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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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Foreign Affairs

Prospects for Trump-Kim meeting around China trip appear low

Prospects for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un around the former's planned visit to China in April appear low as Washington remains focused on conflicts in the Middle East, diplomatic sources said Thursday. Earlier in the day, Chung Eui-hae, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, held talks with Michael DeSombre, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, during his visit to Seoul. The two officials touched on North Korean issues but did not delve deeply into the topic, as the allies focused primarily on implementing their bilateral joint fact sheet on trade and security cooperation, according to a foreign ministry official familiar with the matter. "North Korea remains an important issue, but the United States is currently dealing with a number of pressing matters, including developments in the Middle East," the official said on condition of anonymity. "My impression was that while Washington continues to pay attention to North Korea, it is not an atmosphere in which the U.S. is putting forward new plans

Mar 12, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Prospects for Trump-Kim meeting around China trip appear low
Foreign Affairs

Foreign ministry cautious about 'North Korean-born citizens' as new term for defectors

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appears cautious about adopting the English term "North Korean-born citizens" for North Korean defectors after the Ministry of Unification said it will begin using the new expression in its English materials. "As various opinions have been raised regarding the official term, we will review the matter while monitoring the process of gathering public opinion on whether the official term should be changed," a foreign ministry official said Thursday. The official added that the term used in relevant laws remains "North Korean defectors," which has generally been used in English in official communications and international contexts. The ministry also confirmed that the unification ministry had informed the foreign ministry that it plans to begin using "North Korean-born citizens" in its English materials. Issues related to North Korean defectors are primarily handled by the unification ministry. However, they are also addressed within the foreign ministry in units dealing with Korean Peninsula policy and international human rights. The foreign ministry appears h

Mar 12, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign ministry cautious about 'North Korean-born citizens' as new term for defectors
Global Community

Foreign residents should be included in state cash handouts, human rights watchdog says

The state human rights watchdog said Wednesday that the government should consider expanding eligibility for state relief funds to be more inclusive of foreign residents, citing concerns about discrimination. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said it had conveyed its opinion to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and other relevant agencies, urging them to gradually broaden the scope of foreign nationals eligible for government support programs aimed at aiding households coping with economic hardship. The issue was raised in a complaint filed July last year by migrant worker groups, which argued that the government's voucher-based cash assistance program treated foreign residents unequally depending on their visa status and household composition. Last year's cash handouts were part of the government's emergency response to sluggish domestic spending. Under the scheme, all citizens and some foreign residents were eligible to receive 150,000 won ($100), with additional benefits for low-income households. Non-Korean citizens were in principle excluded from the initia

Mar 11, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign residents should be included in state cash handouts, human rights watchdog says
Global Community

Korea's truth commission to open new bureau for overseas adoption cases

Korea’s truth-seeking commission plans to establish a dedicated bureau to investigate alleged human rights abuses linked to the country’s overseas adoption program and residential facilities, its chair said Wednesday, as complaints from adoptees continue to mount. Song Sang-kyo, chairperson of the newly launched third Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), said the body will also step up efforts to help people living abroad submit complaints through Korean diplomatic missions. Complaints related to overseas adoption have flooded the commission. A total of 311 applications alleging misconduct in intercountry adoptions were filed on Feb. 26, the commission’s launch day, and officials expect the number to rise as more adoptees living overseas learn about the process. "There have been continued calls, both within and outside the commission, to establish Investigation Bureau 3 dedicated to cases involving human rights abuses at institutional care facilities and in overseas adoptions," Song said at a press conference, his first since taking office on March 4. Legislation passed in Fe

Mar 11, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's truth commission to open new bureau for overseas adoption cases
Politics

PPP faces candidate shortage for local elections as heavyweights skip primaries

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is facing growing strain ahead of the June 3 local elections after several political heavyweights opted out of the party’s primary races, potentially weakening its chances against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). According to the party's primary registration list that was finalized Sunday night, candidate sign-ups were weak across key regions, including the Seoul metropolitan area and South Chungcheong Province. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, considered one of the party's most prominent figures, opted out of the PPP's Seoul mayoral primary. His announcement, made just hours before the registration deadline, came as a surprise to many as he previously hinted he would seek a fifth term. His decision comes amid a widening rift with the PPP leadership. Oh has publicly urged PPP chairman Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok to clarify the party’s political direction and distance its leadership from supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his martial law debacle, saying it would improve the party’s chances in local elections. Rep. Na Kyung-won, a

Mar 9, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
PPP faces candidate shortage for local elections as heavyweights skip primaries
Defense

Korea, US kick off major spring drills amid speculation over Patriot redeployment

Korea and the United States kicked off their major spring joint Freedom Shield exercise Monday amid speculation that U.S. Forces Korea's (USFK) Patriot missiles have been deployed to the Middle East as regional tensions rise. The 11-day exercise, which runs through March 19, involves about 18,000 personnel and incorporates lessons drawn from recent wars to reflect evolving and realistic threats in its operational scenarios, according to Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. With Seoul and Washington accelerating efforts to transfer wartime operational control to Korea, this year's drills are also expected to focus on assessing and verifying whether conditions for the transition have been met. The exercise comes amid rising indications that Patriot missile systems operated by USFK have been redeployed to the Middle East, as demand for interceptor missiles and air defense systems grows following the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Several U.S. military transport aircraft have been seen arriving at and departing from a U.S. air base in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, in recent days, fueling

Mar 9, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea, US kick off major spring drills amid speculation over Patriot redeployment
Global Community

Seoul immigration to bring on-campus services to 27 universities

International students in Seoul will be spared long lines at immigration offices this month as authorities plan to offer registration services directly on university campuses through an on-site visit program. The Seoul Immigration Office and its Sejongno branch will visit 27 universities that have large numbers of foreign students from March 9 to April 9, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday. The measure is intended to reduce crowds at immigration offices, where international students typically gather early in the semester to complete foreign resident registration and other administrative procedures. Immigration officials will visit campuses to process fingerprint registration and other documents required for foreign resident registration. The Seoul Immigration Office will visit 19 universities where around 4,000 international students are enrolled, including Seoul National University on March 11, Konkuk University on March 17 and Hanyang University on March 18. The Sejongno branch will operate similar services at eight universities where about 2,800 foreign students are enrolled, including

Mar 6, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul immigration to bring on-campus services to 27 universities
Defense

USFK may send Patriot missiles to Middle East

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) may be or is suspected of preparing to deploy some of its Patriot batteries to the Middle East, as tensions escalate following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Korean authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have not ruled out the possibility that USFK assets could be moved to the region. According to local reports, USFK recently relocated several Patriot missile defense launchers and interceptors from other U.S. bases in Korea to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. In addition to the missile batteries already stationed there, additional equipment was deployed as of Thursday, noticeably increasing the number of launchers at the base. U.S. military transport aircraft, including C-17 and C-5 cargo planes, were also spotted at the site on the same day. The C-17 was previously used to transport two USFK Patriot batteries to the Middle East between March and April last year, just months before Washington carried out airstrikes on Iran in June under Operation Midnight Hammer. The two Patriot units returned to Korea in October. The developments come

Mar 6, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
USFK may send Patriot missiles to Middle East
Foreign Affairs

'We will do our utmost to avoid Iran becoming North Korea,' says Israeli envoy to Seoul

Israeli Ambassador to South Korea Rafael Harpaz on Thursday defended ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as a necessary measure to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear arsenal akin to North Korea’s, portraying Pyongyang’s nuclear buildup as a stark warning to the international community. Speaking at a press briefing in Seoul, Harpaz said the operation against Iran was aimed primarily at halting its nuclear and ballistic missile programs before they reach what he described as an irreversible stage. "Our goal is that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, as it happened to North Korea. We will do our utmost to avoid Iran from becoming North Korea," the envoy said. Harpaz drew parallels between Iran's current nuclear ambitions and North Korea's past nuclear development, arguing that international inaction decades ago allowed Pyongyang to advance its nuclear program. "We learned the lessons from what happened here around 1994," Harpaz said, referring to the first North Korean nuclear crisis, when the United States considered a surgical strike on Pyongyang's nuclear facilities. "I know the

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
'We will do our utmost to avoid Iran becoming North Korea,' says Israeli envoy to Seoul
Foreign Affairs

Korea moves to assist travelers stranded in Middle East

Korea has shifted its Middle East diplomatic corps to an emergency footing, moving to secure extraction routes for citizens stranded there as escalating regional hostilities disrupt commercial airspace. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it intensified its coordination with defense and intelligence agencies, scrambling to navigate a volatile security environment for thousands of Koreans currently in the region. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina convened a meeting with officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Intelligence Service, where they weighed different evacuation options for travelers stranded in the Gulf region by flight cancellations. Korea's embassies in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, along with the consulate in Dubai, provided updates on efforts to assist Koreans and discussed ways to strengthen coordination between missions. Kim urged officials to continue verifying the safety of Korean nationals in countries near Iran, where conflict has intensified following a U.S.-Israeli joint s

Mar 4, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea moves to assist travelers stranded in Middle East
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