geun-hye’s pledges on health care.Behind the expected deficit is one of the Park administration’s key pledges, which involves the national insurance

While South Korea is known for its culture of binge drinking, the country also offers a lot of ways to have fun while staying sober.When they are not hitting the pubs and karaoke bars that stay open until sunrise, some Koreans choose to watch films in 24-hour cinemas, check out evening art exhibitions or enjoy bindaetteok ― Korean mung bean pancakes ― at a night food market.Here are some of the ways to have fun in Korea at night, from movies to the dance club scene in Itaewon.Classy Who says art

A group of some 1,000 single parents are protesting against the Defense Ministry’s “soldier observation” program, after it was revealed that children from single-parent households are automatically put in the system regardless of their social skills and mental health.The program began in 2009 to protect soldiers who may have difficulty adjusting to military life while serving their mandatory duty. Those who are under close watch include soldiers who are mentally unstable, including those who hav

The number of foreign nationals in Korea increased by 8.6 percent this year from the previous year, comprising slightly over 3 percent of the country’s population, according to government data.According to the data released by the Security Ministry, the number of foreigners here reached 1.57 million as of Jan. 1 of this year, accounting for 3.1 percent of the country’s population of 51 million. The number of foreign residents has been on the rise for the past eight years. A growing number of eth

Egypt’s military says devices it claimed it invented to detect and cure AIDS and hepatitis C need more testing. (123RF)CAIRO (AP) ― Egypt’s military said Saturday that devices it claimed it invented to detect and cure AIDS and hepatitis C need six more months of testing.The army had earlier promised to reveal the technology to the public this coming Monday after making what experts dismissed as an outlandish claim last February.At a news conference then, the head of the army’s Engineering Agency

Living with and beyond breast cancer can be overwhelming. Patients often deal with the loss of a breast or an altered physical appearance, on top of learning about unfamiliar treatment options and procedures.Thanks to improved reconstructive surgery, however, women with breast cancer have more options ― even if they are not eligible for breast-conserving surgery and therefore required to remove the entire breast. In South Korea, a growing number of patients are choosing to have reconstruction im

Food poisoning is a very common disease during the summer, and most people are quite familiar with it. During the summer, various infectious diseases are common. The reason that food poisoning is common during the summer is because bacteria thrive at this time of year.Food poisoning is a disease caused by the ingestion of bacterial toxins. However, diseases from food more commonly occur through direct invasion of bacteria into the body. Therefore, the common term “food poisoning” more accurately

South Korea’s suicide rate remained the highest among OECD countries for 10 consecutive years, from 2002 to 2012, according to recent OECD data.The rate in South Korea in 2012 reached 28.1 for every 100,000 people, while the average rate for all of the OCED nations was 12.1. However, the number of those who committed suicide in Korea dropped slightly from 2011 to 2012, the data said. The rate in the country had reached its peak in 2011 at 31.7 for every 100,000. According to Statistics Korea, th

More elementary school students are becoming addicted to smartphones, according to the Ministry of Education.The number of elementary school students at risk of smartphone addiction rose by more than 20 percent this year from the previous year, according to a report released by the ministry. Some 131,000 children from grades 1-6 are at risk this year, the ministry said. Meanwhile, the number of middle and high school students who are potential smartphone addicts decreased from 229,877 last year