President Moon Jae-in’s plans to greatly expand National Health Insurance coverage is raising concerns over costs. Dubbed “Moon Jae-in Care,” the 30.6 trillion won ($26.76 billion) plan will be executed in stages until 2022, and will see the National Health Insurance cover 70 percent of the costs of medical treatment. In addition, coverage will be expanded to include most medical procedures and tests. According to the government’s calculations, the changes will cut costs arising from currently e

South Korea’s semiconductor trade surplus in the first seven months this year reached $28.9 billion, rising sharply from $12.6 billion in the same period in 2016, marking over a twofold on-year increase. This year’s figure so far already surpasses the combined surplus of $25.6 billion for 2016.It also shows that memory chips take up nearly half of the country‘s trade profits, casting concerns over the economy’s excessive dependency to the industry that is vulnerable to global market fluctuations

불법 조제된 치료제 복용, 두통 등 이상신호 감지되면 즉각 중단해야　 　중년 남성들의 문제로만 인식되어 오던 발기부전 증상의 두려움이 이제는 20~30대 젊은 남성들에게도 퍼지고 있다. 신체 노화뿐 아니라 스트레스, 음주, 흡연 등의 요인으로 말미암아 젊은 발기부전 환자들이 크게 느는 것. 그래서 이를 극복하기 위한 치료 방법들도 널리 소개된 상태다.　 　하지만, 최근에는 잘못된 치료 방법 때문에 피해를 보는 사례가 적지 않게 들려오고 있다. 특히 불법으로 조제된 발기부전 치료제의 피해 사례가 가장 많이 나타나고 있다. 온라인 쇼핑몰 및 성인용품점에서 구입한 발기부전 치료제가 정품과 달라 인체에 심각한 부작용을 끼치는 것이다. 불법 발기부전 치료제 판매업자들은 정품 치료제를 소량만 넣고서 이를 다른 의약품과 혼합해 파는 방식으로 소비자들을 우롱하고 있다.　 (사진=23RF)　시중에 흔히 알려진 비아그라, 씨알리스 등은 비뇨기과 전문의의 처방 후 약국에서만 구입이 가능하다. 만약 이를

The search for the head of the world’s fourth-largest pension fund has begun, with a high-profile trial on an alleged bribery case involving the nation’s former leader, Samsung’s chief and the pension operator nearing an end. The National Pension Service said Wednesday that it has formed a committee to pick candidates for the chairman post, which has been vacant since late last year. Former NPS Chairman Moon Hyung-pyo was found guilty of pressuring the pension fund to back a controversial merger

Hongdae, the pinnacle of youth culture in Seoul, is best known as a hub for fashion, food, music, culture and clubs. However, some Seoulites are shunning Hongdae for neighborhoods south of the area, such as Mangwon, Sangsu and Hapjeong. “Hongdae is too overcrowded and is becoming too commercial. People want something new and frankly Hongdae is so yesterday,” said Kim Se-Jung, a student at Ewha Womans University.“It used to be made up of small, privately owned retail shops but recently we’re seei

France retained its position as the world’s favorite tourism destination in 2016, the UN’s World Tourism Organization said, defying concerns over terror attacks. The United States came second followed closely by Spain, according to annual figures that the Madrid-based UNWTO normally announces in January, but which were delayed this year.The number of tourists visiting the US was also down, falling three percent to 75.61 million, which saw the country narrowly maintain its second position as Spai

Criminal investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s alleged wrongdoings during previous administrations appears increasingly likely, with potential evidence piling up. The possible investigation could extend as far up as former President Lee Myung-bak, who the ruling Democratic Party of Korea accuses of being behind the spy agency’s alleged attempts at manipulating public opinion during his term.According to reports, a committee in charge of reforming the NIS is considering requestin

Consumers today are bombarded each waking moment with advertisements. Every day, there is a new product that proclaims to be bigger and faster than the last. Weighed down by what has been dubbed “ad fatigue,” consumers are now seeking something more -- true value behind products and principled actions by brands.This is the secret behind the rapid growth of Herald Corp.’s premium food brand Organica, according to the group’s Chairman Jungwook Hong. Herald Corp. Chairman Jungwook Hong (Lee Sang-su

For Charles Ahn, it is only a matter of time before a new smartphone can authenticate a fingerprint on a display, rather than under it, thereby vastly improving accuracy.Ahn, chairman and CEO of CrucialTec, a Korea-based biometric solution developer, has been making investments for the development of the company’s patented Display Fingerprint Solution, or DFS, since 2012.  “Our technology is fully ready, and we are in talks with the world’s leading display manufacturers to see the first smartpho

South Korea’s gross domestic product ranked 11th in the world in 2016, with its per capita income based on purchasing power remaining unchanged, data from the World Bank showed Wednesday.The country’s global standing remained unchanged from the previous year.GDP refers to the total value of goods and services produced within the economy. Aside from ranking 10th in 2005, Korea’s GDP had stayed below the 11th rank for 11 straight years.Korea’s gross national income per capi

Concerns have been raised that Korea’s long-term fiscal soundness will be undermined by President Moon Jae-in’s policies that are set to be accompanied by a sharp rise in government spending.His administration has made clear it will expand annual fiscal expenditure at a faster pace than the country’s nominal economic growth rate, which is equal to real growth rate plus inflation.On his campaign trail, Moon pledged to increase government spending by at least 7 percent annually t

(사진=유튜브 캡쳐)일본의 한 예능프로그램이 흥미로운 실험을 진행했다. 처음 만난 이성과 그날 바로 키스했을 때 서로에게 호감을 느낄 수 있는지 알아봤다. 초면인 두 남녀가 수영장에 초대됐다. 이들은 30분 간격을 두고, 다섯 번 입맞춤했다. 처음에 어색하고 민망해하던 둘은 시간이 지날수록 친밀감을 과시했다.이들은 상대에게 호감을 느낄 경우 다음 장소에 또 나오기로 했다. 물론 속마음을 감추는 조건이어서 실험결과는 네가지 경우의 수가 있었다.그 이후 서로 마음에 들었는지 남녀는 약속장소에 차례로 나타났다. 평상복 차림으로 재회한 둘은 겸연쩍은 듯한 미소를 지어보였다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Q: Can I fire employees who constantly show poor performance? What steps should I take? A: Article 23 of the Labor Standards Act stipulates that an employer shall not, without justifiable cause, dismiss or suspend a worker, reduce wages, or take other disciplinary action against a worker. It goes without saying that dismissal of a poor performer should also be based on a justifiable cause. Yet, no consistent legal principle has been established in regard to what constitutes justifiable cause for

Paris Saint-Germain -- owned by sanctions-hit Qatar -- has signed Brazilian forward Neymar from Barcelona for a world-record transfer fee of $264 million.The Brazilian superstar signed a five-year deal to earn an estimated $35.5 million per year.The transfer is more than double the previous world record, set by Manchester United’s capture of Paul Pogba from Juventus last year for $125 million.