Korea

June 16, 2025

The Japanese/Korean partial repeat of the U.S. National Toxicology Project’s (NTP) RF–animal cancer study has been hit by delays. The project is two years behind schedule, with results now not expected before the middle of next year.

“We hope we will present our data” next summer at the BioEM 2026 conference in Australia, Professor Katsumi Imaida of Kagawa University, the leader of the Japanese team, told Microwave News via email. The international NTP validation project —nicknamed “NTP Lite”— is in its “final stages,” he wrote.

The project was launched in 2019 to confirm or counter the $30+ million NTP animal study, which showed “clear evidence” that RF radiation can cause cancer in rats.

October 10, 2024

“Relationship Between RF-EMR from Cellular Phones and Brain Tumor: Meta-Analyses Using Various Proxies for RF-EMR Exposure-Outcome Assessment,” Environmental Health, October 10, 2024. “In this meta-analysis, as the applied exposure subcategories became more concrete, the pooled ORs showed more increased values with statistical significance.”

March 12, 2024

“NTP Lite”: Update from Japan

The Japanese group running a partial repeat of the NTP RF cancer study has not observed genotoxic effects among male rats exposed to 900 MHz CDMA radiation at 4 W/Kg, according to a paper to be presented tomorrow at the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology in Salt Lake City, UT (SOT2024).

The analysis of the cancer data is ongoing and will not be reported.

June 16, 2023

Korean NTP Lite: Progress Report

A Korean RF genotoxicology study —part of a joint project with Japan— has been delayed due to the unexpected death of four of the RF–exposed rats early in the accompanying two-year cancer experiment, according to Young Hwan Ahn of Ajou University medical school.

Ahn presented a progress report on the Korean arm of the project in Geneva last week at a meeting of the WHO EMF Project’s International Advisory Committee. Microwave News has obtained a copy of Ahn’s PowerPoint presentation.

March 29, 2023

“Epigenetic Modification of Gene Expression in Cancer Cells by Terahertz Demethylation,” Scientific Reports, March 26, 2023. “THz radiation can affect biological activity in living cells, although it is non-ionizing radiation that does not damage DNA sequences...THz demethylation...may have potential applications in molecular therapy for cancer.” From Korea. Open access.

March 15, 2023

“The Relationship Between RF EMF Radiation from Cell Phones and Brain Tumor: The Brain Tumor Incidence Trends in South Korea,” Environmental Research, March 10, 2023. Meningioma rates in South Korea went up by >35%/year from 1999 to 2018. Is that all attributable to better detection or might RF radiation from wireless phones play a part?

December 12, 2022

IARC Will Soon Reassess RF Cancer Risk — Or Maybe Not

On November 23, 2002, Elisabete Weiderpass, the Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), revealed that a new assessment of the evidence linking radiofrequency (RF) radiation to cancer would likely take place in early 2024. A formal decision could come within a few months.

Calls for a new IARC evaluation have been mounting for some years following the release of two large animal studies showing elevated tumor counts after lifelong exposure to RF radiation.

June 1, 2022

“Human Magnetic Sense Is Mediated by a Light and Magnetic Field Resonance‐Dependent Mechanism,” Scientific Reports, May 30, 2022. Establishes “the existence of a human magnetic sense to the geomagnetic field.” But, at least in this experiment, magnetic orientation was seen in men but not in women.

September 21, 2021

“Mobile Phone Use and Time Trend of Brain Cancer Incidence Rate in Korea,” Bioelectromagnetics, September 20, 2021. Lots to chew over here.

August 5, 2021

“Effects of Mobile Phone Usage on Sperm Quality — No Time-Dependent Relationship on Usage: A Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis,” Environmental Research, November 2021. Long-term use of a cell phone “is a factor that must be considered as a cause of sperm quality reduction.”

May 15, 2021

“Exposure to ELF Magnetic Fields and Childhood Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” PLoS One, May 14, 2021. Significant associations were observed between exposure to ELF-MFs and childhood leukemia. Furthermore, a possible dose-response effect was also observed.”

November 23, 2020

Public Shut Out of GlobalRF Health Briefing

An international briefing on RF health research, known as GLORE 2020, was held online, November 9-12, featuring updates on the second phase of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) project and the Japanese-Korean partial repeat. The WHO presented a status report on ten ongoing systematic reviews of RF health effects.

Government and industry representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. participated, as did an assortment of academics. The public was not invited.

Everything about GLORE 2020 is being kept secret.

November 2, 2020

“Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, posted November 2, 2020.

“This comprehensive meta-analysis of case-control studies found evidence that linked cellular phone use to increased tumor risk.” An update to a 2009 meta-analysis by the same group.

June 11, 2020

“Continuous Exposure to 1.7 GHz LTE EMFs Increases Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species to Decrease Human Cell Proliferation and Induce Senescence,” Scientific Reports, June 8, 2020.

“The anti-proliferative effect of 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF on various human cells in this study suggests that the [such] exposure would be more harmful to children.” From Korea, open access.

May 6, 2019

Advisors for Japan, Korea NTP Repeat

The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is circulating a report on the partial replication of the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s RF–animal study, planned by Korean and Japanese officials. It includes the proposed candidates for the project’s International Steering Committee.

They are:
• Alexander Lerchl, Jacobs University, Germany
• ...

February 16, 2019

“Blue Light-Dependent Human Magnetoreception in Geomagnetic Food Orientation,” PLoS1, online February 14, 2019.

“Blue-light dependent human magnetoreception occurs in the eyes in a manner that appears to involve the brain and glucose.” From Korea; open access.

October 23, 2018

Japan and Korea Planning Their Own Cell Phone Animal Studies

Japanese and Korean officials are working on a partial replication of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) animal study on cancer risks from cell phone radiation. The project is expected to be approved and get underway late next year.

Though collaborating on a common experimental design, each country will carry out its own exposures with animals from the same breeder. If the designs are similar enough, the two sets of data will be combined in a joint analysis.

“We have been discussing this issue in Japan,” said Masao Taki of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Tokyo Metropolitan University, who was a member of ICNIRP from 1996 to 2008.

October 2, 2014

“EMFs Mediate Efficient Cell Reprogramming into a Pluripotent State,” ACS Nano, posted online September 23, 2014.

From a Korean-U.S. team: “Interestingly, our results show that [embryonic stem] cells and fibroblasts themselves are not significantly affected by EMF exposure; rather, cells undergoing dramatic epigenetic changes such as reprogramming seem to be uniquely susceptible to the effects of EMFs.” For additional background see this article from C&E News.

March 29, 2013

“Mobile Phone Use, Blood Lead Levels and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms in Children: A Longitudinal Study,” by a group in Korea, including Mina Ha, PLoS One, published March 21, 2013 (open access).

"The results showed an increased risk for ADHD symptoms in association with heavier voice call mobile phone use among children exposed to lead."

July 13, 2007

Koreans Again Link AM Radio to Childhood Leukemia

When the residents of the Oak Hill Park community in the Boston suburb of Newton fought the expansion of a local 5kW AM station, WNUR, they complained about radiofrequency interference (RFI)—to their telephones, stereos, VCRs, wheelchairs and baby monitors. They also objected to the possible effects on local wildlife, particularly to the blue-spotted salamander. And they worried about the visual blight posed by the towers.

What community activists hardly mentioned were the possible impacts on their health.

A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation

Korea: Microwave News Article Archive (2004 - )