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Jun Ji-hye

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Hello, I am Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at The Korea Times. I primarily cover financial authorities and write articles on a wide range of topics related to finance and capital markets. If you have any information to share, feel free to email me at jjh@koreatimes.co.kr, and I will review it carefully. I am committed to always doing my best to communicate with readers through high-quality articles.

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Health

Why Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate is so low

An elderly citizen receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeKorea is lagging behind some other countries in COVID-19 vaccinations apparently due to its failure to preemptively secure vaccines, in addition to the comparatively low competitiveness of domestic pharmaceutical companies in new medicine development. According to the latest data collated by the University of Oxford-based Our World in Data, the government has administered vaccines to 1.66 percent of the Korean population as of March 30, a little over a month after the country's vaccination program began Feb. 26.This ranked Korea 111th in the world with regard to the share of people having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.Israel, which began vaccinations Dec. 19, with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving the Pfizer vaccine and becoming the first Israeli citizen to be inoculated, has a rate of 60.5 percent.The vaccination rate in the United Kingdom, which was the first in the world to begin COVID-19 vaccinations De

Apr 1, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Why Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate is so low
  • New COVID-19 cases above 500 for 2nd day; loosened vigilance hampering virus fight
  • Korea begins inoculating elderly aged 75 and older
Global Community

Korea to ease visa rules for skilled foreign IT, R&D workers

Getty Images BankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government will ease visa rules for foreign workers in R&D and new industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) to more actively attract skilled foreign professionals as part of measures to secure a competitive edge in the rapidly changing global industry ecosystem, officials said Wednesday.The government will also create a “digital nomad visa” that would allow skilled foreign IT workers to stay here even if they do not work for companies based in Korea. A foreigners' policy committee chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun finalized the decisions during a meeting earlier in the day, saying the measures, which will be pursued this year, will also be aimed at bracing for a continued decrease in Korea's population, accompanied by a growing number of elderly people, resulting in declines in the number of workers.Members of the committee included the justice minister as well as vice ministers from the education ministry, foreign ministry and science ministry.The committee said the government will grant additional points in visa screen

Mar 31, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Korea to ease visa rules for skilled foreign IT, R&D workers
Health

Korea faces setbacks in securing COVID-19 vaccines, achieving herd immunity by Nov.

A medical worker puts boxes of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in a freezer at a vaccination center in Seongdong District, Seoul, Tuesday. The vaccines will be administered to elderly citizens aged 75 or older. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeKorea is facing possible setbacks in carrying out its COVID-19 vaccination program as planned, due to unstable supply of vaccines amid growing competition between countries to secure the products.India, a major supplier of the AstraZeneca vaccine, has decided to curtail exports of the vaccines to meet domestic demand as infections have been rising in the country, triggering difficulties for many other nations in securing vaccines, according to Reuters.In addition, Novavax has also reportedly delayed the signing of a contract with the European Union to supply its vaccines, citing a lack of some raw materials. Health authorities here are paying keen attention to the possibility that these situations could exert an adverse influence on the country's vaccination program, which began on Feb. 26 with an aim of administering vaccines to 12 million people by the first hal

Mar 30, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Korea faces setbacks in securing COVID-19 vaccines, achieving herd immunity by Nov.
  • New virus cases back above 400 as cluster infections continue
Travel & Food

6 stays where you can work and relax

Demand for “workcations,” defined as enjoying both work and relaxation at hotels, has been on the rise amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged people more than ever to work from homes, hotels and other accommodations, to reduce physical contact with others.This has increased demand for “workcations,” a coined term that combines “work” and “vacation,” and is defined as enjoying both work and relaxation.Booking.com, a leading online travel platform, said its Future of Travel survey conducted last year on 1,000 Korean travelers showed that over 35 percent of respondents have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to get some work done in a new location.Keeping in mind this evolving trend, the company has introduced a new Work-Friendly badge to highlight 4.5 million worldwide accommodations equipped with work-friendly features such as Wi-Fi and a dedicated desk space when ticking the “I'm traveling for work” option in a property search. Here

Mar 30, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
6 stays where you can work and relax
Travel & Food

'Domestic flights departing on Tuesdays are cheapest'

Dolhareubang, a stone statue cited as a symbol of Jeju Island, stands near a beach of the resort island. Global travel search engine Kayak said the Seoul-Jeju route was the most-searched domestic route by Korean users amid continued overseas travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of KayakBy Jun Ji-hyeTickets for domestic flights departing on Tuesdays are the cheapest compared to others, while tickets for flights departing on Fridays, when the weekend begins, are the most expensive, according to global travel search engine Kayak.The findings were the results of the company's analysis on its flight search data from Nov. 1 last year to Jan. 31.Kayak carried out the analysis as demand for domestic travel has increased due to COVID-19 pandemic-induced travel restrictions around the world.According to the data, searches for domestic flights last year increased by 11 percent compared to 2019. Korea reported its first case of COVID-19 in January last year.The company said the most-searched domestic route by users during the three-month period was the Seoul-Jeju route,

Mar 30, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
'Domestic flights departing on Tuesdays are cheapest'
Health

Rescue dogs to get better medical treatment

gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeRescue dogs that have been playing important roles for emergency teams nationwide will receive more systematic medical treatment and healthcare services through an agreement between the National 119 Rescue Headquarters and the Armed Force Medical Science Research Institute.The National Fire Agency said Sunday that the two institutes signed the agreement on March 25.Rescue dogs have been specially trained to perform duties such as finding people in scenes of fires or tracking down missing persons trapped in natural disaster areas or deep within mountainous areas.The Armed Forces Medical Science Research Institute is based under the Armed Forces Medical Command.Under the agreement, the rescue headquarters and the research institute will enhance their cooperation in healthcare and medical treatment for rescue dogs and share relevant documents and information.So far, privately run animal hospitals have been contracted to treat rescue dogs, the fire agency said, noting that the latest agreement will enable the dogs to receive more systematic healthcare and trea

Mar 29, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Rescue dogs to get better medical treatment
Health

Korea to institute vaccination leave beginning April 1

People receive COVID-19 testing at a makeshift testing site near Seoul Station, Sunday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government decided to institute “vaccination leave,” beginning from April 1, to ensure people suffering from immune responses after getting their COVID-19 vaccine shots have time to recover, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced, Sunday. The decision was finalized during a government meeting earlier in the day, attended by Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol, Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap and Personnel Management Minister Kim Woo-Ho.The headquarters said those who undergo adverse reactions such as fever, headache and muscle pain after getting their vaccine shots will be able to receive one-day leave the day after vaccination. A doctor's note would not be necessary when the application for the leave is made.“Those who continue to suffer abnormal reactions can take an additional one-day leave,” an official from the headquarters said, noting that the decision was made as most people see improvement in symptoms within 48 hours. Bu

Mar 28, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Korea to institute vaccination leave beginning April 1
Companies

20 years of Incheon airport: from opening to becoming world-class airport

A Korean Air plane takes off from Incheon International Airport in this undated photo. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Corp.Incheon airport to mark 20th anniversary March 29By Jun Ji-hyeIncheon International Airport, which opened on March 29, 2001, with an aim of becoming the hub of Northeast Asian air traffic, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next Monday. Though the airport has been facing difficulties since last year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it had continued its high growth since opening, showing an average annual growth rate of 8 percent in terms of the number of users on the back of rapid increases in demand for air travel, until right up to the virus outbreak.The airport has also played a role as the country's main gateway, with 77.6 percent of international passengers from and to Korea in 2019 having used it.The country first came up with the idea of constructing a new international airport in the Seoul metropolitan area, in addition to the existing Gimpo International Airport, in November 1992. After that, some 5.6 trillion won ($4.96 billion) was i

Mar 24, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
20 years of Incheon airport: from opening to becoming world-class airport
Politics

Public rejecting ruling bloc ahead of by-elections

By Jun Ji-hyeCandidates from opposition parties are leading those from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) by big margins in races for the April 7 mayoral by-elections in both Seoul and Busan, according to opinion polls. The support rates for President Moon Jae-in and the ruling DPK also hit the lowest, showing the public is not in favor of the ruling bloc's policies.The latest survey of 1,002 voters in Seoul, conducted on Friday and Saturday by pollster Ipsos, showed that both Oh Se-hoon, Seoul mayoral candidate from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the minor opposition People's Party who is also running for the post, are leading the DPK's candidate Park Young-sun, significantly outside the margin of error, in a hypothetical two-way race for the Seoul mayoral by-election.Oh Se-hoon, the main opposition People Power Party's candidate for the Seoul mayoral election, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, Monday. YonhapIn a bid to increase the chances of the opposition bloc winning the upcoming election, Oh and Ahn

Mar 22, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Public rejecting ruling bloc ahead of by-elections
Health

Seoul City withdraws COVID-19 testing order for foreign residents

People including foreign residents wait in a long line at a makeshift COVID-19 testing center in front of Guro Station in Seoul, Friday, to undergo testing. Controversy has intensified over Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province's administrative orders forcing all foreign workers to undergo COVID-19 testing, with critics calling the orders “racial discrimination.” YonhapHuman rights watchdog launches investigation into alleged racial discriminationBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday withdrew its controversial administrative order forcing all foreign workers in the capital region to undergo COVID-19 testing, after having faced mounting criticism over alleged discrimination and violations of foreign residents' human rights. The city said its order, issued on Wednesday, was changed to an “advisory” for foreign workers to receive a test by the end of the month if their workplaces have a high risk of infection.Workplaces with high risk of infection refer to concentrated, closed and confined environments. “The advisory also applies to Koreans wo

Mar 19, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Seoul City withdraws COVID-19 testing order for foreign residents
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