Tag: Health ministry

Health ministry

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A person walks by a banner promoting hair loss treatment in Seoul on June 22.

Hair today, gone tomorrow: Gov't backpedals on coverage for balding treament after backlash

Seoul canceled a public forum on national insurance for hair loss treatment after pushback over medical priorities, budget strain and gender equity concerns.

2026.6.29

Medical professionals walk inside a general hospital in downtown Seoul on Sept. 30, 2025, a day when junior doctors returned to their posts after mass resignations and a strike. [YONHAP]

2 years ago, a med school quota hike incited a doctor walkout. Why does a new proposal to raise hit different?

While the havoc wreaked from a prolonged doctor walkout in response to a medical school admissions quota hike is still fresh in the minds of the public, Korea is again pushing to raise the cap, but this time, doctors are staying on the job — for now.

2026.2.25

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Children are seen at an elementary school in Suwon, Gyeonggi, as the winter break season begins on Dec. 16. [NEWS1]

Gov't unveils details of child policy plan, including phasing out overseas adoption

The adoption of Korean minors by families overseas will be phased out by 2029 at the latest, with the Korean government taking a firm stance against fraudulent or illegal adoption practices.

2025.12.26

From left: Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Park Ju-min, Lee Sun-woo, interim leader of the Korean Medical Student Association, Kim Taek-woo, chief of the Korean Medical Association and DP Rep. Kim Young-ho deliver their joint statement on medical students' return to their schools in central Seoul on July 12. [NEWS1]

Is a breakthrough finally in sight in Korea's longest ever doctors' strike?

Nearly a year and a half after junior doctors resigned en masse and medical students boycotted their classes to protest the government's hike of the med school admissions quota, a breakthrough is in sight.

2025.7.17

Medical workers unload a patient from an ambulance parked in front of the emergency room of a major hospital in Seoul on Feb. 22, 2024. [YONHAP]

'Distress' as doctor shortage, language barrier hinder foreigners' access to urgent care

Foreigners in Korea face medical access issues due to staffing shortages and language barriers, leading to delays and inadequate care, especially in urgent situations.

2025.5.6

A visitor at a counselling center for infertility support is seen receiving counselling at Songpa Maternal Health Promotion Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul on March 9, 2023. [NEWS1]

Health Ministry to subsidize ova, sperm freezing for patients facing medically-induced reproductive function loss

Ministry of Health and Welfare will help cover the costs of ova and sperm freezing for individuals expected to experience permanent infertility due to ovarian or testicular removal or chemotherapy, the ministry said Monday.

2025.4.28

People pass by a pediatric emergency medical center in Seoul on Jan. 16. [NEWS1]

Nearly 17,000 clinics and hospitals to remain open during Lunar New Year

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday announced that some 16,815 medical clinics and hospitals will remain open across the country daily during the Lunar New Year holiday season starting Saturday.

2025.1.23

A patient and its guardian walk behind ambulances, which are lined up in front of a general hospital in Seoul on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Gov't to invest additional 5 trillion won in medical schools as admissions rise

The Education Ministry announced Tuesday that the government plans to invest an additional 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) in medical schools over six years to help them cope with the planned hike in annual admissions.

2024.9.10

A notice announcing the recruitment of new residents is seen at a hospital in Seoul Thursday with more than 10,000 out of 13,000 trainee doctors on track to resign. [YONHAP]

Gov’t says trainees who don’t return may be recruited as military doctors

The ministry said trainee doctors returning through September may be eligible to apply for special provisions to delay military enlistment after consultation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration.

2024.7.18

Prof. Kang Hee-gyung, head of Seoul National University Hospital's emergency response committee, speaks at a press conference in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Junior doctors won't return to training hospitals, warn SNUH professors

Medical professors at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) said they expect most junior doctors will not return to hospitals by Monday, the deadline for training hospitals to finish processing their resignations.

2024.7.15