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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

A closer look at COVID-19 home treatment in Korea

A healthcare worker speaks with a COVID-19 patient over the phone at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Anseong Hospital, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jinBy Lee Hyo-jin ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province ― “How are you feeling today? Are you still coughing badly?” asks a hospital nurse who is on the phone with a COVID-19 patient at home. The nurse went on to ask, “If the pills you took aren't working, you can either get prescription medicine after a face-to-face consultation with a doctor here, or you can ask your family to buy over-the-counter medicine. Would you like to schedule an appointment with the doctor?” On Tuesday morning, healthcare workers, wearing headsets with microphones at an office on the second floor of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Anseong Hospital, were busy speaking via phone with coronavirus patients.The province-run hospital is the only medical institution providing care for coronavirus patients in Anseong, a satellite city home to about 200,000 people, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. A 24-hour medical team, consisting of 19 nur

Jan 30, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
A closer look at COVID-19 home treatment in Korea
Society

Leaving for Lunar New Year

The domestic departures hall at Gimpo International Airport is crowded with travelers waiting in line, Thursday morning, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which runs from Saturday until next Wednesday. Millions of people are expected to travel across the country to visit their families during the long weekend. Yonhap

Jan 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Leaving for Lunar New Year
Health

Experts call for easing age limit for antiviral pills, aggressive testing to flatten COVID-19 curve

People stand in line to receive a COVID-19 test at a testing center near Seoul Station, Thursday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea is grappling with its worst COVID-19 crisis yet, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is sweeping the country. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 14,518 new infections for Wednesday, breaking the all-time high of 13,012 set the previous day. The figure has doubled in a week. The public health authorities predict that the daily caseload will go as high as 30,000 by next week, while some medical experts believe that the spread of the variant may push the tally to 200,000 by March. Experts pointed out that the government should overhaul its COVID-19 response measures, as Omicron will be extremely difficult to control with the existing tactics that have been designed for earlier variants. “Antiviral treatments are one of the best scientifically proven ways to prevent Omicron patients from falling into critical condition,” Choi Jae-wook, a professor of preventive medicine at Korea University, said. “B

Jan 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Experts call for easing age limit for antiviral pills, aggressive testing to flatten COVID-19 curve
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surpass 14,000 amid rapid Omicron spread
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit new high
Health

Omicron surge sparks distrust in vaccine

A monitor at the disaster control center in Songpa District Office in Seoul shows an all-time high of 13,012 new daily COVID-19 infections for Tuesday. YonhapDaily new COVID-19 cases exceed 13,000By Lee Hyo-jin Korea saw the number of daily coronavirus infections surpass 10,000 for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, driven up by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Tuesday's tally stood at 13,012, including 12,743 local transmissions, breaking the all-time record of 8,571 daily infections set the previous day.Of the total cases, 8,154 were reported from Seoul and its surrounding areas, with 3,110 cases in Seoul, 4,184 in Gyeonggi Province and another 860 in the western port city of Incheon.The highly contagious Omicron variant took over as the dominant coronavirus strain last week, less than two months after it was first identified in the country on Dec.1. “In just a few days since Omicron became the dominant strain, the number of daily infections has exceeded 13,000,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-k

Jan 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Omicron surge sparks distrust in vaccine
  • Gov't standard for vaccination completion confusing
Society

Over 100 dogs rescued from dog meat farms find new homes in US, Canada

Nara Kim, a campaign manager at Humane Society International, holds Russell at the cargo area of Incheon International Airport, Jan. 18. Russell was one of the 110 dogs that traveled to the United States and Canada between Jan. 14 and 18, in search of an adoptive family, after being rescued from local dog meat farms in 2021. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Lee Hyo-jin INCHEON ― Russell the dog was once destined to be food, as he was locked up in a dirty wire cage on a dog meat farm in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. But his fate changed after being rescued last October, and he was put on a flight bound for Toronto in search of a new family three months later. Russell is among the 110 canines that were rescued from dog meat farms across the country last year by the Korean office of the Humane Society International (HSI), a U.S.-based animal rights group. The rescued dogs flew to the United States and Canada for overseas adoption between Jan. 14 and 18. Boarding the last flight scheduled for Jan. 18 were 18 dogs rescued together from a dog meat farm in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

Jan 24, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Over 100 dogs rescued from dog meat farms find new homes in US, Canada
Health

When will Korea see its first xenotransplantation surgery?

This handout photo released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine shows surgeons performing the transplant of a heart from a genetically modified pig to a patient in Baltimore, Maryland Jan.7. AFP-YonhapCross-species transplant viable solution to organ donation shortageBy Lee Hyo-jin A recent series of successful pig-to-human organ transplants performed by U.S. surgeons have set a major milestone in the history of medicine, bringing Koreans' attention to when the country might be able to see its first xenotransplantation surgery.On Jan. 7, surgeons at the University of Maryland School of Medicine conducted the transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into the body of a 57-year-old male patient with heart failure, marking the first such surgery of its kind. It was followed by another watershed moment, when surgeons at the University of Alabama Birmingham successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a 57-year-old man who was brain-dead, Jan. 20. Xenotransplantation ― transplants of live organs, tissues or cells to humans from non-human species ― is

Jan 24, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
When will Korea see its first xenotransplantation surgery?
Health

Omicron set to become dominant strain this week

People wait in line to get swabbed for the coronavirus at a testing center near Seoul City Hall, Wednesday. NewsisNew infections soar to over 5,000 for first time in 20 daysBy Lee Hyo-jin The government has expanded home treatment of COVID-19 patients to those infected with the Omicron variant starting Wednesday. The move comes as the country braces for a fresh wave of infections involving the highly contagious variant which is expected to become the dominant strain within this week.The authorities have also urged foreign residents to receive booster shots, as the infection rate among them has been rising consistently in recent weeks.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country saw 5,805 new infection cases on Tuesday, rising above 5,000 for the first time since Dec. 30, when the figure stood at 5,034. The number of critically-ill COVID-19 patients reached 532 on the same day, with 74 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,452Health authorities attributed the surge to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which recently accounted for 25 percent of

Jan 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Omicron set to become dominant strain this week
  • Pregnant women face dilemma over COVID-19 vaccinations
Health

Vaccine pass at large retailers lifted

People scan smartphone QR codes to enter a retail store in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government has made a U-turn over the enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine passes at large retailers and malls in the wake of a court ruling ordering the suspension of the vaccine mandate at the facilities. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Monday that the vaccine pass on six types of multiuse facilities ― large retailers and department stores, study rooms, museums, libraries, cram schools and theaters ― will be lifted on Tuesday. The authorities said these facilities have relatively lower risk of virus transmission as visitors can wear face masks properly there, adding that the vaccine mandate will remain in place at other higher-risk places such as eateries, cafes and indoor gyms.“Our medical capacity has increased and infections are showing signs of slowdown compared to December of last year when the vaccine pass was expanded to multiuse facilities,” said Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol during a COVID-19 response meeting, Monday. “So, we vi

Jan 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Vaccine pass at large retailers lifted
  • Universities uncertain about in-person classes amid Omicron spread
  • Complaints grow among eatery owners after gov't decides to keep COVID-19 vaccine pass
Society

Universities uncertain about in-person classes amid Omicron spread

A student enters a building on Seoul National University's campus in Gwanak District, Seoul, Dec. 7, 2021. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jinLocal universities are uncertain as to whether to begin the upcoming spring semester with in-person classes amid concerns over the increasing spread of the Omicron variant. In October of last year, under the government's “Living with COVID-19” strategy, the Ministry of Education had planned a full resumption of offline lectures in colleges and universities from the first semester in 2022. However, the plan was met with a setback after a surge of infections and the rise of the new variant which led to the government halting the phased return to normalcy in late November and instead bringing back more stringent social distancing measures. The education ministry announced on Jan. 5 that it will support the universities for a normal spring semester, but it has yet to introduce detailed measures. While the absence of government guidelines has left educational institutions uncertain on how to begin the new semester, several universities are planning to

Jan 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Universities uncertain about in-person classes amid Omicron spread
  • Vaccine pass at large retailers lifted
Health

Contradicting court rulings over vaccine pass stoke confusion

Visitors scan smartphone QR codes for entry logs at a discount store in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap9 pm curfew extended through Feb. 6, private gathering limit raised to sixBy Lee Hyo-jin Two contradicting court rulings over the COVID-19 vaccine pass scheme are causing public confusion, with calls mounting from residents outside Seoul to suspend the vaccine pass altogether.The vaccine pass, which requires visitors to show either a proof of vaccination or negative PCR test result to access multiuse facilities, is facing continuous challenges due to a strong public backlash involving multiple lawsuits.A Seoul administrative court on Friday ordered the suspension on the vaccine pass system on large supermarkets, discount outlets and department stores measuring 3,000 square meters or more in Seoul, partially accepting an injunction request filed by 1,023 people including doctors.The suspension was limited to the capital area as the court only accepted the injunction against the Seoul Metropolitan Government, dismissing other stay of execution orders filed against the Ministry of Health and Wel

Jan 16, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Contradicting court rulings over vaccine pass stoke confusion
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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.