Recent Edits:
- Psychological anthropology: Psychiatric anthropology
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_anthropology)
- Body Mass Index: Limitations- Variation in definitions of categories
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index)
Article Interests (Finalized topic):
MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in South Korea
- considering to edit South Korea section on "Middle East respiratory syndrome"
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_respiratory_syndrome)
- or, add MERS section for "Health in South Korea"
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_South_Korea)
- 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea
2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in South Korea
Sources:
- Economic impact: http://www.ibtimes.com/mers-outbreak-hits-south-korea-economy-gdp-growth-6-year-low-2021093
Outline
Policy
South Korean government’s failure on response to MERS outbreak
a. healthcare system
b. Government’s reaction compared to SARS outbreak
c. Delayed reports and reasons behind
Economy MERS’ impact on South Korea’s economy
A. Tourism a. decrease in the number of tourists b. lost in revenue
B. Retail a. impact on sales in department stores b. slumps in other public areas c. hotel Shilla closed d. other examples of closed retails, shops, businesses
C. GDP a. bank interest drops b. GDP drops c. GDP recovery
D. Graphs a. South Korea GDP annual growth rate (decrease during the first two quarters of 2015)
Policy
South Korean government’s failure on response to MERS outbreak a. healthcare system b. Government’s reaction compared to SARS outbreak c. Delayed reports and reasons behind
Economy MERS’ impact on South Korea’s economy
A. Tourism a. decrease in the number of tourists b. lost in revenue
B. Retail a. impact on sales in department stores b. slumps in other public areas c. hotel Shilla closed d. other examples of closed retails, shops, businesses
C. GDP a. bank interest drops b. GDP drops c. GDP recovery
D. Graphs a. South Korea GDP annual growth rate (decrease during the first two quarters of 2015)
Policy South Korean government’s failure on response to MERS outbreak a. healthcare system b. Government’s reaction compared to SARS outbreak c. Delayed reports and reasons behind
Economy MERS’ impact on South Korea’s economy
A. Tourism a. decrease in the number of tourists b. lost in revenue
B. Retail a. impact on sales in department stores b. slumps in other public areas c. hotel Shilla closed d. other examples of closed retails, shops, businesses
C. GDP a. bank interest drops b. GDP drops c. GDP recovery
D. Graphs a. South Korea GDP annual growth rate (decrease during the first two quarters of 2015)
Rough Draft
Tourism
Fear of MERS posed risks to South Korea’s economy (1). Under the concern about MERS, tourism was hit particularly hard. The number of foreign visitors plunging by more than 40% in June compared with a year ago, and by a further 60% in the first two weeks of July. (2) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said more than 124,000 tourists, most of them from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, have canceled trips to South Korea (3) and estimated that the country could lose $900-million in revenue. (4)
Retail MERS outbreak hurt Korean retails and businesses and put negative impact on consumption due to panicked people avoiding public areas. Department store sales plunged 17% in the first week of June 2015, and the number of people going to the movies, amusement parks, baseball games and museums also recorded large slumps during the same period (5). Many people avoided seeing doctors, as the virus spread through hospitals. (6) Hotel Shilla Co Ltd had shut its hotel on the holiday island of Jeju after it learned a guest who had stayed there last week has been diagnosed with MERS. (7)
Bank interest/GDP South Korea’s economic growth had been hit sharply by the MERS outbreak. The country's economy grew by a mere 0.3% in the second quarter compared to 0.8% in the year's first three months, marking a six-year record low. Compared to the same quarter in the previous year, the economy expanded by 2.2%, below the Bank of Korea's current target of 2.8%. (8) Then in the third quarter, South Korea’s economy rebounded as MERS receded. Consumers ventured back to the shops, offsetting weakness in sales abroad. (9) GDP expanded 1.2 percent from the three months from June, when it grew by only 0.3 percent. (9) Private-sector consumption rose 1.1 percent in the third quarter from a contraction in the previous period, while government spending increased 1.9 percent and facilities investment rose 2 percent. Construction investment gained 4.5 percent as the property market boomed. (9)
South Korea GDP Annual Growth Rate graph