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dun really know the detail, but to hold protest for weeks and disregard patients need seem very wrong. South Korea to start legal action against doctors over walkout UPDATED MAR 04, 2024, 11:55 AM Doctors chant slogans during a rally to protest against government plans to increase medical school admissions, in Seoul on March 3. PHOTO: REUTERS SEOUL - South Korea’s Health Minister said on March 4 that the authorities will start inspecting hospitals in order to take legal action against trainee doctors who have ignored an ultimatum to end a walkout over government plans to increase medical school admissions. Around 9,000 resident and intern doctors, or about 70 per cent of the country's total, have walked off the job since Feb 20, leading to the cancellation of some surgical procedures and treatments, and straining emergency departments. The government had warned the protesting trainee physicians that they could face administrative and legal penalties, including the suspension of their medical licences and fines, or a jail term if they did not return to work by the end of February. “From today, we plan to conduct on-site inspections to confirm trainee doctors who have not returned, and take action according to the law and principle without exception,” Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong told a televised briefing. “Please keep in mind that doctors who have not returned may experience serious problems in their personal career path.” For protesting doctors who returned to the field, Mr Choo said the government would consider extenuating circumstances when contemplating any action against them. Later, Vice-Health Minister Park Min-soo told a briefing that the government would take steps to suspend the medical licences of some 7,000 trainee doctors who had left their jobs. Up to now, there has been little sign of either side backing down. Thousands of South Korean doctors held a mass rally on March 3 organised by the Korean Medical Association, which represents private practitioners, defying official calls for the trainee physicians to return to work. The World Medical Association, a group representing physicians, said in a statement on March 3 that it “strongly condemns the actions of the Korean government in attempting to stifle the voices of elected leaders within the Korean Medical Association”, adding that it affirmed the right of doctors to collective action, including strikes. The young doctors who are protesting say the government should first address pay and working conditions before trying to increase the number of physicians. The government says the plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical schools by 2,000 starting in the 2025 academic year is needed in a rapidly ageing society with one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in developed economies – at 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people. The plan to boost medical school admissions is popular with the public, with about 76 per cent of respondents in favour, regardless of political affiliation, a recent Gallup Korea poll found. Some critics, however, accuse President Yoon Suk-yeol's government of not consulting enough and of picking a fight over the issue ahead of parliamentary elections in April. REUTERS

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-reports-first-death-from-brain-eating-amoeba SEOUL - South Korea reported its first case of infection from Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as “brain-eating amoeba”, health authorities said on Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed that a Korean national in his 50s had died after returning from Thailand. The man came back to South Korea on Dec 10 after a four-month stint there. He was admitted to a hospital the next day and died Wednesday last week. The KDCA said it had conducted genetic tests on three types of pathogens causing Naegleria fowleri to confirm the cause of his death. The testing confirmed the gene in the man’s body was 99.6 per cent similar to that found in a meningitis patient reported abroad. This is the first known infection from the disease in South Korea. The first case was reported in Virginia in 1937. Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba, or a single-celled living organism, that lives in soil and warm freshwater, such as hot springs, lakes and rivers, across the globe. The amoeba enters the body by inhalation through the nose and travels to the brain. The initial symptoms might include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting, and later symptoms can lead to severe headaches, fever, vomiting and a stiff neck, according to the KDCA. The incubation period for Naegleria fowleri is usually from two to three days and up to 15 days at most. Although human-to-human transmission of Naegleria fowleri is impossible, the KDCA asked residents to refrain from swimming in regions and neighbourhoods where the disease broke out. It added that the risk of infection was not high, but most cases start through swimming. “To prevent the infection of Naegleria fowleri, we recommend avoiding swimming and leisure-related activities and using clean water when travelling to areas where cases have been reported,” said Dr Jee Young-mee, who heads the KDCA, via a press release. The KDCA said clean water refers to any type of water that has not been contaminated, but people cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water. It added that the highest risk is when the water temperature rises during the summer. A total of 381 cases of Naegleria fowleri have been reported around the globe as of 2018, including in India, Thailand, the United States, China and Japan. The US alone reported 154 infections from 1962 through 2021. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, only four people survived, with a death rate of over 97 per cent. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that lives in soil and warm freshwater across the globe. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)/YOUTUBE

Looks like its a matter of time before MERS hit Singapore..... Singapore must be prepared for MERS: PM Lee The country's inter-connectivity and how the virus has been seen in neighbours Malaysia and the Philippines means Singapore must assume MERS will enter the country, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. SINGAPORE: The Republic must assume that the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) can and will enter the country, given its inter-connectivity and how neighbours such as Malaysia and the Philippines have had MERS cases, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Jun 11). In a visit to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Mr Lee said: "For us it's a matter of time, and for us, I wanted to be quite sure that our medical facilities our medical staff, the hospitals, the whole team are ready and they know how to deal with it. They don't fumble and we can contain it, and then put a stop to the disease in Singapore as quickly as we can." TTSH has been designated by Singapore's Health Ministry to be the hospital for MERS-CoV patient cases once the virus was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. South Korea on Wednesday reported 2 more deaths and 13 more new MERS cases in the country. PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO RESPOND The Singapore public also needs to know how to respond, Mr Lee added. If one has travelled and feels unwell, or displays flu symptoms, these individuals should take it seriously and visit the hospital to get checked, he said. If there were to be MERS cases in the country, Singaporeans should not get into a panic, but know that the country is prepared and what can be done, he said. TTSH said it has a robust preparedness plan to handle global pandemic threats, along with the dedicated facilities. The hospital has started screening for suspect cases since 2012. It said all suspected and confirmed cases at the hospital will be isolated and managed under strict airborne infection control precautions. It added processes are in place at the hospital's Emergency Department, to evaluate and screen patients with clinical signs of respiratory illnesses and a travel history to suspected regions. If suspected, patients are managed separately with masks and placed in isolation rooms for further medical consultation. If needed, they will then be admitted into designated isolation wards at the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC). On Tuesday, Singapore also started temperature screening at air checkpoints for travelers arriving from South Korea. To date, no case of MERS-CoV has been reported in Singapore. But the Health Ministry has previously said the possibility of an imported case here cannot be ruled out given today's globalised travel patterns. - CNA/kk

South Korea announces US$10b energy package Posted: 08 June 2008 1555 hrs Photos of SEOUL : South Korea on Sunday announced a 10 billion dollar energy package aimed at helping consumers cope with the effects of rising oil prices. The package includes tax rebates for 12.8 million people for one year and subsidies for low earners to buy fuel, Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo said in a statement. "We have great difficulty as our country is the world's fifth-largest oil consumer while it does not produce a drop of oil," Han said. Among the beneficiaries of the 10.49 trillion won (10.3 billion dollars) package are truckers who have threatened to strike unless the government helps them reduce surging energy costs, the statement said. Oil prices on Friday posted their highest ever one-day gain of nearly 11 dollars, hitting a new record of 138.54 dollars a barrel in New York trade. Han added that the government would consider further measures, including tax cuts, if oil prices exceed 170 dollars per barrel. - AFP/ms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txRSsLmVtYA Source: http://www.popularresistance.org/massive-protests-in-south-korea --------------------------- reported on international news but not on local news..media blackout again?

If you're one of those people out there who happened to buy the KIA Rio last decade, you may no longer recognise KIA cars of today. The thing is the South Korean automaker is picturing itself as 90 percent of an European brand. With that being said, the company has been decorating its cars with everything European, from LEDs to leather interiors and electronically retractable side mirrors. In addition to that, the South Korean brand is also seemingly pursuing the ST, RS, and GTI lineups from its rivals. All of these lineups are pretty legendary as they tend to make it to the cover of most car magazines every year. For KIA, on the other hand, it has already prepared the pro_cee'd GT to kick off with. KIA cee'd GT Launched just recently in Great Britain, the three-door sporty hatchback (or Sportback, as Audi would say) runs on a 1.6-litre turbo engine that promises a total power output of 201bhp. The good thing is, the pro_cee'd GT may not be KIA's only GT lineup as the company has confirmed that the Rio GT is a possibility. A KIA insider confirmed with Auto Express that if everything went well and that the KIA pro_cee'd GT was received warmly, the GT lineups could be seen expanded, possibly including the Rio GT. However, there may still be one other problem. It is said that KIA will also see how its five-door procee'd GT fares in the global automotive market before continuing with the Rio GT. But then again, the model won't be launched until 2014 and by then, the Rio would have been three years old. Well, if only KIA would 'pro_cee'd' with the Rio GT sooner..

It's out of the question that we would normally use a sedan to carry four to five passengers altogether, probably with some goods in the trunk. However, this isn't the case this time. Instead of carrying passengers and 'some' goods, this sedan - which I think is a Hyundai Accent or Verna - was forced to carry a massive amount of goods. This sedan was seen being a carrier for massive goods last weekend on the Korean border, near Panmunjom, Paju. It was driven by a South Korean citizen trying to go back to his home country. As you can see from the images, the goods nearly covered all parts of the sedan. The goods even nearly, if not completely, covered the rear windshield. How was the driver supposed to see when he needed to reverse the car then? The driver was reported to be previously working in North Korea. However, as we know, the rising tension between the two countries has forced all workers from South Korea to return home. In total, there are 175 South Korean citizens that have been asked to leave North Korea. Most of those asked to leave previously worked in joint ventures of North and South Korea. Since they have to evacuate immediately, they have had to make do with whatever transport they can find. Well, it seems that the Hyundai in the image was just unlucky enough. However, it wasn't alone as there were also other sedans which received the very same fate. I wonder, though, if the suspensions of those sedans received any damage at all. You see, if the suspensions retain their good working conditions after reaching their destinations, these sedans might in fact be some of the strongest sedans automakers have ever built!

If you happen to be quite well off or have some spare savings, it might be a good idea to consider staying at China. The economy in the country keeps growing positively that it has become a good place to live in. This has been proven even further with the recent huge investment by Volkswagen (VW) and the fact that the South Korean automaker KIA has now launched a new brand targeted specifically at the Chinese market. The brand is known as Horki and comes under parent company KIA. What we know is that, in Mandarin, 'Hor' or 'He' means together whereas 'Ki' or 'Qi' means air or atmosphere. And the word as a whole, means 'harmony'. Well, that makes sense to us as we think the first Horki concept vehicle looks dynamic indeed. For now, there's only one model that KIA is building for the brand Horki. Of course, we believe that there'll be more models later on. The model has yet to receive its official name but it is based on the platform also used by the KIA Forte. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the first Horki model borrows design cues from the KIA Forte. As a matter of fact, from what we can see as far as design is concerned, this Horki concept vehicle doesn't have any similar design from any of KIA models. Slated for a 2015 release date in the Chinese automotive market, the first Horki model looks aggressive as well as sleek. This can be seen on the designs of the headlamps, front grille, air intakes, and rear taillights

If you own a Hyundai car, especially the Elantra, you might want to be more careful and try to avoid accidents as much as you can. Otherwise, you might risk ending up slicing your ear or probably even other body parts. No, we aren't making things up. This has happened to at least one Hyundai owner that we know of. It's a common thing for airbags to deploy in the event of a crash. However, for this sedan model from Hyundai, the Elantra, the deployment of the airbags just might prove not to be as smooth as expected. Thing is, when the airbags are deployed, a headliner support bracket will also be propelled. Unfortunately, in the case of the Hyundai Elantra, the bracket might become loose and even be completely dismounted. As a result, the bracket might end up flying across the car cabin, carrying a possible threat of causing laceration injuries to any of the passengers inside the car. The Elantra owner we talked about earlier had his ear sliced by this headliner support bracket and had reported it to Hyundai. According to Hyundai, this defect only applies to its aforementioned sedan model units that were built sometime between 2011 and 2013. To address this issue, the South Korean automaker is now recalling 186,254 units of the Elantra affected. For Elantra owners that have yet to receive notification from Hyundai or to find out more about this defect, it's advisable to contact Hyundai. Well, while we honestly think that it's possible to fix this issue simply by applying adhesive strips to the headliner, we do recommend that you contact your local Hyundai dealerships that will apply the fix in the upcoming May. Chances are, you will get the fix for free anyway.

As a result of the rising tension in the Korean Peninsula, GM is making contingency plans to move workers and shift production out of the country. Speaking in an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box, GM CEO Dan Akerson said, "We are making contingency plans for the safety of our employees to the extent that we can." GM is the third largest carmaker in South Korea employing 17,000 people with an annual output of 1.4 million vehicles. About 1.3 million units are exported to Europe and the U.S. One of these models exported is the Chevrolet Spark subcompact (above). Akerson added that it is difficult to shift production out of South Korea but may have to do so if the region continues to destabilise as part of long term planning. However, according to a report on Wall Street Journal, Akerson has already decided to move production to other plants. Should a war take place, Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fourth largest auto maker after General Motors, Volkswagen Group, and Toyota, is definitely going to be affected as well. This could result in wide ranging impact on the global automotive industry. At the time of writing this article, North Korea has moved a second mid range missile to its east coast and loaded both on mobile launchers, fueling fears of an imminent firing. Let there be peace on Earth.

[extract] An auto show or exhibition is the best time and place to unveil a new concept or model because that is when an auto company will get much coverage from the world

[extract] Fuji Heavy Industries executive vice president Masatsugu Nagato (right) and Subaru Korea CEO Choi Seung-dal pose with the Legacy mid-size sedan at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. /Newsis A bit of news that is slightly surprising. Subaru seems to have never officially sold cars in South Korea before this. "Tokyo, January 21, 2010