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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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Sports

PHOTOS Undeterred by rain, Red Devils gather to cheer for Team Korea

Undeterred by rainy weather, football fans cheer for Team Korea at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, ahead of the national team's second group stage match against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Monday. The fan cheering event was organized by the Red Devils, the official fan club of the team. The authorities stepped up safety measures for street events as the state weather agency predicted up to 30 millimeters of rainfall per hour nationwide accompanied by lightning that night. YonhapTwo football fans wearing face paint depicting the national flag of Korea, left, and Ghana smile during a fan event at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Monday, as they wait for the match between the two countries to begin in Qatar. YonhapFootball fans wearing raincoats gather inside the fan zone at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Monday, ahead of the Korean national football team's World Cup match against Ghana in Qatar. YonhapA football fan holding the Korean flag watches a screen set up at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Monday, ahead of the country's World Cup match against Ghan

Nov 28, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
[PHOTOS] Undeterred by rain, Red Devils gather to cheer for Team Korea
  • Korea fight but full of regrets after Ghana loss
  • After loss to Ghana, Korea can still reach knockouts with win, help from others
Law & Crime

Absence of residential restrictions on sex offenders angers potential neighbors

Residents of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province hold a rally calling for eviction of serial rapist Park Byung-hwa, who is currently living there after being released from prison at the end of October. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting ten women between December 2002 and October 2007. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin Notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon's recent attempt to move his residence has infuriated residents of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, who are demanding his eviction from the city. The 70-year-old ex-convict, who has been living with his wife in Wa-dong in the city after being released from prison in December 2020, had recently signed a deal to rent a house in Seonbu-dong after his contract expired.His wife initially told the landlord that her husband is an ordinary office worker. But the landlord, who later discovered Cho's identity, immediately canceled the agreement. Cho served 12 years in prison after kidnapping and brutally raping an 8-year-old girl in 2007. Residents of Seonbu-dong, who strongly protested against the child rapist's attempt to move into their

Nov 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Absence of residential restrictions on sex offenders angers potential neighbors
Society

Police chief warns of stern measures if striking truckers overstep legal lines

Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, speaks to officers deployed at an inland container depot in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, amid a nationwide strike by unionized cargo truck drivers. Yoon warned of stern measures against illegal actions by striking truckers, such as blocking non-unionized drivers from entering logistics hubs. Starting Thursday, the unionized truckers under the wing of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions have launched an indefinite strike demanding the extension of a freight rate system guaranteeing minimum wages. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency

Nov 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Police chief warns of stern measures if striking truckers overstep legal lines
Society

Abortion remains stuck in legal gray area in Korea

gettyimagesbankPro-choice advocates call for insurance coverage of abortion, while doctors oppose itBy Lee Hyo-jin Despite a 2019 landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court decriminalizing abortion, legal abortion in Korea remains a controversial issue with no simple answers. Without detailed laws, women seeking the termination of pregnancy are walking a fine line between legal and illegal. According to government data, only about 3,000 “legal” surgical abortions are performed every year, but the total number of abortions is not known and presumed to be much higher.Technically, abortion was legalized following the aforementioned Constitutional Court ruling made in April 2019, which concluded that banning abortion in the early stages of pregnancy was a violation of the right to self-determination. The court viewed that abortion before the 22nd week of pregnancy should be decriminalized, saying that women's right to self-determination outweighs a fetus' right to life.After the country's 67-year-old anti-abortion law was declared unconstitutional, lawmakers were left to dec

Nov 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Abortion remains stuck in legal gray area in Korea
Society

Why this fall is unusually warm

People wearing short sleeves are seen walking in Namsan Park in Seoul, Nov. 20. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin With the unseasonably warm weather continuing in recent weeks, it's hard to believe that winter is just around the corner. Cold weather typically starts here in mid-November, but the country is seeing the warmest November in a decade.Tuesday was “Soseol,” which in Korean means “small snow,” and is one of the 24 seasonal divisions of the traditional Korean lunar calendar. According to the calendar, the season's first snow falls around this time of the year. But due to the higher-than-usual temperatures, the country saw rain instead. Additionally, the unseasonal blooming of spring flowers has been witnessed in southern regions.According to data from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the average maximum daily temperatures in Seoul from Nov. 1 to 20 this year stood at 16.7 degrees Celsius, the highest figure in a decade. The maximum daily temperature on Nov. 20 was 20.2 degrees Celsius, about 10 degrees Celsius higher than the average on the same days

Nov 23, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Why this fall is unusually warm
Politics

Korean Bar asks former Supreme Court justice to withdraw lawyer license application

Former Supreme Court justice Kwon Soon-il / Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-sukBy Lee Hyo-jin Former Supreme Court justice Kwon Soon-il has drawn strong backlash from the Korean Bar Association over his application for a lawyer license. The association viewed it inappropriate for the retired justice, who is undergoing probes linked with a previous verdict in favor of opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung. The bar association once again urged the 63-year-old former justice voluntarily to withdraw his application, Tuesday, considering the ongoing prosecutors' probe surrounding him.“Opening a law firm at this point in time would lead to public criticism throughout legal circles,” it said in a written letter to Kwon. It had sent a similar letter at the end of October calling on him to retract his decision to obtain the license following the application made on Sept. 26, which Kwon did not respond to.Under Korea's Attorney-at-law Act, the bar association may refuse to grant membership to applicants who have been subject to criminal prosecution or those who have been suspended or

Nov 22, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean Bar asks former Supreme Court justice to withdraw lawyer license application
Politics

DPK leader under pressure as probe zeroes in on him

Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has come under mounting pressure as corruption investigations surrounding him are intensifying following the arrests of his close aides. With the probe zeroing in on Lee, ruling party lawmakers are pressuring him to step down, while some DPK lawmakers are demanding official explanations from the party leader.“It has become highly possible that the black money earned from the Daejang-dong development scandal flowed into the hands of two people and was used in Lee's election campaigns for Seongnam mayor, primary and presidential elections,” Chung Jin-suk, incumbent chief of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), said Monday. He urged Lee to make a “decision” as the party leader to unshackle the DPK lawmakers who have so far been unified in their efforts to protect their leader. The “two people” Chung was referring to are Lee's confidants ― his vi

Nov 21, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
DPK leader under pressure as probe zeroes in on him
  • Gyeonggi provincial gov't raided in real estate development scandal probe
  • Prosecutors said to be tracking opposition leader's bank accounts
Health

Gov't offers incentives to bivalent vaccine recipients

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Peck Kyong-ran receives an updated vaccine developed by Pfizer at a hospital in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Nov. 14. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Starting Monday, people who receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine will be offered free tickets to traditional palaces as an incentive offered by the government to individuals getting a booster shot ahead of a possible surge in infections this winter.More than one month has passed since the government rolled out the bivalent vaccines targeting Omicron subvariants, but a mere 5.4 percent of eligible recipients have been inoculated as of Friday. The country is bracing for a surge in infections this winter, with the number of daily cases hovering at around 50,000 in recent days. The government predicts the figure to reach as high as 200,000 in the coming weeks.Against this backdrop, health authorities have decided to implement a “carrot and stick” approach to encourage people to roll up their sleeves for a bivalent vaccine dose that offers protection against BA.4 and BA.5 vari

Nov 20, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't offers incentives to bivalent vaccine recipients
Society

Standing passenger ban on Gyeonggi buses frustrates commuters

An intercity bus between Gyeonggi Province and Seoul passes a stop in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Friday morning. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A 30-year-old office worker surnamed Kim who travels from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to downtown Seoul on her morning commute, left home half an hour earlier than usual on Friday. After hearing that intercity buses would no longer accept standing passengers, she was nervous that she might be late for work. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to board a crammed bus, Kim barely made it on time.“Almost all seats were taken by the time the bus reached my stop,” she said. “I guess I should leave home at least 40 minutes earlier from now on. I hate standing in long lines in the cold weather, but I have no other choice.”Her frustration was felt by many other Gyeonggi Province residents who are experiencing inconveniences due to the provincial government's sudden ban imposed on standing passengers, a measure that was announced on Tuesday and implemented three days later. For commuters using intercity buses between the province an

Nov 20, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Standing passenger ban on Gyeonggi buses frustrates commuters
Politics

Opposition party leader entangled in multiple corruption allegations

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, gestures as he speaks during a media briefing at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Oct. 21. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun Prosecutors' investigations corner Lee Jae-myung after his key aides arrested on bribery chargesBy Lee Hyo-jin Lee Jae-myung's return to politics has been smooth. He won a National Assembly seat in the by-election held in June, merely three months after his defeat in the March 9 presidential election. He then became chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the main opposition and majority party controlling the National Assembly. Though it's been smooth sailing for his post-presidential election career, his fate as a politician is now being put to the test. He is implicated in multiple corruption allegations. If found guilty on any of the counts, the 57-year-old lawmaker's political career could come to an abrupt end.In recent months, the prosecutors' offices in Seoul,

Nov 16, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Opposition party leader entangled in multiple corruption allegations
  • Arrest warrant sought for opposition leader's 'right-hand man' over bribery charges
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