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Lee Hyo-jin

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.

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Society

Labor union protests police raid on espionage suspects

Members of the Korea Confederation of Trade Union hold a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, condemning the Yoon Suk Yeol administration for raiding its offices over alleged espionage speculations. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea's major umbrella labor union strongly condemned the government on Thursday after its offices were raided by police and the spy agency the previous day. The labor union threatened to stage a nationwide strike in response to what it views as the persecution of labor union activities. On Wednesday morning, the National Police Agency (NPA) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) raided nearly a dozen of the Korea Confederation of Trade Union's (KCTU) offices over alleged espionage activities linked to North Korea.The NIS said it had obtained a search and seizure warrant from the court for the labor union on charges of violation of the National Security Act. Along with the KCTU headquarters in central Seoul and the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union office on Yeouido, the authorities simultaneously raided the KIA Motor workers' union off

Jan 19, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Labor union protests police raid on espionage suspects
Society

Dispute escalates between street vendors and Chinese school in Myeong-dong

Remains of stalls that were demolished overnight by construction workers hired by Seoul Chinese Primary School are seen in a street in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukSeven vendors' stalls demolished overnight following land-use conflicts with schoolBy Lee Hyo-jinSeveral streetside eateries and stores in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, were demolished overnight following a monthslong dispute with a Chinese school located nearby. The vendors are crying foul over the school's move, arguing that it illegally tore down their property. But the school claims that the merchants had been doing business on their land without legal permits.On early Monday morning, owners of seven stores selling food and accessories along an alley of the shopping district were horrorstruck to see their stalls left in ruins.According to the Jung District Office, the demolition was conducted overnight by construction workers hired by Seoul Chinese Primary School, also known as Hanseong Chinese Primary School, located right next to the vendors. Established in 1909, the educational institu

Jan 18, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Dispute escalates between street vendors and Chinese school in Myeong-dong
Health

Indoor mask mandate likely to be dropped from Jan. 30

People are seen wearing face masks at a bookstore in Seoul, Monday. The government this Friday will announce detailed measures on the lifting of the indoor mask mandate. YonhapGov't to announce Friday when mask requirement will be liftedBy Lee Hyo-jin The indoor mask mandate, which has been in place for over two years in Korea, is highly likely to be removed at the end of January, after the Lunar New Year holidays which run from Jan. 21 to 24. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will announce detailed measures Friday on when and how the mask rule will be phased out. In the first stage of the phase-out, which is likely to begin from Jan. 30, mask-wearing in public places will no longer be mandatory, but rather, just a recommendation ― except for high-risk facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and public transport.Such plans were discussed during an advisory panel meeting on the government's COVID-19 response measures held Tuesday afternoon. During the meeting, medical experts overall agreed that it is time for Korea to remove the mask mandate as the country seems to have passed t

Jan 18, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Indoor mask mandate likely to be dropped from Jan. 30
Health

Gov't urged to bring in foreign caregivers to tackle shortage of workers

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being urged by operators of nursing facilities to ease visa rules and attract more foreign nationals to work as caregivers here as the country grapples with an increasing shortage of paid caretakers amid a rapidly aging population.Caregivers are hired to assist the elderly and sick people either in their homes or at nursing facilities. Their responsibilities range from helping them dress, eat, wash and change their diapers.As the physically and emotionally challenging job is being shunned by young Koreans, the country is already largely dependent on foreign workers, with ethnic Koreans of Chinese nationality (called Joseon-jok in Korean) currently accounting for one-third of the caregivers at nursing homes.Operators of nursing hospitals believe that the government should open the door to foreign workers from Southeast Asian countries for instance to address the labor shortage which often leads to increased costs of care. “It has long become impossible for nursing homes to secure enough caregivers by relying solely on Korean nation

Jan 16, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't urged to bring in foreign caregivers to tackle shortage of workers
Society

Cold snap to grip nation following heavy snow

Hangyeryeong in Yangyang County, a mountainous region in Gangwon Province, is blanketed with heavy snow, Sunday. Courtesy of Yangyang CountyBy Lee Hyo-jin Heavy snowfall has blanketed the mountainous regions in Gangwon Province and the eastern coastline, Sunday, triggering the government to mobilize the emergency response system. As of 3 p.m., mountainous regions in Gangwon Province, such as Misiryeong of Mount Seorak were piled under 57 centimeters of snow, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Other regions in the province saw between five to 40 centimeters of snow, prompting the state weather agency to issue a snow advisory.The Ministry of the Interior and Safety issued a Level 1 emergency response for the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, putting it into emergency work mode in mountainous areas of Gangwon, while raising the alert level to “caution” from “attention.”The authorities have ramped up efforts to prevent possible damage from the snow, but the heavy fall led to severe traffic disruptions on highways an

Jan 15, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Cold snap to grip nation following heavy snow
  • PHOTOS Eastern region of Korea sees heavy snowfall
Health

Will Korea lift mask mandate before Lunar New Year holiday?

A sign displayed inside a building in Seoul reads that visitors are required to wear face masks, Dec. 7, 2022. YonhapGov't to hold meeting with experts Tuesday to discuss easing mask mandateBy Lee Hyo-jin The government remains prudent over scrapping the indoor mask mandate despite its previous plans to review relaxing the measures actively once the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations enter a stable downward trend. The number of new infections and critical cases have been showing a declining trend over the last couple of weeks, with 32,570 daily cases reported for Saturday, marking the lowest figure for a Saturday in three months. The number of patients in critical condition came to 499, falling below the 500-benchmark in 29 days since marking 468 on Dec. 17. The fatality rate stands at 0.11 percent.Korea is currently the only country among OECD member states requiring masks to be worn in all indoor spaces after the measure was implemented in October 2020. Earlier in December, the government announced that, if two out of four criteria are met, masks will no longer be a requ

Jan 15, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Will Korea lift mask mandate before Lunar New Year holiday?
Health

Korean gov't refutes claims of discrimination against Chinese travelers

Travelers from China register for COVID-19 tests at a screening center in Incheon International Airport, Jan. 2. Korea Times photo by Ha Sang-yoonBy Lee Hyo-jin The Ministry of Health and Welfare has refuted claims raised by Chinese media that travelers from China are subject to “insulting” treatment on arrival here, such as being locked up in a dark room, due to Korea's strengthened entry measures.Under tightened COVID-19 restrictions, travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau who plan to stay in Korea for 90 days or less should take a PCR test at the airport. Those who test positive must undergo seven days of isolation at a government-designated facility.The Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Chinese government, wrote on Wednesday that Korea's measures against Chinese travelers are “insulting” and “only target Chinese people.” Citing Chinese internet users, it claimed that travelers who were refused entry were taken to a small, dark room for “detention,” and that the conditions in the quarantine facilities were very poor, without beds

Jan 12, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean gov't refutes claims of discrimination against Chinese travelers
  • China should not restrict arrivals for reasons beyond COVID-19 response measures: foreign ministry
Health

Health ministry pushes to raise medical student quota despite backlash from doctors

Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong speaks during a briefing at Government Complex Seoul, Monday, about the ministry's New Year policy plans submitted to President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier in the day. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The Ministry of Health and Welfare and medical groups are at loggerheads over the government's proposal to increase the medical student quota, a plan which the government had previously retracted following fierce protests from doctors in 2020.The thorny issue was brought up again in the ministry's New Year policy briefing to President Yoon Suk Yeol, Monday, promising to speed up discussions with the medical community on its plan to raise the quota to deal with a looming shortage of physicians in Korea.The admissions quota across 40 medical schools in the country has remained unchanged after it was set at 3,058 in 2006, whereas the quota for nursing schools doubled to over 23,000 during the same period.Health authorities view that the fixed quota is largely responsible for the shortage of doctors in Korea.As of 2020, the number of physicians in Korea ― excluding traditional Ko

Jan 11, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Health ministry pushes to raise medical student quota despite backlash from doctors
Health

Health ministry seeks speedy pension reform

President Yoon Suk Yeol gives an opening speech during a joint New Year policy briefing by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, held at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press CorpsPresident stresses inclusive welfare policies By Lee Hyo-jin The Ministry of Health and Welfare will expedite its pension reform plan, which has been set as one of the Yoon Suk yeol administration's top three agendas for this year, along with labor and education.During a New Year's policy briefing to the president, Monday, Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong said his ministry will announce detailed estimates of the state-run pension fund by the end of this month, two months earlier than its initial plan to unveil the data in March.Based on the forecast, the ministry will lay out a comprehensive pension management plan to be submitted to the National Assembly by October. The reform plans will focus on achieving sustainabi

Jan 9, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Health ministry seeks speedy pension reform
Society

Russian asylum-seekers stranded in Incheon airport

From left, Andrey (an alias), Dzhashar Khubiev and Vladimir Maraktaev stand in the departures hall at Incheon International Airport, Jan. 3. The three are among five Russian men who arrived in Korea fleeing the Russian government's mobilization order to the war in Ukraine. The men are currently staying in the departure waiting room within the airport's duty free area after the Korean government rejected their refugee application. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulJustice ministry says avoiding military draft in one's home country is not valid reason for granting refugee statusBy Lee Hyo-jin Vladimir Maraktaev celebrated the first day of 2023 in the departures hall at Incheon International Airport, some 2,000 kilometers away from his home in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. It was the first time for the 23-year-old to spend New Year's Eve alone without family and friends. Instead of family gatherings and holiday feasts, he bought himself a cup of coffee for 5,000 won ($4) ― a luxury for Maraktaev who now has only a few dollars left in his pocket, having spent almost all of his savin

Jan 9, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Russian asylum-seekers stranded in Incheon airport
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