my timesThe Korea Times
lhj

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Society

Itaewon tragedy probe in limbo

Flowers and other memorial items are seen in the alley in Itaewon, Monday, where the massive crowd crush occurred on Oct. 29, killing 158 people. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPolice officer commits suicide as probe team tries to hold frontline officers accountable for Itaewon disasterBy Lee Hyo-jin Two weeks have passed since the launch of a police investigation into the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush, but little progress has been made so far. Criticism is mounting as the probe is targeting frontline police officers, rather than high-ranking decision-makers, such as police chiefs or the interior minister.As a special investigation team set up by the National Police Agency on Nov. 1 continues to look into related authorities to see if there were any inadequate responses before and during the crowd crush, a police officer under investigation was found dead in an apparent suicide.A senior intelligence officer at Yongsan Police Station surnamed Jeong was found dead at his home last Friday. He was one of the seven suspects being investigated in connection to the Itaewon disaster, alleg

Nov 14, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Itaewon tragedy probe in limbo
Society

Class action suit targets gov't negligence in Itaewon crowd disaster

Flowers are seen at a memorial altar for victims of the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush tragedy at Itaewon Station, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-jin Bereaved families of victims of the Itaewon crowd crush on Oct. 29 are moving to take class action against the government, seeking compensation over its botched prevention and response to the disaster.Good Lawyers, a Seoul-based law firm, is encouraging the families of the 156 who died in the tragedy to take part in the collective lawsuit against the central and local governments.“Grieving for the victims has been our top priority, but now that the facts about what happened that night are being disclosed, we cannot hold back our anger against the central and local governments' incompetence and their attempts to evade responsibility,” read the statement from the law firm.“Compensation claims against the state and local governments (Seoul Metropolitan Government and Yongsan District Office) are technically the only way victims and their bereaved families can exercise their legal rights,” it sa

Nov 11, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Class action suit targets gov't negligence in Itaewon crowd disaster
Society

How can overcrowding on Seoul's subways be resolved?

A platform at Sindorim Station on Seoul Metro lines 1 and 2 is crowded with morning commuters, Nov. 7. YonhapGov't urged to ease overcrowding on subways in wake of Itaewon disasterBy Lee Hyo-jin Notifying passengers about the density levels of each subway car and limiting the influx of passengers at the gate could be some feasible ways to resolve Seoul's extremely crowded subways during rush hour, according to experts, as the government scrambles to ease overcrowding on public transportation in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush. Potential dangers in crammed subways have come to attention after the Itaewon crowd disaster on the night of Oct. 29, which killed 156 people and injured numerous others. People have become increasingly anxious over packed subways in morning and evening commutes, where they often end up squashed up against one another and unable to move. A recent analysis by SK Telecom found that the average density between Guro and Guil Stations on line 1 around 6:40 p.m. is 252 percent. This means that approximately 403 passengers were on one car, 2.5 times higher than it

Nov 11, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
How can overcrowding on Seoul's subways be resolved?
Society

Police officers, firefighters protest against accusations of negligence

Choi Seong-beom, chief of Yongsan Fire Station, attends a meeting with lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea, held at the station, Wednesday. The police have booked Choi for alleged professional negligence resulting in deaths and injuries caused by the Itaewon crowd crush. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinPolice officers and firefighters are crying foul over accusations of negligence in their response to the Itaewon crowd crush disaster on the night of Oct. 29. They claim that they are being scapegoated by related authorities, and urged higher-level government officials to take responsibility instead of passing the buck on to others.Firefighters are strongly protesting after an independent investigation team at the National Police Agency booked Choi Seong-beom, chief of Yongsan Fire Station, for alleged professional negligence resulting in injuries and deaths. The probe team seeks to investigate why Choi did not swiftly issue a level 2 response order, which would have mobilized additional rescue resources from nearby stations.However, the firefighters claimed that Choi should not take the bl

Nov 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Police officers, firefighters protest against accusations of negligence
Defense

Retrieved debris of North Korean missile

Moon Hong-sik, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, gives a briefing at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul about retrieved debris from a missile that North Korea launched across its de facto maritime border with South Korea on Nov. 2. The ministry said the missile is presumed to be the "SA-5" similar to one used by Russia in the Ukraine war. Joint Press Corps

Nov 9, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Retrieved debris of North Korean missile
Health

Korea's emergency medical response to disasters needs improvement

Medical workers provide first aid to victims of the crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, Oct. 30. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin More lives could have been saved in the Itaewon crowd crush, had the country's emergency medical resources been mobilized more effectively, according to medical experts. They called for improvements to the medical response system in the wake of the tragic accident on Oct. 29, which killed at least 156 people and injured nearly 200. In particular, they pointed out the absence of a “control tower” to take charge and delegate tasks during emergencies, along with poor communication between related authorities such as the fire agency, medical personnel and law enforcers.Such problems were on display in screenshots of a group chat between the disaster-related authorities, which were disclosed by Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Wednesday.Around 1:39 a.m. on Oct. 30, an official of the fire department wrote, “We will transfer some 30 dead patients to Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital. Please check on the hospital's capacity.”

Nov 9, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's emergency medical response to disasters needs improvement
Global Community

Gov't prepares to set up migrant policy agency

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks during a National Assembly session, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinThe Ministry of Justice is speeding up its plan to establish a new government agency for migrant-related policies, with the aim of coming up with detailed measures by early 2023, according to the ministry, Tuesday. The ministry will create a task force under the supervision of the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) Commissioner, consisting of eight officials, which will draw up the detailed roles and size of the organization. The team will operate for six months from mid-November, and the duration may be extended if necessary.It will then submit the plan to the Ministry of Interior and Safety in early 2023, as launching a new government entity requires revisions to the Government Organization Law. Moreover, the task force will map out long-term immigration policy plans in cooperation with other relevant government departments and organizations, while spurring public discussions to gather various opinions on the establishment of the immigration agency.“The plan (on the establishmen

Nov 9, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't prepares to set up migrant policy agency
Society

Former Yongsan Police head charged with negligence in Itaewon tragedy

In this surveillance camera footage, Lee Im-jae, former head of Yongsan Police Station walks on the streets of Itaewon around 11:00 p.m., Oct. 29, heading to the scene of a massive crowd crush. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Lee Im-jae, the former head of Yongsan Police Station, has been charged with professional negligence resulting in deaths and injuries following allegations about his belated, botched response to the massive crowd crush that occurred in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 29, according to an independent investigative team at the National Police Agency, Monday. Lee was temporarily removed from his post, Nov. 2, three days after the disaster on Halloween weekend killed 156 people and injured nearly 200.Lee Im-jae, former head of Yongsan Police Station / Korea Times fileSurveillance footage disclosed on Sunday shows Lee walking to the scene of the tragedy with his hands behind his back at around 11 p.m., while dozens of victims were lying on the ground receiving CPR following the fatal crowd accident which was first reported to police at around 10:15 p.m.According to the police, Lee

Nov 7, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Former Yongsan Police head charged with negligence in Itaewon tragedy
  • President vows police reforms over Itaewon tragedy
  • Yongsan police officer found dead amid investigation into Itaewon tragedy
Society

How emergency communication system failed in Itaewon disaster

Police officers inspect the scene of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, Oct. 30. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin While an intensive investigation of the massive crowd crush in Itaewon is underway, communication failures between the government's emergency-related agencies are being pointed to as one of the major reasons behind the government's inadequate response to the disaster. At least 156 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in the crowd crush that occurred during the Halloween festivities in Itaewon, Yongsan District in Seoul, on the night of Oct. 29.In a recent briefing, the Ministry of Interior and Safety admitted that the government's communication network did not work properly during the crowd disaster. Dubbed “Korea safe net,” the system was launched in 2021 after it was drawn up in the wake of the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014, which killed 304 people.A total of 1.5 trillion won ($1.06 billion) was allocated to setting up the single network which enables real-time communication between eight disaster-related agencies, including the police, fire department, m

Nov 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
How emergency communication system failed in Itaewon disaster
Health

Korea expands updated COVID-19 vaccines amid resurgence concerns

Vials of Cominarty, Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA. 5 subvariants of Omicron are displayed in this photo. Courtesy of Korea Disease Control and Prevention AgencyBy Lee Hyo-jin Starting Monday, the administration of Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 vaccines targeting the BA.1 subvariant of Omicron will be expanded to people aged 18 and above amid growing concerns over a resurgence of infections this winter.The single booster dose of the updated vaccine can be administered four months after completion of a primary vaccination or infection, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The government had previously begun providing updated vaccines developed by Moderna to people in high-risk groups such as those aged 60 and above, as well as workers and residents in nursing homes.The expansion comes as the spread of the coronavirus has apparently stopped slowing down with signs of a potential resurgence this winter. The KDCA reported 36,675 new infections for Saturday, a slight decrease after the country saw over 40,000 daily infections in the previous th

Nov 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea expands updated COVID-19 vaccines amid resurgence concerns
previous page
108109110111112
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.