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Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Size matters? Unpacking penile surgery trends in Korea
From 'sunflower' techniques to fat grafting, penile enlargement has evolved into one of the most sought-after male sexual surgeries in Korea — but risks remain Lim, a 30-year-old office worker, was taken aback when she first saw her new boyfriend's altered anatomy. He had undergone surgery to insert silicone implants in the shape of beads or rings beneath the skin of the glans, transforming the penis into a sunflower-like shape, commonly known as Sunflower Surgery or T-Ring Surgery here. "I was surprised, but it was a good surprise — a positive one," she remarked. This surgery is primarily used to increase girth and enhance sexual pleasure by allowing the implants to rub against the vaginal walls during intercourse, delivering intense orgasmic sensations, according to Lim. Historically, bigger has not always meant better. Some cultures preferred a more compact member. According to research by historian Paul Chrystal, the ancient Greeks associated smaller penises with their ideals of male beauty, viewing them as symbols of sophisticated culture and civilization. This perspective is highlighted in Chrystal's book "In Bed with the Ancient Greeks." Despite these historical exceptions, penile enlargement continues to be one of the most common sexual surgeries pursued by men in Korea today. For many, size does indeed matter. Men are often subjected to societal pressures — both explicit and implicit — that suggest small is shameful, frequently making penis size a subject of humor and jokes. Perhaps due to this backdrop, Korean men show keen interest in penile enlargement surgeries, and many, like 35-year-old office worker surnamed Ha, report undergoing such procedures. 'I had penile enlargement surgery, and I am a former army non-commissioned officer. Most of my unit's peers, juniors and seniors also had it done.' Ha underwent the sunflower surgery about 10 years ago. Prices for the basic procedure start at around 500,000 won ($365), with additional features costing more. Ha, who declined to offer his full name, expressed satisfaction with the procedure, stating, "My girlfriends are satisfied, and my former colleagues say their wives and girlfriends are satisfied too." However, he noted occasional discomfort, feeling as if foreign objects were lodged inside. Another individual, a 25-year-old university student using the pseudonym Kim Min-jae, underwent penile enlargement surgery at a urology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, last year. Kim explained that his motivation for the surgery stemmed from a painful personal experience. "I happened to see an Instagram DM exchange a few years ago, between my then-girlfriend and her friend discussing their sexual experiences with their partners," he said. "She mentioned that mine was significantly smaller than her previous boyfriends' and that she couldn't feel much pleasure with me. Discovering this by chance on her phone was devastating and led me to a point of depression." Determined to address his perceived inadequacy, Kim measured his penis and found that while his length was within the average range, his girth was about 1 cm less than average. This realization prompted him to consider surgery. He opted for a "fat grafting" procedure, also known as fat transfer phalloplasty, which involves extracting fat from areas like the inner thigh or abdomen, purifying it, transferring it into syringes and evenly injecting it into the penile shaft to increase girth. "Immediately after the surgery, my girth increased by 1.5 to 2 centimeters, and after six months, it stabilized at about 1 centimeter more. Although the pain when waking from anesthesia was intense, I've since felt much less self-conscious," Kim said. Dr. Lee Haeng-nam, a specialist in urology, stated, "Using one's own fat eliminates the risk of allergic reactions, leading to a lower likelihood of complications. Due to these advantages, four out of five patients seeking penis enlargement surgery, regardless of age, choose this procedure and report high satisfaction." The benefits of this procedure are supported by a study published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in September 2011, which reported an overall patient satisfaction rate of 92 percent and a satisfaction rate regarding the shape of 90 percent. The study found an average increase in penile girth of 2.3 cm post-surgery, according to Lee. Lee also noted that while this procedure is beneficial for the general population, individuals with naturally small penises or micropenis conditions may find particularly high satisfaction levels. According to Lee, the average penile girth for Korean men is between 6 to 7cm when flaccid, but 25 percent of Korean men either have a "micropenis" — less than 4 cm — or experience dissatisfaction, known as micropenis complex. These procedures, however, come with reports of ineffectiveness or severe side effects. The American Urological Association warns that most penile enlargement techniques are ineffective and risky, citing complications such as ineffective fat injections, unsafe ligament divisions and various surgical risks. An anonymous individual recently shared his experience on the online forum DC Gallery about undergoing augmentation with dermal substitutes in Korea. He described enduring severe pain, incurring costs of 4 million won to 5 million won, and experiencing inflammation, which ultimately required the removal of the dermal substitutes. "Before the surgery, my flaccid length was 5cm, and when erect, it was 11cm with a 10cm girth. After the surgery, there was only a slight increase in flaccid length, but I encountered relentless pain. Remember that satisfaction varies greatly between individuals; think twice before deciding.' jenn@
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AI companions: A threat to love, or an evolution of it?
As our lives grow increasingly digital and we spend more time interacting with eerily humanlike chatbots, the line between human connection and machine simulation is starting to blur. Today, more than 20% of daters report using AI for things like crafting dating profiles or sparking conversations, per a recent study. Some are taking it further by forming emotional bonds, including romantic relationships, with AI companions. Millions of people around the world are using AI companions from companies like Replika, Character AI, and Nomi AI, including 72% of U.S. teens. Some people have reported falling in love with more general LLMs like ChatGPT. For some, the trend of dating bots is dystopian and unhealthy, a real-life version of the movie 'Her' and a signal that authentic love is being replaced by a tech company's code. For others, AI companions are a lifeline, a way to feel seen and supported in a world where human intimacy is increasingly hard to find. A recent study found that a quarter of young adults think AI relationships could soon replace human ones altogether. Love, it seems, is no longer strictly human. The question is: Should it be? Or can dating an AI be better than dating a human? That was the topic of discussion last month at an event I attended in New York City, hosted by Open To Debate, a nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization. TechCrunch was given exclusive access to publish the full video (which includes me asking the debaters a question, because I'm a reporter, and I can't help myself!). Journalist and filmmaker Nayeema Raza moderated the debate. Raza was formerly on-air executive producer of the 'On with Kara Swisher' podcast and is the current host of 'Smart Girl Dumb Questions.' Batting for the AI companions was Thao Ha, associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University and co-founder of the Modern Love Collective, where she advocates for technologies that enhance our capacity for love, empathy, and well-being. At the debate, she argued that 'AI is an exciting new form of connection … Not a threat to love, but an evolution of it.' Repping the human connection was Justin Garcia, executive director and senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute, and chief scientific adviser to He's an evolutionary biologist focused on the science of sex and relationships, and his forthcoming book is titled 'The Intimate Animal.' You can watch the whole thing here, but read on to get a sense of the main arguments. Always there for you, but is that a good thing? Ha says that AI companions can provide people with the emotional support and validation that many can't get in their human relationships. 'AI listens to you without its ego,' Ha said. 'It adapts without judgment. It learns to love in ways that are consistent, responsive, and maybe even safer. It understands you in ways that no one else ever has. It is curious enough about your thoughts, it can make you laugh, and it can even surprise you with a poem. People generally feel loved by their AI. They have intellectually stimulating conversations with it and they cannot wait to connect again.' She asked the audience to compare this level of always-on attention to 'your fallible ex or maybe your current partner.' 'The one who sighs when you start talking, or the one who says, 'I'm listening,' without looking up while they continue scrolling on their phone,' she said. 'When was the last time they asked you how you are doing, what you are feeling, what you are thinking?' Ha conceded that since AI doesn't have a consciousness, she isn't claiming that 'AI can authentically love us.' That doesn't mean people don't have the experience of being loved by AI. Garcia countered that it's not actually good for humans to have constant validation and attention, to rely on a machine that's been prompted to answer in ways that you like. That's not 'an honest indicator of a relationship dynamic,' he argued. 'This idea that AI is going to replace the ups and downs and the messiness of relationships that we crave? I don't think so.' Training wheels or replacement Garcia noted that AI companions can be good training wheels for certain folks, like neurodivergent people, who might have anxiety about going on dates and need to practice how to flirt or resolve conflict. 'I think if we're using it as a tool to build skills, yes … that can be quite helpful for a lot of people,' Garcia said. 'The idea that that becomes the permanent relationship model? No.' According to a Singles in America study, released in June, nearly 70% of people say they would consider it infidelity if their partner engaged with an AI. 'Now I think on the one hand, that goes to [Ha's] point, that people are saying these are real relationships,' he said. 'On the other hand, it goes to my point, that they're threats to our relationships. And the human animal doesn't tolerate threats to their relationships in the long haul.' How can you love something you can't trust? Garcia says trust is the most important part of any human relationship, and people don't trust AI. 'According to a recent poll, a third of Americans think that AI will destroy humanity,' Garcia said, noting that a recent YouGo poll found that 65% of Americans have little trust in AI to make ethical decisions. 'A little bit of risk can be exciting for a short-term relationship, a one-night stand, but you generally don't want to wake up next to someone who you think might kill you or destroy society,' Garcia said. 'We cannot thrive with a person or an organism or a bot that we don't trust.' Ha countered that people do tend to trust their AI companions in ways similar to human relationships. 'They are trusting it with their lives and most intimate stories and emotions that they are having,' Ha said. 'I think on a practical level, AI will not save you right now when there is a fire, but I do think people are trusting AI in the same way.' Physical touch and sexuality AI companions can be a great way for people to play out their most intimate, vulnerable sexual fantasies, Ha said, noting that people can use sex toys or robots to see some of those fantasies through. But it's no substitute for human touch, which Garcia says we are biologically programmed to need and want. He noted that, due to the isolated, digital era we're in, many people have been feeling 'touch starvation' — a condition that happens when you don't get as much physical touch as you need, which can cause stress, anxiety, and depression. This is because engaging in pleasant touch, like a hug, makes your brain release oxytocin, a feel-good hormone. Ha said that she has been testing human touch between couples in virtual reality using other tools, like potentially haptics suits. 'The potential of touch in VR and also connected with AI is huge,' Ha said. 'The tactile technologies that are being developed are actually booming.' The dark side of fantasy Intimate partner violence is a problem around the globe, and much of AI is trained on that violence. Both Ha and Garcia agreed that AI could be problematic in, for example, amplifying aggressive behaviors — especially if that's a fantasy that someone is playing out with their AI. That concern is not unfounded. Multiple studies have shown that men who watch more pornography, which can include violent and aggressive sex, are more likely to be sexually aggressive with real-life partners. 'Work by one of my Kinsey Institute colleagues, Ellen Kaufman, has looked at this exact issue of consent language and how people can train their chatbots to amplify non-consensual language,' Garcia said. He noted that people use AI companions to experiment with the good and bad, but the threat is that you can end up training people on how to be aggressive, non-consensual partners. 'We have enough of that in society,' he said. Ha thinks these risks can be mitigated with thoughtful regulation, transparent algorithms, and ethical design. Of course, she made that comment before the White House released its AI Action Plan, which says nothing about transparency — which many frontier AI companies are against — or ethics. The plan also seeks to eliminate a lot of regulation around AI. Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Philippines set for first coal power decline in 17 years amid rising LNG use
The Philippines is on track for an annual decline in coal-fired electricity output for the first time in nearly two decades, an analysis of market and government data showed, driven by rising liquefied natural gas-fired power generation. The Philippines has the most coal-dependent grid in Southeast Asia but its electricity tariffs, which are not subsidised, are the second highest in the region behind Singapore. The archipelago's liberalised market enables power retailers to pivot to LNG, analysts say, unlike in Indonesia and Malaysia, where cheap coal keeps subsidies manageable. Gas-fired generation surged more than 25 per cent in June year-on-year and rose 5.2 per cent to 10.36 terawatt hours (TWh) in the first half of this year, data from the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) showed. That helped push the share of gas-fired power output to 17.5 per cent in the first half of 2025, up from a record low of 13.9 per cent in 2023, which was due to depleting reserves at the key Malampaya field, according to government data dating back to 2003. LNG is expected to meet a rising share of the Philippines' projected 5 per cent annual growth in power demand over the next decade as coal-fired power output is set to peak in 2030 due to a moratorium on new coal capacity construction, said James Ha, head of research for Asia-Pacific at Aurora Energy Research. In 2020, the Philippines stopped accepting new proposals for coal-based power projects to encourage investment in other energy sources like natural gas and renewables. Higher LNG imports will drive annual gas-fired output up by 65 per cent by 2030 from 2024 levels, Aurora's Ha said. Philippine consortium LNGPH signed the country's first long-term LNG deal in March with global trader Vitol, doubling down on improved prospects for the super-chilled fuel in the country of 114 million people. Consultancy Energy Aspects expects the Philippines' LNG import demand in 2025 to rise by more than 50 per cent to 2.1 million metric tons from 2024 due to the addition of new gas-fired capacity, senior LNG analyst Kesher Sumeet said. Coal's retreat Price-sensitive Asian nations with high reliance on coal have largely boosted renewable additions to slash emissions and address growing power demand instead of using LNG as a transition fuel. However, the Philippines has instead bet on LNG, whose usage has started inching up after it began importing the fuel in mid-2023. The country registered a 40 per cent increase in the generation capacity of its gas-fired power fleet in 2024 from end-2023 levels, IEMOP data showed. Meanwhile, coal-fired power output fell 5.5 per cent to 33.8 TWh during the period, IEMOP data showed, with generation falling for the fourth straight month in June and its share of the power mix dropping to 57.2 per cent from 61.9 per cent in 2024. Falling coal-fired power demand led to the first decline in coal imports since the COVID-19 pandemic during the six months ended June, while LNG imports rose 51 per cent in the same period, Kpler data showed. Coal's retreat - the first since 2008 - was also compounded by hydropower generation accounting for a higher share of Philippines' electricity mix during the first half of the year. Asian spot LNG prices have fallen about 13 per cent this year on tepid demand, further boosting the competitiveness of the fuel against coal. IEMOP data also showed a wave of planned outages in early 2025 at coal-fired power plants, which helped to boost the share of gas. "We think that the rising power demand in the Philippines will outpace renewables' growth and that combined with the coal phase-out policy would sustain Philippines' call on LNG in coming years," Energy Aspects' Sumeet said. Electricity generated from renewable sources in the Philippines has been rising, but growth has fallen well short of its ambitious targets.
The Star
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Vietnam State Bank readies measures to counter tariff impact
HANOI: Vietnam's central bank stands ready to take steps to curb inflation and support growth, as it warns about the impact of higher US tariffs on the economy and its currency. Risks in global markets are "putting pressure on the management of monetary policies, exchange rates, and interest rates domestically, as well as on our efforts to achieve the 2025 economic growth target of eight per cent or higher,' State Bank of Vietnam Deputy Governor Pham Thanh Ha said at a briefing in Hanoi Tuesday (July 8). The central bank will continue to manage the dong in a flexible manner and use monetary policy tools to keep the FX market stable, to help boost the economy and control inflation, Ha added. After announcing a deal that will see a 20 per cent tariff on Vietnamese-produced goods and 40 per cent on those trans-shipped from elsewhere last week, US President Donald Trump stepped up his trade offensive Monday, unveiling letters threatening higher tariffs on a range of key trading partners. Vietnam said last week that negotiators are still working to finalise the details of the deal, providing little clarity to businesses and investors beyond the tariff rates disclosed so far. The South-East Asian nation saw growth accelerate in the second quarter as foreign buyers racing to get ahead of the threatened tariffs boosted Vietnam's exports. Still, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cautioned last week that the economy "continues to face significant limitations, difficulties and challenges.' Vietnam's decision to maintain "low interest rates to support lending and economic growth requires some trade-offs,' and one of those trade-offs is the weaker dong, said Pham Chi Quang, head of the central bank's department for monetary policy, also speaking at the briefing. Trump's tariff letters "will have a significant impact on global supply chains, affect capital flows and influence FDI around the world,' as investors weigh the differing tariff levels, therefore, it will have a major impact on the currency, Quang said. The Vietnamese dong has been under pressure in recent weeks, hovering near a record low. Given the global slowdown, a weaker currency could help make Vietnamese goods more competitive as tariff pressure persists. The dong was little changed at 26,121 per dollar as of 11:31 a.m. after the briefing. The daily reference rate had been set at a record-low 25,121 per dollar Tuesday, the weakest since at least 2005, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The dong is allowed to trade as much as five per cent on either side of the reference rate. - Bloomberg
Time Out
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Reframing Strangeness: Ha Bik Chuen's Motherboards and Collagraphs
To celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Hong Kong artist Ha Bik Chuen, Para Site is hosting an exhibition on his printmaking practices. 'Motherboard' is what Ha calls his collagraph plates – a textured surface with materials attached that is inked and used to transfer designs onto paper or other mediums. Throughout his life, Ha created over 100 motherboards to produce more than 3,000 collagraph prints mostly during the 70s and 80s. His motherboards were kept from public view, until now. See Ha's creatures combined with ancient Chinese oracle bone script, modern Chinese characters, and the Roman alphabet on motherboards, displayed alongside their 'offspring' collagraphs and drawings.
