On the busy streets of Korea’s biggest Chinatown in Incheon stands Gonghwachun, one of the most popular Chinese restaurants among tourists to the area. “We hold pride in our 100-year history,” its sign reads.Not many are aware that the large, four-story restaurant ― inauthentically decorated with red panels and paintings of dragons ― is in fact owned by a Korean, and has no direct link to the original Gongwhachun (1912-1983), the legendary restaurant considered to be the first in Korea to offer

South Korea’s hospitals are not fully ready for the revised privacy law that bans public agencies and private companies from collecting or processing resident registration numbers.The bill, which will take effect on Aug. 7, is feared to spark a slew of problems at medical institutions, including mix-ups such as referring to the wrong patient profile, or confusing patients’ results, hospitals said. Under the revised bill, hospitals are not allowed to ask for a patient’s registration number when t

Ptosis is a condition where the eye appears small and sleepy due to an abnormal drooping of the upper eyelid when looking straight. There is congenital ptosis where a drooping of the eyelid is present from birth; it can also be acquired with age as well as being a secondary effect of trauma or a disorder. It is treatable by surgery depending on the patient’s condition.CauseCongenital ptosis occurs when the levator palpebrae muscle that raises the eyelid is not strong enough due to abnormal devel

Swimming pools and beaches mean summer fun for children, but not taking the proper precautions could be serious or life-threatening.The Health Ministry last week issued water safety guidelines to the public, as more than half of drowning cases in the country occur during the summer. It is the third leading cause of accidental death for Koreans aged 20 and under.The number of drowning cases has risen in Korea since 2009, according to Statistics Korea. Some 4,000 water-related accidents occurred a

Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital is offering free cervical cancer vaccines for young women from less fortunate households starting in August.One hundred teenagers from Seoul’s Yangcheon district will benefit from the service, organized jointly by the hospital, the Yangcheon-gu office and British multinational health care company GlaxoSmithKline.GSK manufactures Cervarix, a vaccine that protects against two human papillomavirus types (HPV-16 and HPV-18) that cause 70 percent of cervical ca

More than 100 illegal activities by marriage agencies have been uncovered by the Gender Ministry, its officials announced on Wednesday.During an investigation from May 20 to June 30, the ministry discovered 110 violations, including providing insufficient information about the clients’ potential spouses and not offering written contracts. Among them, 78 were committed by international matchmaking agencies, while 32 were made by local marriage agencies. The largest number of cases ― 34 ― involved

South Korea is quickly turning into a multicultural society with a growing number of biracial children, but the majority of Koreans are “not ready” for ethnic diversity, according to scholars and experts.The number of biracial babies in the country increased dramatically, making up 4.7 percent of all newborns in 2012. In 2008, they accounted for 2.9 percent, and 4.3 percent in 2010. A total of 97,701 biracial children were born from 2008 to 2012, according to Statistics Korea. However, Koreans t

Almost half of South Korea’s total population will be 65 or older by 2100 at the current birthrate, a state-run research agency said.The latest research findings deepen concerns over the country’s fiscal stability and productivity, researchers said. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, senior citizens will account for 39.4 percent of the population by 2050 and 48.2 percent by 2100 if the country maintains the current birthrate of 1.2 children per woman ― the lowest rat

About 10 percent of South Korea’s elderly population are suffering from dementia, according to a study conducted by the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.According to professor and psychiatrist Kim Ki-woong, 9.2 percent of people in Korea aged 65 or older suffer from the brain disease, which severely hinders daily function.The occurrence rate in South Korea is much higher than in China and Southeast Asian countries, where it ranges from 4.19 to 7.63 percent. Meanwhile, some 15 percent o

South Korean seniors will finally receive their first payout under the new basic pension program on Friday after a series of disputes over eligibility and destitute recipients. The revised program is to benefit the poorest 70 percent of Koreans aged 65 and older by giving them a monthly allowance ranging from 100,000 won ($98) to 200,000 won, depending on their income level.Among the 4.1 million eligible recipients, 93.1 percent will be given the full benefit of 200,000 won for a single person a

Recent statistics and studies say today’s Korean senior citizens are anxious, bored and not too healthy.More than 70 percent of the elderly do not engage in leisurely activities, and a growing number are suffering from anxiety disorders. In 2011, a Korean aged 65 or older had an average of 3.34 chronic diseases, with diabetes and osteoporosis being especially common.With the lowest birthrate among the OECD nations and a rising elderly population, South Korea faces a series of challenges, includi

The Health Ministry is facing fierce resistance from the public and unions in the medical sector over its revised bill that allows hospitals to set up for-profit subsidiaries.Some 1.2 million citizens signed a petition against the government’s plan as of Wednesday, demanding the Health Ministry not implement the bill, which is scheduled to take effect in August. The ministry’s website was temporarily out of service on Tuesday, the last day of the pre-announcement period of the legislation, as to

An Iraqi girl whose right leg was at risk of amputation due to severe osteomyelitis recovered from the illness through support from Hanwha Engineering & Construction Co., Korea’s major construction firm said.The girl, Tiba Amer Alwan, tripped in November while running to greet her father, Amer Alwan Ibreesam, who works at the builder’s Bismayah branch. She fractured her leg and soon developed acute osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone. The 5-year-old underwent four surgeries at a local hospit

High-income earners with post-secondary education degrees in South Korea feel less obligated to support their parents, a study conducted by Yonsei University found.According to the study, which surveyed some 1,000 Koreans aged 20 or older nationwide, except on Jejudo Island, those who made more than 3 million won ($2,929) a month felt less responsible to provide for their parents than those with smaller monthly incomes.Each participant was asked a total of six questions. The questions included:

South Korea’s working-age population is likely to decline in the future, putting more pressure on the young to support senior citizens who are not in the labor force.According to a report released by the OECD, the number of individuals in the workforce per senior citizen in Korea is predicted to decline to 1.96 by the year 2036, from this year’s 5.26.This means less than two working Koreans will have to support a single dependent, elderly individual. South Korea currently ranks third after Mexic

Unionized workers at one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in South Korea launched a two-day strike Monday morning, demanding the government cancel its recent push to “privatize medical services” in the country. Some 400 to 500 members of the Seoul National University Hospital’s union are participating in the strike, which is taking place following a one-day strike back in June. The union has some 1,500 workers.The strike is the union’s response to the Health Ministry’s recent decision to allo

The majority of older Koreans do not engage in leisure activities during their free time, a study conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found.According to the study, which involved some 8,600 individuals aged 50 or older in some 5,000 households nationwide, more than 70 percent of the participating senior citizens did not have any leisure activities. The research findings suggest that more support is needed for the nation’s elderly population, which accounted for 12.2 pe

Located in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, Gangwon Province is home to some of the most beautiful mountains in the country, on top of scenic beaches and clear water.The region is the most-visited summer destination for Seoulites, beating Jejudo Island and Busan.It is blessed with Gyeongpo Beach, the largest beach on the country’s east coast; the Hantangang River, a popular site for white-water rafting; and the peaceful Kwangchi Recreation Forest, which offers fascinating scenery that i

Korea plans to apply for UNESCO designation for documents related to Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese imperial army during World War II, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on Thursday.“The records should be used as an important reminder that such tragedies should never be repeated in the future,” said Gender Equality Minister Kim Hee-jung in a statement. “The issue of wartime sex slavery is directly linked to the issue of women’s rights, which i

For many years in the past, Koreans would seek doctors of traditional Korean medicine for herbal medicine to boost their energy levels, or to get acupuncture treatment for chronic muscle pain.The industry, however, has been struggling to expand its business into the field of dermatology and fertility medicine. Many clinics have been offering cosmetic treatments for conditions such as wrinkles and acne.“We hope to overcome this perception that traditional Korean medicine is old and not scientific