A medical team led by a Korean doctor has succeeded in verifying the effectiveness and safety of an oral iron chelator in treating aplastic anemia a Seoul hospital said Wednesday. According to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, it is the first study of a large number of aplastic anemia patients to find that Deferasirox, the first oral medication approved in the United States, 2005 is effective in treating

The government has decided to launch a consulting group to discuss international marriage and multicultural policy together with foreign ambassadors here.The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will hold an inaugural meeting Thursday inviting high-ranking diplomats from seven Asian countries where a growing number of women seek a Korean husband. The discussion forum comes amid concerns growing

Livestock farmers and their families will be obliged to receive medical inspections when they return from a country where an infectious animal disease has broken out, according to a revised bill approved Tuesday. The revision, which belatedly passed through the National Assembly on Thursday, was approved during the Cabinet meeting in order to better control the rampant foot-and-mouth and other con

Nearly eight out of 10 Korean households considered additional private health insurance a necessity even under the obligatory national health insurance scheme, a recent survey found Tuesday. In 2009, Korean families had an average of 3.62 private health plans, up from 3.48 in 2008, according to a study conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Of the 6,300 households surveyed

Fast-aging Korea could see a deficit of 16 trillion won ($14 billion) in its medical insurance financing by 2020, a report warned Monday. Without “fundamental change” in the overall system, the deficit would continue to swell in the coming years, the Institute for National Health Insurance, an affiliate of the National Health Insurance Corporation, said in its mid- and long-term financial report.

Korea's average temperature could rise 2.2 to 4.2 degrees Celsius by the 22nd century. (Yonhap News)Korea’s average temperature could rise 2.2 to 4.2 degrees Celsius by the 22nd century, a recent government report on climate change warned Sunday.The National Institute of Environmental Research, along with a team at Seoul National University, studied climate and air conditions in Korea and East Asi

A legal revision was proposed Sunday to unify the government offices responsible for helping multicultural families and enhance the effectiveness of related support programs. Rep. Lee Chan-yeol of the main opposition Democratic Party submitted a revision bill to the current law on supporting multicultural families, suggesting that a legal committee be set up under the Prime Minister’s Office.Eight

Put away the eggnog and break out the sneakers ― it’s New Year’s resolution time, and no doubt millions have made the pledge to get fit. Many of them will join a gym only to find they’re bored with the monotony of cardio equipment and weight training routines.But exercise shouldn’t be drudgery. Plenty of pleasurable activities deliver a legitimate workout without the hamster-on-a-wheel feeling. Su

TOKYO (AFP) ― A Japanese technology firm on Tuesday unveiled a mirror-like thermometer that can identify a person who is feverish.“Thermo Mirror,” which looks like a table mirror, measures the skin temperature of the person looking into it, without the need for physical contact, said the firm, NEC Avio Infrared Technologies.The person’s temperature is displayed on the surface, and the device has a

All too often, we look at our bodies as a white-elephant offering rather than as a treasured gift. We’d happily pass to someone else our varicose veins, oversize nose, frizzy hair, extra-wide feet. We’d swap in a minute our pokey metabolism, our allergies, our bellies that hurt when we eat dairy products.Yet whatever we might think, the body is, indeed, a gift. Hair and skin, blood and bones, croo

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, is chronic inflammatory disease which leads to the destruction of the supporting bone around natural teeth. According to Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, about 75 percent of Korean adults aged between 35 and 44 have suffered from chronic periodontal disease. This figure is higher than that in the United States. Even though there are ethni

North Korea on Saturday renewed its call for an early resumption of dialogue between the divided Koreas, proposing to hold such talks at least within a month.The North earlier proposed "unconditional and early" resumption of talks between the two Koreas to defuse tension that arose after the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March and then its bombing of a populated South Korean island

South Korea confirmed additional cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Saturday at three pig farms in cities just outside of Seoul, indicating a failure of nationwide quarantine efforts to contain the highly contagious animal disease.The additional cases now brought to 102 the number of confirmed FMD cases in the country that reported the first confirmed case in the latest outbreak on Nov. 29.The

North Korea on Saturday renewed its call for an early resumption of dialogue between the divided Koreas, proposing to hold such talks at least within a month.The North earlier proposed "unconditional and early" resumption of talks between the two Koreas to defuse tension that arose after the North's sinking of a South Korean warship in March and then its bombing of a populated South Korean island

North Korea's Twitter account was apparently hacked with a string of messages derogatory of leader Kim Jong-il and his heir Kim Jong-un on Saturday, the birthday of the hereditary successor.The five most recent tweets posted in the morning accused the Kims of exploiting their people to enjoy sumptuous lives, and develop nuclear arms and missiles. One tweet called for an uprising to slay the Kims "

A senior U.S. official will travel to China early next week to discuss North Korea and other agenda items with Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Washington scheduled for later this month, the State Department said Friday."Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell will travel to Beijing, China January 9-11, 2011," the department said in a statement. "Assista

Lee Kyung-joon is concerned about the slowing speed of production at his manufacturing factory in Gyeonggi Province. A factory manager has already been staying at home for days after he was diagnosed with the influenza A(H1N1) virus, while there are more workers who show flu symptoms. “If more workers become ill from the virus and have to rest at home, it would greatly affect the factory’s product

News reports from many countries, including Korea, recently cover the rapid spread of “super bug,” which produces the NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1).These bacteria are resistant to most potent antibiotics and their resistance can be easily transmitted to other bacteria through the gene transfer. And the bacteria’s worldwide spread is becoming a big threat to public health.Other than th

A 38-year-old businessman surnamed Lee, who declined to give his full name, has done almost everything to slow down his hair loss.Having long used a special shampoo made of natural ingredients, he recently bought an electronic device that emits laser beams and stimulates the scalp. “I heard there is no way to replace the hair that has already gone. I just want to keep my remaining hair,” said Lee,

Prosecutors on Thursday started an investigation into RNL Bio, which is suspected of illegally formulating stem cells and brokering their overseas injections, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said. The probe, the first of its kind here, came after the Ministry of Health and Welfare filed charges against the company Tuesday, which the ministry said had manufactured stem cells without