The Korea Herald

Kim Young-won

안녕하세요 Kim Young-won 기자입니다.

Articles by Kim Young-won

City sewage dumping might have fed Han algae outbreak

Social affairsAug 21, 2012

Namyangju City, a satellite city northeast of Seoul, illegally released wastewater into the Han River, a water source for 25 million people, a government environmental office said Tuesday.The city has discharged up to 10,000 tons of untreated water a day since at least late 2005 into a tributary of the river, according to the Han River Basin Environmental Office, a subsidiary office of the Ministry of Environment.“The city has released sewage into the river on quite a regular basis for years,” s
New York-based Dwight School opens in Seoul

Social affairsAug 19, 2012

Dwight International School Seoul opens on Monday in Sangam, western Seoul, with the aim of improving living conditions for foreign residents and attracting more foreign investment, the city government said.The campus of the Dwight School, a New York-based private school, will be the fourth international campus of the institute following three others in Vancouver, Beijing and London.The Seoul campus will offer courses for students in kindergarten through high school.“The opening of Dwight Intern
CO2 emissions in U.S. drop to 20-year low

ScienceAug 19, 2012

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― The amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.Many of the world’s leading climate scientists didn’t see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon
Mayor looks to vitalize city diplomacy

Social affairsAug 17, 2012

Following are excerpts from the interview with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. ― Ed.Korea Herald: You have promised to make Seoul a city which is “human-centric and vibrant with creativity and innovation.” What efforts have been made for this vision? Park Won-soon: The world is moving that way. If the 19th and 20th centuries were eras of development and growth, now the quality of life and gross national happiness (GNH), instead of gross national product (GNP), are at the center. In that regard, meani
Ovarian cancer

HealthAug 16, 2012

Ovarian cancer accounts for 4.2 percent of all cancers in women and has the highest incidence rate among all genitourinary cancers in women following cervical cancer in Korea. There is growing concern about ovarian cancer as its incidence rate is on the rise every year with approximately 1,400 newly-diagnosed patients annually, whereas the incidence rate of cervical cancer is gradually decreasing.The ovaries are small organs located in the female pelvis which are found in pairs on either side of
Seoul says algae in Han River poses no health threat

Social affairsAug 10, 2012

As public concerns grew over the safety of tap water after the algae advisory in the capital’s Han River was issued, the Seoul city government said Friday that their latest test showed the water posed no threat to health.The city released the results of its test conducted Wednesday at five water intake facilities along the river including Gangbuk, Amsa and Pungnap, which found no signs of toxic material.The city had tested for microcystin, nodularin and anatoxin a.Another test in the Paldang Dam
Seoul issues first algae advisory in 4 years

Social affairsAug 9, 2012

The Seoul City government on Thursday issued its first algae advisory in four years after two consecutive tests on the Han River showed excessive concentration of the blue-green microorganisms. The affected area is a tributary running from the Gangdong Bridge to the Jamsil Bridge, in the eastern part of the capital’s river. This is the sixth algal alert issued in the city since 2000. The announcement confirmed that the algal blooms have now been spreading through the upper and lower parts of the
Cholesterol levels of U.S. children down significantly

HealthAug 9, 2012

WASHINGTON ― Against the drumbeat of bad news on obesity and diabetes among children, researchers have uncovered a cause for cautious optimism: a steady and significant improvement in the cholesterol profiles of American kids over the last 20 years.The proportion of young people ages 6 to 19 with high total cholesterol dropped 28 percent between the two time periods sampled in the report, from 11.3 percent in 1988-94 down to 8.1 percent in 2007-10, the new study found.At the same time, the avera
Healthy blood vessels for a longer life

HealthAug 9, 2012

Blood vessels are literally the vessels through which our blood flows. There are essential substances such as nutrients and oxygen in the blood, and the vessels function as a carrier of these substances throughout the body. Therefore, it is easy to understand that the blood has to flow smoothly for a healthy life. Blood vessels can be narrowed or obstructed due to many reasons including aging, disease, diet and smoking. If so, the body sends an SOS signal and in severe cases, the person’s life i
Gender test is Olympic hurdle

HealthAug 9, 2012

Of all the obstacles athletes have had to overcome to compete in the Olympics, perhaps the most controversial has been the gender test.Originally designed to prevent men from competing in women’s events, it is based on the premise that competitors can be sorted into two categories via established scientific rules. But the biological boundaries of gender aren’t always clear.Consider the Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez-Patino. A gender test revealed that she had a Y chromosome, which normally
Drug combination lifts breast cancer survival rates, study says

HealthAug 9, 2012

SEATTLE ― Women with metastatic breast cancer treated with a combination of two estrogen-blocking drugs survived more than six months longer than those treated with just one of the drugs or one followed by the other, according to a study involving nearly 700 women.It’s the first time such improvement in overall survival has been seen in trials of first-line hormonal therapy for hormone-receptive metastatic breast cancer, the study authors said.“We’re finding a lot of other ways of treating these
Heat wave threatens public health

HealthAug 9, 2012

The prolonged scorching weather is putting people at risk of not only heat-related illnesses but waterborne diseases as well. Seoul City has been gripped by a weeks-long heat wave, with the mercury often soaring above 35 degrees Celsius and nighttime highs staying above 25 C, resulting in 13 consecutive tropical nights since July 27.A total of 89 people have been taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and dehydration since June, whereas 27 people suffered from such i
Helping Botswana with education

Social affairsAug 8, 2012

Kim Hai-yung’s life used to be full of affliction, failures and discrimination. She was permanently disabled by her father’s violence, habitually abused by her mother and unwelcomed by schools, friends and society. That was until 1990, when she went to southern Africa as a volunteer worker. “When I first saw the children in poverty and despair as I used to be, I thought of what I could do for them,” Kim, 47, said.She has devoted herself to education in the village at Good Hope, Botswana, for 14
Algae threatens water supply

Social affairsAug 7, 2012

The nation is on high alert over fast-spreading algal blooms on major rivers and lakes, threatening to affect public health and drinking water. The government attributes the algae to hot weather and the long drought. Activists blame the government’s massive development of four rivers that they claim slowed water flows and damaged the eco-system. Rapid increases in algae are typically caused by nutrient enrichment, high temperatures and still water conditions. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria,
Tobacco packs to bear graphic health warnings

Social affairsAug 6, 2012

The government plans to require tobacco firms to put graphic images illustrating the health hazards of smoking on their packages beginning early next year.The packages will also have to contain detailed information of tobacco ingredients and will not be allowed to feature words deemed to mislead consumers about smoking’s health effects. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday it plans to issue a public notification of the revised National Health Promotion Law this month as part of its cam