South Korea

Korean embassy in Nigeria honours customs chief Adeniyi

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Korean Embassy hosted a dinner for Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi and his management team, strengthening bilateral relations and shared objectives. 

CGC Adeniyi praised Korea’s commitment to partnership, adding progress through collaboration. “It is due to our dedicated partnerships that the NCS is now engaged in data analytics programmes, in alignment with World Customs Organization standards.” 

Korean Ambassador Kim Pankym commended Adeniyi’s dedication.  He said, “We are honoured by the Comptroller-General’s presence and look forward to further strengthening ties.” 

Deputy Comptroller-General Greg Itotoh thanked the Embassy for its support. 

“The Embassy’s support and willingness to partner are instrumental in driving our Service to greater heights.” 

The event affirmed Korea’s dedication to Nigeria’s customs modernisation and capacity-building efforts.

Controversy surrounds S’Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo as suspension casts shadow over Asian Cup preparation 

By Sabiu Abdullahi

South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo, currently playing for Norwich City, has been suspended from the national team just seven weeks before the much-anticipated Asian Cup.

The suspension comes in light of an ongoing police investigation into allegations that Hwang illegally filmed a sexual encounter with his ex-girlfriend without her consent. 

Despite the suspension from international duty, Hwang, on loan from Nottingham Forest, continues to be eligible to play for Norwich City.

The 31-year-old forward, who scored in a recent match against Watford, denies the allegations against him. 

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the decision on Tuesday, underscoring the necessity of awaiting a definitive conclusion to the police investigation before considering Hwang for the national team.

Lee Youn-nam, the head of the KFA’s ethics committee, noted the expectation for national players to uphold a high standard of morality and responsibility. 

Hwang Ui-jo, with 19 goals in 62 appearances for South Korea, leaves a notable gap in the national team’s lineup ahead of the Asian Cup.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann expressed his understanding of the situation, pledging to respect the decision of the KFA.

Klinsmann had previously included Hwang in recent World Cup qualifying matches, defending his choice amid the ongoing police probe. 

The Asian Cup, set to commence in Qatar on January 12, poses additional challenges for South Korea as they open their campaign against Bahrain three days later.

The suspension adds an unexpected layer of controversy to the team’s preparations, raising questions about the potential impact on their performance in the upcoming tournament.

Sudan conflict: South Korea announces evacuation of citizens

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

South Korea announced Friday that it would send a military aircraft and soldiers to evacuate South Korean citizens stuck in Sudan, where fighting has claimed hundreds of lives since it started last week.

Similar actions are being taken by Japan, which on Friday dispatched a military jet to attempt to retrieve its citizens from the country affected by the violence.

Violence between soldiers loyal to Sudan’s army head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), broke out on Saturday, killing more than 300 people.

Despite calls from world powers for end-of-Ramadan peace, there were numerous gunshots and explosions Friday in Khartoum, the capital, and other parts of the country.

Brain-gut connection and Gastrointestinal (GI) problems

By Aminah M. Abubakar

Sometimes last year, a Nigerian PhD student at Korean University named Abdulqaadir Yusif Maigoro tweeted about his PhD thesis research work. He talked about his findings on the relationship between gut health and autism spectrum conditions. During a presentation at the International Meeting for the Microbiological Society of Korea, Maigoro discussed how gram-negative bacteria endotoxins could travel from the gut to the brain and cause inflammation in people with an autism spectrum disorder.

The research sparked my interest, so I joined the conversation on his Tweet. I asked; if gastrointestinal issues, such as stomach aches, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and bloating, are commonly seen in individuals with autism and other neuro conditions. It is possible that these issues may be related to the gut-brain connection and the role that the gut plays in regulating the body’s immune response. How close are experts to getting a cure for the gut disease in Autistic individuals?

Abdulqaadir Maigoro (@Abdul_Y_Maigoro) responded that it’s true individuals with Autism condition have gastrointestinal problems, and further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between gut health and neuro conditions by exploring various mechanisms. But it is clear that the gut plays a significant role in overall physical and mental health.

Maigoro’s findings have prompted my interest in getting more information by exploring the connections between gut health and other neurological conditions, such as Autism, Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, and Dementia.

Gut health has long been known to be connected to overall physical health, but recent research has also shown a link between the gut and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. The gut is home to the enteric nervous system, sometimes referred to as the “second brain,” which has a network of nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters that extend throughout the digestive tract. The enteric nervous system communicates with the brain through the nervous system, hormones, and the immune system. This communication is especially important in regulating the body’s immune response, as 70% of the immune system is focused on the gut.

The gut, or “second brain”, is vital to overall human health and well-being. It breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, and eliminates waste through chemical and mechanical processes. It also has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system, which is made up of nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters and extends throughout the digestive tract – from the oesophagus, through the stomach and intestines, and down to the anus. Because it uses the same types of neurons and neurotransmitters as the central nervous system, some experts refer to the enteric nervous system as the “second brain.”

The enteric nervous system communicates with the brain in the head through the nervous system, hormones, and the immune system, and it plays a key role in certain diseases and mental health.

Researchers are beginning to examine the gut in people with conditions such as depression, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, ALS, multiple sclerosis, pain, anxiety, and other neurological disorders. They are also studying the role of the gut in gastrointestinal conditions like ulcers and constipation and how it affects brain function.

The gut is also home to microorganisms that help regulate the body’s immune response, and around 70% of the immune system is focused on the gut to fight off and eliminate foreign invaders. Research on how the gut, or “second brain,” mediates the body’s immune system is exploring ways to expand the treatment of psychiatric and other neurological conditions, including the gut’s nervous system.

Researchers are now exploring various mechanisms in an attempt to find a potential cure for neuro conditions through the gut. The medical breakthrough will surely transform the world and touch the lives of nearly every person on the planet.

Aminah M. Abubakar sent the article via mbubakar.minah@gmail.com. She can also be contacted via her Twitter handle: @MinahMbubakar11.