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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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Health

Among foreign health insurance subscribers, Chinese reap highest benefits

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Among foreign residents who subscribe to Korea's national health insurance program, Chinese nationals were the only group whose total reimbursed medical expenses surpassed their total insurance premiums, according to National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data.According to data obtained by Rep. Seo Jeong-suk of main opposition People Power Party (PPP) from the NHIS, among the foreign nationals of the top 20 countries subscribed to the state-run healthcare system between 2017 and 2020, only the Chinese residents' reimbursement-to-premium ratio exceeded 100 percent, the group in total received more benefits than the amount paid. In 2020, Chinese nationals paid an average of about 970,000 won ($808) in insurance premiums per person and received slightly over 1 million won in reimbursement. Between 2017 and 2020, Chinese residents in total paid about 1.86 trillion won in insurance premiums, and received around 2.2 trillion won, amounting to a deficit of some 380 billion won for the NHIS.During the same period, the reimbursement-to-premium ratio among Chine

Feb 14, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Among foreign health insurance subscribers, Chinese reap highest benefits
Health

Is Korea ready to ease social distancing, vaccine pass?

A medical worker administers a COVID-19 test to a visitor at a screening center near Seoul Station, Sunday. YonhapLifting of COVID-19 measures premature: experts By Lee Hyo-jin The government's quarantine scheme shift targeting the Omicron variant has led to rising calls to ease social distancing measures and the vaccine pass system, among people who view these antivirus regulations as ineffective in curbing the unrelenting spread of the virus.Amid surging Omicron cases, the government recently introduced new virus management strategies to focus on high-risk groups, rather than putting equal resources into all confirmed infection cases. Since Feb. 10, the authorities have scrapped the GPS-based monitoring of people in self-isolation after testing positive or being in close contact with an infected case.COVID-19 patients undergoing home treatment no longer need to report to public health officials when they go out to visit hospitals, while their cohabiting family members are allowed to leave the house freely to buy medicine and daily necessities. The government has also replaced its r

Feb 13, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Is Korea ready to ease social distancing, vaccine pass?
  • New cases hit record high of 56,431 amid Omicron surge
  • Better protection needed for students in high-risk groups: experts
Health

'K-quarantine' on brink of collapse as infections skyrocket

Healthcare workers speak with a COVID-19 patient over the phone from a hospital in Incheon, west of Seoul, Thursday. YonhapDaily new infections hit another new high of 54,122 By Lee Hyo-jin Soaring infections fueled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have forced the Korean government to abandon its much-lauded “3T” virus management strategy of “trace, test and treatment.”Dubbed “K-quarantine,” Korea's 3T strategy of massive testing, contact tracing and treatment was once touted as a pandemic response role model for other countries.But the proactive virus response model which puts equal resources on all positive cases has proven to be ineffective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which has made it impossible for the government to test and track all cases.Since late January, the government has begun to scrap its previous tactics, replacing them with new measures that focus more on vulnerable groups.Regarding its test scheme, instead of offering polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to anybody, the government has adopted a wider use

Feb 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
'K-quarantine' on brink of collapse as infections skyrocket
Society

89-year-old graduates college with highest honors

Lee Joo-hyung / Courtesy of Tongmyong University By Lee Hyo-jin Age is just a number for Lee Joo-hyung, 89, a soon-to-be graduate of Tongmyong University in Busan.With his cumulative GPA of 4.48 on a 4.5 scale, the Japanese Studies major will graduate with the highest honors. He is the oldest college graduate in the country this year. Born in 1934, Lee went to school in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, but his education was cut short abruptly when he joined the military to serve in the 1950-1953 Korean War. Over the following decades, his academic aspirations were still alive. Finally he enrolled in university in 2020, at the age of 86. “I decided to enter college in my 80s because I wanted to fill the emptiness in my heart after I had to stop learning, as I was born in the midst of the turbulent period in the Japanese colonial era.”Lee also added that he wanted to prevent dementia through lifelong learning. As lectures were conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemi

Feb 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
89-year-old graduates college with highest honors
Health

Revised COVID-19 home treatment scheme sparks concern among low-risk groups

A monitor at the disaster control center in Songpa District Office, Seoul, shows an all-time high of 49,567 new COVID-19 infections for Tuesday. YonhapDaily infections hit fresh high of 49,567By Lee Hyo-jin Starting Thursday, low-risk COVID-19 patients who are under home treatment will no longer receive daily health checkup calls from medical workers, under the revised treatment system that focuses more on high-risk patients. As the country grapples with record-breaking numbers of infections fueled by the Omicron variant, the government has decided to implement a new home treatment scheme, in an effort to mobilize available medical resources more effectively. But the new scheme has drawn concerns among those classified as “low-risk,” as they are virtually left on their own to monitor their health condition and contact a hospital if their symptoms worsen. As the highly transmissible Omicron variant has begun to show its full force here, Korea saw yet another record-high daily infection caseload for Tuesday at 49,567, a jump from 38,689 reported the previous day, according

Feb 9, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Revised COVID-19 home treatment scheme sparks concern among low-risk groups
  • Teachers, parents disagree over gov't leaving quarantine management up to schools
  • Korea's new COVID-19 cases soar to all-time high of over 50,000
Health

When will COVID-19 become endemic in Korea?

A healthcare worker at a COVID-19 screening center in Incheon, west of Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap Experts say it's premature to treat coronavirus like seasonal fluBy Lee Hyo-jin The Omicron variant has driven up the number of COVID-19 infections to an unprecedented level around the world, while some countries have lifted antivirus measures and opted to treat the coronavirus like an endemic disease like the seasonal flu.The United Kingdom and Denmark have drastically eased COVID-19 restrictions, including face mask mandates, while Austria and the Netherlands have lifted some of their stringent lockdown measures.The decisions came as the highly contagious Omicron variant has been found to cause less severe symptoms than its earlier variants. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, however, was cautious about easing restrictions. She noted it is premature to consider treating COVID-19 like the seasonal flu.“Given that the coronavir

Feb 8, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
When will COVID-19 become endemic in Korea?
  • Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 35,000 for 4th day on Omicron surge
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit all-time high of nearly 50,000
Global Community

Gov't to strengthen support for children from multicultural backgrounds

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai speaks during a briefing on support measures for students from multicultural backgrounds, held at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family By Lee Hyo-jin Korea will strengthen support for students from multicultural backgrounds, in order to establish an environment where all children are provided with equitable access to education and career development. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a set of measures on Friday to increase educational support for students from multicultural backgrounds, as well as to create a learning environment that embraces diversity and inclusion. The measures come as the number of multicultural students has been increasing steadily, despite the overall declining student population due to the nation's low birth rate. In 2021, about 5.32 million students were enrolled at elementary, middle and high schools across the countr

Feb 4, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't to strengthen support for children from multicultural backgrounds
Health

'Where to go for COVID-19 testing?': Korea's new testing scheme explained

A woman receives a COVID-19 rapid antigen test at a screening site in Gangseo District, Seoul, Thursday. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea has been offering free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to all people who need them at screening centers across the country. But those days are now over. In a bid to tackle the highly contagious but generally less lethal Omicron variant, the government has shifted its focus to vulnerable groups, introducing a new testing scheme concentrating on early diagnosis among these priority groups.Under the new scheme, starting Thursday, PCR tests are on limited offer to those priority groups. For the rest, rapid antigen tests, also known as self-testing kits, will be more widely used. Below are some questions and answers about how, where and which type of COVID-19 test to receive based on information provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Q. Who is eligible for a PCR test? PCR tests are limited to elderly people aged 60 and over, people who have come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient, and those w

Feb 3, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
'Where to go for COVID-19 testing?': Korea's new testing scheme explained
  • Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit fresh high of 27,443 as Omicron surges
Global Community

Number of students from multicultural backgrounds tops 160,000

Students with multicultural backgrounds attend a foreign language and culture class at an elementary school in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin The number of students from multicultural backgrounds in Korea steadily increased to reach over 160,000 last year, according to government data.According to the Korea Educational Development Institute, in 2021, there were a total of 160,058 students at elementary, middle and high schools nationwide who were from mixed heritage backgrounds or born to two foreign national parents ― a more than threefold increase from 46,954 in 2012. Of them, 131,522 were born to a Korean national and a foreign national, while both of the parents of the other 28,536 students were of foreign nationality. By nationality, the number of children with one parent from Vietnam accounted for 32 percent, followed by those with one Chinese parent at 23.6 percent, and those with one parent from the Philippines at 10 percent. Meanwhile, the share of students with one parent from Japan stood at five percent, a sharp decline from 27.5 percent in 2012.E

Feb 3, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Number of students from multicultural backgrounds tops 160,000
Health

Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases

A medical worker guides people standing in line for COVID-19 tests at a testing station in Songpa District of Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapDaily infections surpass 20,000 for 1st time amid Omicron spreadBy Lee Hyo-jin Concerns are rising over a potential upsurge of COVID-19 infections following the Lunar New Year holiday, with the current Omicron-led wave of infections showing no signs of abating here.The long weekend which ran from Jan. 31 through Wednesday, during which millions of people traveled across the country to visit their families, is feared to have fueled the spread of the coronavirus. Daily new infections for Tuesday reached yet another record high of 20,270, breaking the 20,000-mark for the first time since the pandemic broke out, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The positivity rate, which means the percentage of people who tested positive out of all the people tested in a given period, stood at 8.9 percent, a slight decline from an all-time high of 9.3 percent the previous day. Driven up by the highly contagious Omicron variant, infection

Feb 2, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases
  • New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron
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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.