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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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INTERVIEW Danish adoptees demand Korean gov't to probe dark past of exporting babies

Peter Moller, co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group pauses during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Sept. 30. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Adoptees say their documents are riddled with misinformation, fabricationsBy Lee Hyo-jin Peter Moller, 48, who was adopted to Denmark from South Korea in 1974, reached out to Korean adoption agency Holt International for the first time in 2011 to search for his roots.Holt initially told the Danish adoptee that he was born in Seoul. But in subsequent letters, the adoption agency said he was actually born in Daejeon. Moller was then told that his biological mother gave birth to him in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province on March 16, 1974, which happened to be the same day she brought him to the adoption agency in Seoul.“How is this possible?” Moller thought. “What is the possibility that a woman who just gave birth to a child could travel across the country to give away the infant?”S

Oct 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
[INTERVIEW] Danish adoptees demand Korean gov't to probe dark past of exporting babies
  • Adoption agency denies fabricating documents of Danish adoptees
Health

Korean government pressed to lift indoor mask rules

Elementary students in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, attend class wearing masks, May 27, 2020. Newsis Korea only OECD country still mandating masks for all indoor settingsBy Lee Hyo-jin Calls are growing for the government to ease indoor mask rules in Korea, as it remains the only OECD member country requiring masks to be worn in all indoor settings. Other countries such as Denmark, Israel, Italy and Germany have eased their rules somewhat, obligating people to wear masks in certain spaces and situations, most critically in medical institutions and nursing homes and on public transport.A growing number of parents and doctors are demanding that the mandate to be lifted specifically for children of elementary school age or below, arguing that prolonged mask wearing has harmed young children's language and social learning.Shin Min-hyang, head of the solidarity of human rights for parents and students, a civic group against mask mandates, strongly believes that masks do mor

Sep 30, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean government pressed to lift indoor mask rules
  • Korea to lift post-entry PCR testing requirement Saturday
Global Community

Seoul mayor's proposal to hire foreign babysitters unrealistic: experts

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a briefing on the city government's plan to improve air quality held at Seoul City Hall, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A recent proposal made by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to allow foreign nationals to work as babysitters seems unrealistic considering the country's wage system, according to immigration experts. The mayor shared the proposal on social media. “Parenting should now be respected in society. And there should be a system enabling mothers and fathers to raise their children together,” Oh wrote on Facebook, Tuesday. “Hiring foreign babysitters is a policy focusing on childrearing. It will be welcome news to those who have been reluctant to employ babysitters due to financial reasons or a lack of supply.” Oh wrote that Hong Kong and Singapore have adopted the system since the 1970s, and both countries have seen a rise in women's economic activities.“It costs two to three million won a month to hire a babysitter in Korea, but it costs 380,000 to 760,000 won in Singapore,” he added, implying that an influx o

Sep 29, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul mayor's proposal to hire foreign babysitters unrealistic: experts
Health

Mask manufacturers feel pinch amid eased rules

Employees work at a mask manufacturing factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, March 6, 2020. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea grappled with a severe shortage of masks in early spring 2020, when face masks seemed to be the best protection against the coronavirus before the arrival of vaccines and treatments. People had to line up at pharmacies and retail stores to buy face masks amid explosive demand and limited supply, while the government came up with a public distribution method ― a five-day rotation system under which people could buy two masks per week on designated days according to their birth year.Hundreds of small manufacturers that rushed to produce face masks enjoyed a boom following the implementation of the mask mandate, which was first adopted indoors in October 2020 and then expanded to outdoors in April 2021. According to data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of mask manufacturers, which stood at 137 in January 2020, increased by more than 10 times to reach nearly 1,600 as of December 2021. However, these businesses are now on the verge of

Sep 28, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Mask manufacturers feel pinch amid eased rules
Health

Enjoying first mask-free day

Elementary school students in Seoul participate in a physical education class without wearing face masks, Monday, as all remaining outdoor mask rules were fully lifted nationwide, one year and five months after being introduced in April 2021. Yonhap

Sep 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Enjoying first mask-free day
Society

Liberian residents outraged by rape allegations against Liberian officials

Two Liberian government officials ― Daniel Tarr, director of the Department of Marine Environmental Protection, second from left, and Moses Owen Browne, Liberia's permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), right ― have been accused of raping two Korean teenagers in the southeastern port city of Busan. Screenshot from Liberian Observer websiteBy Lee Hyo-jin Liberian residents here are furious over two male civil servants of their country who have been accused of having raped teenage Korean girls during their visit to the country to attend an international event held in the southeastern port city of Busan.The two men ― Moses Owen Browne, Liberia's permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Daniel Tarr, director of the Department of Marine Environmental Protection ― were arrested on site for allegedly raping two middle school students at a hotel in Busan around 11 p.m., Sept. 22.The suspects' personal information was disclosed by the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) the following day. They were in Busan to participate i

Sep 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Liberian residents outraged by rape allegations against Liberian officials
Health

End of outdoor mask mandate

People enjoy a festival held at Jamsu Bridge over the Han River in Seoul, Sunday, one day before the mask mandate outdoors is fully lifted nationwide. The government has decided to drop the mask requirement outdoors for the first time since it was adopted in April, 2021, but people will still be required to wear masks indoors. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

Sep 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
End of outdoor mask mandate
Politics

Gender ministry backtracks on plan to legally recognize alternative families

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook speaks during a National Assembly session, Sept. 20. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jinThe Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is backtracking on its plan to embrace diverse forms of families ― such as unmarried cohabitating couples ― as formal legal households, drawing criticism from civic groups, which support the move. According to Rep. Chung Kyung-hee of the ruling People Power Party, Friday, the ministry recently withdrew its support for proposed revisions to the Framework Act on Health Families, which seeks to expand the legal definition of family to include those based on closeness and care for each other.Under the current Civil Act, only units formed by marriage, childbirth or adoption are recognized as families, leaving other forms of households deprived of government services in childcare, tax subsidies, inheritance, housing loans and medical emergencies.However, in accordance with the decline in marriages and the continually falling birthrate, calls have been rising among civic groups to create an environment in which al

Sep 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gender ministry backtracks on plan to legally recognize alternative families
Health

ANALYSIS Why COVID-19 spread continues despite 97% antibody rate among population

A woman walks with a mask in her hand on a street in Jung District, Seoul, Friday. The outdoor mask mandate, which went into effect from April 2021, will be fully lifted starting Monday. YonhapWaning immunity, emergence of new variants remain concerns By Lee Hyo-jin While a recent government study found that almost all Koreans have developed antibodies against the coronavirus either by vaccination or natural infection, this finding does not mean that the population has achieved herd immunity, according to health officials.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) unveiled on Friday the results of its latest study, which showed that 97.4 percent of those surveyed had antibodies against the spike protein (S) of the coronavirus. The survey, co-organized with the Korea National Institute of Health (NIH), involved some 10,000 people aged five and above living in 17 cities and provinces. A COVID-19 antibody test checks whether an individual has developed S-antibodies or nucleocapsid protein (N)-antibodies. S-antibodies are produced either through natural infection or vaccinat

Sep 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
[ANALYSIS] Why COVID-19 spread continues despite 97% antibody rate among population
  • Government considers easing additional COVID-19 measures
Health

KDCA faces possible flurry of legal cases over vaccine side effects

A member of a coalition of families of alleged COVID-19 vaccine side effect victims gets his head shaved during a rally held near Seoul Central District Court, May 6, calling on the government to provide better compensation to victims. YonhapGov't ordered to compensate for COVID-19 vaccine adverse effectsBy Lee Hyo-jinA recent court ruling ordering the government to compensate a man suffering from COVID-19 vaccine side effects has put the health authority in a difficult position, amid growing calls to recognize deaths and illnesses following vaccination more actively. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the man, who is in his 30s, in a lawsuit filed against the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioner, Aug. 19.The plaintiff, living in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, claimed that he suffered a fever the day after receiving an AstraZeneca dose in April 2021, and felt dizziness and numbness in his legs the next day. He was later diagnosed with an intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral cavernous malformation and mononeuropathy.He requested that the KDCA compe

Sep 22, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
KDCA faces possible flurry of legal cases over vaccine side effects
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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.