Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 20:41:37 EST

2000 03/16(¸ñ) 17:35

By Sah Dong-seok

Staff Reporter

More than 1,000 Korean women who were suffering from side effects from silicone breast implants lodged an appeal against the Dow Corning Corp., U.S. breast implant maker, at a higher U.S. court, after rejecting a settlement plan offered by the U.S. bankruptcy court in late November.

Kim Yeon-ho, a lawyer who is representing the Korean victims, said the first trial of the appeal will be held on April 13.

Dow Corning, which offered $3.2 billion to 177,000 women around the world who sued the company, wants to avoid a court battle and envisions giving Korean women only 35 percent of the total amount.

According to Kim, as many as 1,483 Korean women sued Dow Corning for damages related to the use of silicone breast implants in 1995. Of this total, 290 pulled out of the legal battle after being paid $725 each in December.

``About 1,200 Korean victims joined the appeals lawsuit against Dow Corning, which filed for bankruptcy in 1995 under the weight of the worldwide breast implant suits,'' Kim said.

Dow Corning cited Korea's medical technology levels and possible faulty surgical procedures as reasons for giving Korean women the lower amount of compensation. ``The Korean claimants joined forces with victims from Australia and New Zealand, among others, to lodge the appeals,'' Kim said.

Under the settlement plan, Korean victims were supposed to get compensation of between $1,200 and $25,000, depending on the severity of damages. In contrast, the plan proposed offering compensation of between $2,000 and $100,000 to American women who received breast surgery using Dow Corning's silicone implants.

Dow Corning's silicone breast implants caused many women around the world to suffer from side effects resulting from breast surgery. The side effects cited by the victims included partial hardening of the breasts, inflammation of joint and skin decay. The problems were largely associated with the rupturing, or leaking, of the implants.

Although silicone implants are widely known to cause health problems, the latest study reported that silicone breast implants are safe.

A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina recently said that from a public health point of view, breast implants appear to have minimal effects on the number of women who developed connective-tissue diseases.

The military yesterday announced a plan to press ahead with a no-smoking campaign to help soldiers enjoy a healthier life in the military barracks.

Under the plan, soldiers who succeed in quitting smoking will be given incentives such as more opportunities to stay out of the barracks.

All military units will also be forced to set up a smoking area to lessen the soldiers opportunity to smoke, a Defense Ministry official said.

At the same time, the sale of nicotine patches and other products to replace the addiction, will be increased, the official said.

``Smoking rates among soldiers are higher than those in the civilian sector. Furthermore, some begin smoking after being drafted owing to psychological pressures,'' the official said.

Currently, new conscripts are barred from smoking during the six-week post-conscription training period.