awareness... and encouraging prevention. Marking the occasion..., we look into how

much Koreans are exposed to the devastating effects of this disease that knows no boundaries...

and what can be done to prevent it. Our Kwon Soa reports. Cancer is the number

one cause of death in Korea,... and the number of cancer patients in the nation has been

on a steady rise in recent years. From 2001 to 2011, the total nearly doubled.

The most common types of cancer in Korea are gastric cancer and colorectal cancer for men,

and thyroid and breast cancer for women.

One logical reason for the rise is that people are living longer these days.

"If we don't prevent this deadly disease then almost every family will make a big burden

for the treatment of cancer, because the instance at this time is one out of three in adults,

but I predict that it'll be one out of two in the near future, because of aging process."

However, the number of cancer patients in their twenties and thirties is increasing

as well. Some doctors say that could be because the

disease is being detected more effectively and at earlier stages.

"We have better machines for taking pictures, and particularly ultrasound, and then in Korea

we have probably the best health care system at this time in the world.

So, everybody seems to have routine check-ups."

The nation has 10 Codes of Conduct for Cancer Prevention.

They include not smoking, maintaining a balanced diet, limiting salt and alcohol intake, and

exercising regularly.

"As an old saying, 'cancer prevention is better than treatment' and the World Health Organization

designated March 21st as cancer prevention day. The Korean government and National Cancer

Center Korea recognizes this day... to raise the public awareness."

"The World Health Organization says a third of all cancers can be averted through preventative

measures... and doctors still stress that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Kwon Soa, Arirang News."