The use of 3-D technology has expanded to medicine, especially in dentistry, helping to maximize accuracy in surgery while reducing pain. In the past, the most developed method of putting in dental implants was cutting into the gums after looking at problematic spots on X-rays. Not only did the surgery take a long time, but the pain and bleeding were excruciating. But new equipment have reduced patient discomfort and increased satisfaction. Dental 3-D computed tomography, one of the most up-to-d

NEW YORK (AP) ― Middle-aged men risk a faster mental decline as they age if they’ve been drinking heavily for years, new research suggests.The study of about 5,000 British civil servants found that over a decade, the added decline was the equivalent of about two extra years of aging for a combined measure of mental abilities like reasoning, and about six years for memory. The heavy drinkers’ abilities were compared to those of men who drank moderately or abstained.It’s no surprise that heavy alc

Ms. K, 38, was shocked to be diagnosed with premature menopause when she visited her gynecologist. She had experienced irregular periods from 35 years and did not have periods for the past six months. For the last two to three months she had facial flushing, perspiration, insomnia and systemic arthritis, for which she had to see a doctor. Following hormone and bone density tests, she was diagnosed with premature menopause. She was found to have reduced bone density and increased cholesterol. Ms.

South Korean doctors receive far less in fees for surgeries than other developed countries, a report showed Wednesday. According to a new report by the Korean Medical Association, the average surgery fees paid to Korean doctors in 2012 were the lowest compared to those of eight advanced countries, including the United States, Australia, Switzerland and France. In Korea, patients pay part of their medical costs as they belong to the state-regulated health insurance system. For the remainder of th

One in 6 public servants are open to getting a new job in the private sector in order to get higher pay, a government survey showed Wednesday. In the survey conducted by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration last year, 16.3 percent of 1,053 civil servants said that they were willing to give up their current government posts and go to the private sector. About 90 percent of respondents cited higher pay as their main reason, saying that they expected an average income rise of about 40

Late Monday, the prosecution raided one of Seoul’s district offices as part of its investigation into the leak of personal information of the former prosecution chief’s alleged love child. Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office seized several surveillance cameras at the Seocho-gu Office to identify a staffer who contacted a spy agency official surnamed Song and reportedly divulged the child’s information via phone at the office, officials said. The prosecution confirmed the phone records ahe

Seoul City will expel dozens of overcharging international taxis and take measures to crack down on similar cabs in the city, officials said Monday. The city said it would weed out 52 international taxis that have ripped off in-city passengers by secretly pressing the 25 percent intercity surcharge button when traveling only within the capital.International taxis are allowed two options: surcharging 20 percent for having foreign passengers or adding a 25 percent surcharge for heading outer-city.

One pint of blood can save up to three lives. With this in mind, Noh Sang-eun, a 27-year-old office worker in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, has saved hundreds of lives by donating blood once every two or three weeks for more than 10 years. Noh has made it onto the Red Cross list of those who have donated blood more than 100 times. In Korea, some 6,600 donors have done so, with Noh donating blood 114 times since 2002. “I was proud of myself at first but realized soon that there were about

Two men were arrested for allegedly smuggling and selling a large amount of methamphetamine, prosecutors said Sunday. Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office said that it arrested two men surnamed Jung and Yoo on charges of smuggling 7 kilograms of methamphetamine worth 23 billion won ($22 million) from China and selling to Korean brokers from July 2012 for more than a year. It also indicted a 43-year-old man surnamed Oh without detention for assisting the illegal act. The prosecution put three broke

A large-scale candlelight rally was held in central Seoul on Saturday, with participants protesting the spy agency’s alleged meddling in the 2012 presidential election. About 300 civic groups gathered in Seoul Plaza and called for the government to introduce a special prosecutor to investigate the National Intelligence Service’s role in the election and to sack the spy agency’s chief Nam Jae-joon and Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. A group consisting of liberals who fought against the military r

The number of medical malpractice lawsuits surged to hit a fresh high last year, with more patients winning the cases, data showed Sunday. According to the Supreme Court, about 1,100 lawsuits relating to medical malpractice were filed in 2013, the highest figure since 2002.The number of plaintiffs winning cases against doctors and hospitals also increased to 289, exceeding 30 percent of all cases for two consecutive years.Fewer plaintiffs gave up in the middle of legal fights than before. Only 4

Three people were killed and a dozen wounded by a series of car collisions on the highway in South Gyeongsang Province, police said Sunday. Car accidents involving chain collisions took place early Sunday at two spots on Gyeongbu Expressway near Daegu, killing three family members and injuring at least 13. Some of the victims were in critical condition. Five vehicles collided on the southbound track when a 1-ton truck rear-ended a 2.5-ton cargo truck that was changing lanes. A two-car collision

The number of subway crimes sharply increased last year, led by sexual crimes and thefts, despite the South Korean government’s efforts to prevent them, police data showed Tuesday. According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, a total of 412 crimes occurred in the Gyeonggi Province on the subway last year, which is nearly double the number in 2012. Sex crimes accounted for the most with 147 cases, followed by 105 thefts. Other crimes included physical violence with 56 cases and taking lost

Seoul Subway Line 4 was partially suspended by a power outage during rush hour on Monday morning, the first day of the subway’s full operation since the union’s longest strike ended.The power supply was suddenly cut on the northbound tracks between Geumjeong Station and Gwacheon Government Complex Station in Gyeonggi Province at 5:30 a.m., affecting the northbound route to Sadang Station in Seoul for nearly two hours. Line 4, jointly operated by Seoul Metro and the Korea Railroad Corp., connects

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand the operation of low-floor buses to provide better transportation accessibility for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with children, officials said Friday.A low-floor bus has no steps by the doors, allowing easier access for disabled passengers and those with children. The city currently has 2,225 low-floor buses, accounting for 30 percent of the total. The city plans to increase this proportion to 55 percent by 2017. The city also plans to opera

Seoul City is likely to continue its budget deficit for the free child care program this year, despite the increase in subsidies from the central government.The city said Thursday that 60 billion won ($57 million) more was still needed to pay for the child care services, according to the new national budget plan. The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the national budget plan, which increased the public subsidy for child care provision from 20 percent of the cost to 35 percent for Seoul and f

Only the street name-based address system should be used in official documents starting this year, replacing land lot number-based addresses which were used for nearly a century, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said. The new address system, which is based on the names of streets and designated building numbers, was initially floated as an alternative system in 1997 in order to simplify the address system and make it more consistent. In recent years, however, policymakers strug

The National Assembly has passed a bill to toughen the punishment for child abuse after a series of cases touched off a spate of public anger last year. Those who beat children to death will be sentenced to a minimum five years up to life imprisonment. Courts are no longer allowed to give probation to the offenders in question. The prosecution must file a loss of parental right to courts for habitual offenders or for those who commit serious child abuse crimes. The tougher punishment came after

The prosecution has indicted two former managers of KB Kookmin Bank’s Tokyo branch for extending illegal loans worth 400 billion won ($379 million), officials said Sunday. The prosecutors are further investigating whether the two suspects, identified by the surnames Lee and Ahn, received kickbacks from the borrowers and used them to create a slush fund at home. They were arrested earlier this month on charges of breach of trust. Lee, former branch chief, and Ahn, former deputy chief, were found

Peaceful silence is broken. The two police officers, Han Ji-hyun and Choi Jong-min turn on their patrol car’s siren and accelerate to an old building near Hongik University as the navigation system directs them to the scene of the crime. They quickly run up to the jewelry shop to see if someone broke into the shop. It was a false alarm. “When reports come in one after another at night, we are actually thankful for false alarms because then we can quickly move on and handle the next report,” 28-y