Weight Loss Drug Injection 'Ozempic' as Infertility Treatment?...What Effects Does It Have? [Newspick]②

Editor's NoteWe present news stories and their backstories that resonated with many readers on the internet during the first to third quarters of 2024. During the abundant Chuseok holiday, we hope you take some time to recharge by revisiting the popular articles from the past nine months.

"I got pregnant after taking the shot to lose weight"…The frenzy over 'Ozempic Baby' (Reporter Lim Ju-hyung)

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is proceeding with the procedures to launch the type 2 diabetes treatment drug 'Ozempic' in South Korea. Although the launch in Korea has been delayed due to supply shortages, the pharmaceutical industry expects that Ozempic could be available in Korea as early as next month. Ozempic is a weight loss injectable drug developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. It also became a topic of discussion after claims emerged that it could be used as a treatment for infertility.

News spread on social media platforms like TikTok that some women who lost weight after receiving Ozempic injections unexpectedly became pregnant. These pregnancies are referred to as 'Ozempic babies.' Experts noted that "obesity affects the hormonal balance that regulates the menstrual cycle." We introduce an article from last April that covers cases of infertile women who became pregnant after taking Ozempic and explores how the drug might affect pregnancy.

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'Ozempic' [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Foreign media outlets such as Fox News and Bloomberg highlighted cases of infertile women who unexpectedly became pregnant after receiving Ozempic injections. Although the exact mechanism by which the diet drug treats infertility is not fully understood, some experts believe that women who returned from overweight to normal weight due to Ozempic's effects may have regained their fertility.

Karine Hammarberg, a researcher in public health and preventive medicine at Monash University in Australia, wrote on the academic blog 'The Conversation' that "obesity affects the hormonal balance regulating the menstrual cycle," and pointed out that "women with a body mass index (BMI) over 27 have a three times lower chance of ovulation and thus a higher likelihood of infertility compared to women within the normal weight range." Additionally, women with diabetes also have a lower probability of pregnancy than normal women. Ozempic is used as a diabetes treatment in countries like Australia.

Researcher Hammarberg explained, "Weight loss can improve hormonal imbalance issues such as irregular menstruation, thereby increasing the chances of pregnancy for infertile women," and added, "(Weight loss and metabolic improvements from taking the diet drug) are likely the reasons behind 'unexpected pregnancies.'"

'7.9 Billion Won Lotto Jackpot in Suncheon'…How Much Does a Lotto Store Owner Earn? (Reporter Kim Eun-ha)

For those who buy lotto tickets, the chance of winning in their heart is 50%?either you win first prize or you don't. However, the actual odds of winning first prize are about 1 in 8 million. So, how much does a lotto store owner earn?

According to data released by lottery operator Donghaeng Lottery, lotto retailers earn 5% of the sales amount per ticket. Selling 1,000 won worth of lotto games earns 50 won in commission. But the story changes if the store becomes known as a 'lucky lotto spot.' In some cases, the earnings can exceed the lotto prize money. However, not everyone can operate a lotto store. What are the requirements to become a lotto store owner? This was covered in an article from April this year.

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Lotto tickets are paradoxically thriving during the economic downturn. A citizen is purchasing a lotto ticket with a bright expression. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

On the 6th, a convenience store in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, saw a flood of lotto first prize winners. In the 1114th lotto draw, 17 first prize winners were announced, and five of them came from the Alibi Geumdang branch in Suncheon. These were manual picks, and it appears one person bought five tickets with the same numbers. The lucky winner will receive a huge sum of about 7.9 billion won. So, how much does the lotto store owner earn?

In 2021, the total sales of all lottery retailers amounted to 5.0398 trillion won. On average, each store earns about 31.02 million won annually in commission. Many say that after deducting rent and labor costs, there is little profit left. This is why some people give up their contracts despite the difficulty of securing them. However, some stores actually earn profits comparable to lotto first prize winnings. The lottery store 'Spa' in Sangye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, is famous for producing the most lotto first prize winners nationwide. Once it became known as a lucky store with frequent first prize winners, customers flocked in. It is reported that weekly sales reached 400 million won. Assuming monthly sales of 1.6 billion won, the monthly commission alone would be 88 million won, exceeding 1 billion won annually.

However, not everyone can operate a lotto store. First, applicants must have South Korean nationality and be at least 19 years old. They must be either priority contract candidates or belong to the lower-income bracket at the time of application. Ninety percent of contracts are allocated to priority candidates, and 10% to the lower-income group. Priority candidates include people with disabilities, basic livelihood security recipients, heads of single-parent families, independence activists, and national merit recipients. The lower-income group refers to those who do not qualify for basic livelihood security but whose recognized income is below 50% of the median income. Median income means the income of the household in the middle when all households are ranked by income.

Even priority candidates or lower-income individuals may be ineligible to apply. Those who previously gave up or terminated online lottery sales contracts, or had their contracts canceled, cannot apply. Temporary, fixed-term, or appointed public officials who are prohibited from holding concurrent positions are also ineligible. Employees of public institutions, corporate business owners, and those currently under bankruptcy or credit recovery are also restricted from applying.

"Kwon Do-hyung, who was on the run, hid in a 2.9 billion won luxury apartment in Serbia" (Reporter Jung Hyun-jin)

Key Figure Kwon Do-hyung in the 'Terra·Luna Crash Incident' [Image Source=Reuters Yonhap News]

An article about Kwon Do-hyung, the central figure in the 'Terra-Luna crash scandal,' attracted attention online. Last month, local political circles engaged in a mudslinging battle over the issue of extraditing Kwon. Former Minister of Justice Andrey Milovic claimed on X (formerly Twitter) on the 8th (local time) that the key figure blocking Kwon's transfer to the U.S. was Prime Minister Miloko Spajic. Milovic, who argued that the authority to decide Kwon's extradition lies with the Minister of Justice and that Kwon should be sent to the U.S., also claimed he clashed with Prime Minister Spajic when he tried to prevent Kwon's transfer to South Korea. He raised his voice that this was the reason he was dismissed from the Minister of Justice position.

The article from May below contains information that before Kwon was captured in Montenegro, he was hiding in a luxury apartment in Serbia. The article received over 500 comments, showing strong public interest in Kwon's whereabouts.

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Serbian media outlet Nova reported on the 6th (local time) that Kwon purchased a duplex luxury apartment in the affluent Dedinje neighborhood of Belgrade and lived there for several months. The outlet confirmed through property registration documents that the apartment was purchased by Kwon's associate Han Chang-jun, TerraForm Labs' Chief Financial Officer (CFO), for 2 million euros, approximately 2.93 billion won at the current exchange rate.

Kwon and Han lived there while they were on Interpol's red notice list. They also purchased two parking spaces.

Another Serbian media outlet, DL News, showed photos of Kwon and Han to a local resident, who said they recognized them. The outlet questioned whether Serbian authorities were genuinely intent on tracking and arresting Kwon. They sent a written inquiry to the Serbian police regarding Kwon's stay in Belgrade but received no response.

Kwon, founder of TerraForm Labs, left for Singapore in April 2022, just before the Terra-Luna crash, and disappeared. He then traveled through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Serbia before entering Montenegro. On March 23 last year, he was arrested at a local airport with Han while attempting to board a charter flight to Dubai, UAE, after a forged passport was detected. Kwon was sentenced to four months in prison for using a forged passport and was released on March 23 this year after serving his sentence, then transferred to a foreign detention center.

Employees unaware of dismissal show up to work only to find badges deactivated…Chaos after Sunday layoffs (Reporter Lee Kyung-ho)

X (formerly Twitter), owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is facing a class-action lawsuit from former employees. The lawsuit alleges age discrimination, focusing on the mass layoffs in 2022 that targeted older employees. On the 4th (local time), U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco ruled to allow the class-action lawsuit filed by former X employee John Zeman, who claimed unfair dismissal due to age discrimination. In April, Tesla also stirred controversy by laying off 10% of its workforce on a Sunday. U.S. Business Insider reported voices from five current and former Tesla employees, describing how some employees who came to work on Monday as usual were denied entry to the company.

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Group photo of Tesla employees celebrating the launch of the electric vehicle
[Photo by Tesla]

The announcement of Tesla's 10% workforce reduction came on a Sunday. The following Monday, some employees who came to work as usual found their employee badges did not work at the company entrance. It was not a malfunction; the badges were invalidated because they had been laid off.

Business Insider reported testimonies from five current and former employees stating, "Tesla said it would lay off more than 10% of its workforce, but some employees did not realize they had been laid off until they came to work." One source said, "At the Tesla factory in Sparks, Nevada, employees had to line up for about two hours Monday morning to have their badges checked."

One employee said, "Security was scanning badges of workers on shuttles between the factory and nearby parking lots. Usually, guards check badges on-site but do not scan them directly." Laid-off employees were reportedly taken home in separate vans.

Tesla's layoffs reportedly affected other workplaces as well. Former Tesla employees said, "Security told Fremont factory employees in California that if their badges did not work, it meant they were laid off." Laid-off employees were notified via personal email on Sunday night (local time, the 15th), and their access to Tesla systems was revoked.

An email received by one employee stated, "After thorough review, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our global workforce. Unfortunately, this restructuring has resulted in the termination of your position. You will receive information about your separation within 48 hours." As of the end of last year, Tesla had 140,473 employees, about twice as many as three years ago. U.S. media estimate that about 14,000 employees, or 10% of the total, will be laid off this time.

Brand Apartments for Seniors Only… "70,000 KRW per Month Including Food" [Senior House] (Reporters Shim Na-young, Park Yoo-jin, Kang Jin-hyung)

Have you heard of brand apartments where only seniors live? All 1,345 households are owned by seniors aged 60 and above. The biggest advantage of large-scale senior welfare housing is the 'economy of scale.' With over 1,000 households, monthly maintenance fees can be kept low. In the era of 10 million elderly people, the article about 'brand apartments for seniors only that can be lived in for 700,000 KRW per month including food' from the [Senior House] series attracted much attention. The apartment complex includes a fitness center, sauna, golf practice room, billiards room, table tennis room, pocket billiards room, and karaoke room, and is just a five-minute walk from Yongin Severance Hospital.

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▲On the 3rd of last month, this is the exterior view of Spring County Xi, a senior welfare housing complex in Yongin City. It is generally no different from a typical apartment complex, but here, residents aged 65 and older live together. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

At Dongbaek Station in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, when the subway arrives at the platform, a neat apartment complex comes into view through the window. It looks like any other large-scale brand apartment complex. But if you look closely at the people coming and going, you can tell this is senior welfare housing. All 1,345 households are owned by seniors aged 60 and above. This place was approved under the senior welfare housing sales system when it was still active. General sales were conducted in 2016, and seniors started moving in from 2019.

On the morning of the 3rd last month at 10 a.m., grandmothers and grandfathers began gathering at the community center inside the complex. One hand held a ukulele, the other carried snacks like glutinous rice cakes, puffed rice snacks, and scorched rice-flavored candies. Before the club meeting, from 67-year-old grandmother Im Ok-soon to 84-year-old grandmother Oh Gun-ja, they called each other "sister" and "younger sister," laughing and chatting just like when they were young girls. That day, the ukulele practice song was 'Where the Wind Blows.' Wearing magnifying glasses, the seniors carefully read the sheet music, crafting each note with care.

"This is an apartment, but unlike the ones we used to live in, it's not an isolated place. Who greets seniors in apartments these days? Here, it's different. Since we live together, we take care of each other. If someone has surgery or is sick, we leave food at their door. There's affection. Because it's a large complex, there are about 50 clubs like this. My husband is in a Japanese language club and is currently obsessed with Japanese dramas. Since all activities happen within the complex, we meet neighbors and chat regardless of summer or winter," explained grandmother Yeo Jin-soon (76, pseudonym), who moved into Spring County Xi in 2019. She saved money running a kindergarten when she was younger and bought apartments in Yongin and Bundang with that money. She sold the Yongin apartment to move here and rents out the Bundang apartment to cover management fees. The current sale price of this apartment is about 600 million won (based on 59㎡).

Grandmother Yeo said, "I haven't seen many neighbors who are very wealthy. But it's possible to raise about 600 million won by selling a house or land. As long as you can afford the management fees, there's no better place than here. It's my own home that I bought with my money, so I feel at ease."

The biggest advantage of large-scale senior welfare housing is the 'economy of scale.' With over 1,000 households, monthly maintenance fees can be lowered. Kim Young-soo, the facility manager in charge, said, "For one person, including food expenses, the total monthly management fee is about 600,000 to 700,000 KRW." This includes 300,000 KRW for general management fees, 270,000 KRW for one meal per day (9,000 KRW per meal), and 100,000 to 150,000 KRW for water and heating. If the apartment is larger, a couple lives together, or heating costs rise in winter, the management fee can go up to 1 million KRW per month.

Manager Kim explained, "The complex has facilities such as a fitness center, sauna, golf practice room, billiards room, table tennis room, pocket billiards room, and karaoke room, and Yongin Severance Hospital is just a five-minute walk away. Despite having facilities comparable to the best senior welfare housing, the 1,345 households share the costs, which helps keep the monthly fees low."

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