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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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Society

Discrimination and prejudice prevalent in Korea: int'l NGO

Rainbow flags are pinned to the ground in front of Seoul City Hall during a press conference held by LGBTQ activists in this March 8, 2021, photo, calling for the eradication of discrimination against sexual minorities. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-jin Discrimination and prejudice are prevalent in Korean society, despite it being a country with an advanced democracy guaranteeing basic political freedoms and civil liberties, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Thursday.The international non-governmental organization issued?its “World Report 2022,” a summary of human rights conditions in over 100 countries and territories for 2021. The annual report pointed out that although Korea has established a democracy that largely respects civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, some significant human rights concerns remain unresolved. “Discrimination against women is pervasive, as well as discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, racial and ethnic minorities, and foreign migrants and r

Jan 13, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Discrimination and prejudice prevalent in Korea: int'l NGO
Society

University of Utah Asia Campus offers alternative to studying abroad

University of Utah Asia Campus located in Songdo, Incheon / Courtesy of University of Utah Asia CampusBy Lee Hyo-jin Many students find it difficult to plan for studying overseas amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. For them, an opportunity to stay here and obtain a global academic experience could be an excellent alternative.The University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC), located in the port city of Incheon west of Seoul, suits that goal, says Brian Byun, the school's assistant dean of admissions.The Asia campus was established in 2014. The University of Utah is a research-oriented university with a 170-year history originating from the United States.Situated in Incheon Global Campus (IGC), the country's first shared campus of leading foreign universities, the UAC offers diverse academic environments and interactions with world-class faculty, according to Byun.“More students see the Asia Campus as a great alternative to studying abroad without sacrificing their education. Studying here is more affordable compared to studying in the U.S., and they can also develop a global mindset b

Jan 13, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
University of Utah Asia Campus offers alternative to studying abroad
Health

Korea to use oral COVID-19 pills from Friday

A public healthcare worker in Bupyeong District, Incheon, participates in a mock distribution drill of oral COVID-19 pills, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea will receive its first shipment of COVID-19 antiviral pills on Thursday, which the government plans to use on elderly patients aged 65 and over, along with immunocompromised patients at risk of developing critical health issues.The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday that 21,000 courses of Paxlovid, the oral COVID-19 pills developed by Pfizer, will arrive on Thursday and will be dispensed from Friday.The initial batches are among the 762,000 the government has purchased from the pharmaceutical company. The ministry added that 10,000 more doses are expected to be delivered by the end of January. As the initial delivery is highly limited, the government has decided to limit eligibility on a priority basis: people aged 65 and older and those with weak immune system, who are experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.The authorities noted that eligibility will be adjusted or expanded depending on the supply s

Jan 12, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea to use oral COVID-19 pills from Friday
  • Daily infections back above 4,000 after 6 days amid lingering Omicron woes
  • Korea approves use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine
Health

Gov't to introduce 'choice and concentration' strategy to brace for Omicron surge

People stand in line to get tested for the coronavirus at a testing center near Seoul Station, Tuesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government will introduce new pandemic response strategies focused on containing the spread of the Omicron variant, bracing for a possible Omicron-led wave of the coronavirus in the coming weeks. The authorities plan to take a “choice and concentration” approach, utilizing its “3T” ― test, trace and treat ― tactics, while swiftly introducing antiviral pills for high-risk patients undergoing home treatment.The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said Tuesday that it is drawing up a new quarantine scheme in response to the Omicron variant, with details to be announced later this week.The move comes as the country is facing the increasing spread of the highly transmissible variant.Although the current spread is led by the Delta strain, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) predicted that the Omicron variant, which currently accounts for about 10 percent of total infections, will take over as the dom

Jan 11, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't to introduce 'choice and concentration' strategy to brace for Omicron surge
  • Daily infections below 4,000 for 5th day amid tightened curbs
  • Daily infections back above 4,000 after 6 days amid lingering Omicron woes
Health

Vaccine pass at large retailers criticized for lacking scientific grounds

A woman scans the QR code of a vaccine pass app on a mobile phone to enter a large retail store in Daegu, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Criticism is mounting over the COVID-19 vaccine pass mandate for large supermarkets, discount outlets and department stores, which came into effect from Monday, with critics calling on the government to justify the scientific grounds for implementing the new measure. The vaccine pass system, which requires either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to be presented to enter multiuse facilities, has been expanded to shopping malls, retail outlets, department stores and bookstores measuring 3,000 square meters or more in floor space.These large stores have been freshly added to the list of multiuse facilities subject to the vaccine pass system, including eateries, cafes, libraries and indoor gyms. But criticism is escalating over the system, among people who find it unscientific and excessive. According to government data, 427 and 327 infections occurred at large retail stores and department stores, in 2021, respectively, whereas 7,491 cas

Jan 10, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Vaccine pass at large retailers criticized for lacking scientific grounds
  • Retailers in despair over new vaccine pass rule
Health

Korea set to approve Novavax COVID-19 vaccine by this month

This file photo taken on Nov. 17, 2020, shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine labels attached and syringes, with the logo of U.S. biotech company Novavax. AFP-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The Korean drug regulator is set to approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Novavax this month, making it the fifth vaccine to be used in the country.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is currently reviewing Novavax's Nuvaxovid, is expected to give the green light by the end of January. “The drug ministry is close to approving the vaccine. Once approved, the priority recipients of the vaccine will be those who are yet to be vaccinated,” Hong Jeong-ik, a senior official at the KDCA, said during a media briefing. Local drugmaker SK Bioscience, with which Novavax has signed a manufacturing contract, applied on Nov. 15 for product approval. The Novavax vaccine will become the fifth COVID-19 vaccine product approved by the Korean authorities, after AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & John

Jan 8, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea set to approve Novavax COVID-19 vaccine by this month
Health

Ongoing vaccine pass confusion may hamper booster shot rollout

A worker at a study cafe in Seodaemun District, Seoul, attaches a notice reading that the vaccine pass mandate has been suspended following an administrative court ruling, Jan.4. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin Ongoing legal complaints over the COVID-19 vaccine pass system are feared to be hampering the government's booster shot rollout, which may cause setbacks in its quarantine strategies amid the increasing spread of the Omicron variant.The vaccine pass, which requires a proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test result to access facilities such as eateries and cafes, is being challenged by a fierce public backlash involving multiple lawsuits.A Seoul Administrative Court hearing on the injunction seeking to nullify the vaccine pass was held on Friday. The suit was jointly filed by over 1,000 people including doctors, against the chiefs of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Earlier in the day, some 1,700 people, l

Jan 7, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Ongoing vaccine pass confusion may hamper booster shot rollout
  • Cafes, restaurants defiantly stay lit up at night in resistance to anti-virus biz curfew
Politics

Assembly speaker's New Year press conference

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug speaks during a New Year press conference held virtually at the National Assembly, Thursday. Park said it may be worth reviewing the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's plan to limit lawmakers from serving more than three terms in the same constituency, considering the fact that rookie politicians have a small chance of becoming Assembly members as existing lawmakers continue to be elected with vested rights. Joint Press Corps

Jan 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Assembly speaker's New Year press conference
Society

Rights watchdog calls for improvement in investigative bodies' phone log surveillance

By Lee Hyo-jin The nation's human rights watchdog has called on investigative bodies to improve their phone log examination systems, expressing concerns about recent controversies surrounding the alleged surveillance activities of a state-run anti-corruption agency. Song Doo-hwan, the chief of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), issued a statement, Thursday, urging the government and the National Assembly to introduce proper systems and legislative measures to prevent human rights violations in telecommunication surveillance by law enforcement authorities, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).The National Human Rights Commission of Korea / Korea Times file“It cannot be denied that collecting basic information about criminal suspects is essential for investigative bodies to realize public justice,” he said. “But the provision of personal data such as phone records should be strictly limited only to those necessary for the investigation.”Under the Telecommunication Business Act, telecommunications oper

Jan 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Rights watchdog calls for improvement in investigative bodies' phone log surveillance
Health

Leading presidential candidates offer differing healthcare pledges

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, left, and main opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin With about 60 days left until the March 9 presidential election, the campaign pledges on healthcare and pandemic response measures introduced by the leading candidates are drawing significant attention, as the country enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the two major presidential candidates ― Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ― have both pledged to eradicate the pandemic, they have proposed differing policies for handling the public health crisis. Lee has vowed to strengthen the public healthcare system in order to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for future crises. He laid out his plans on Dec. 31 to expand access to public healthcare services across the country, saying that his administration will guarantee every resident equal access to medical treatment.To bridge the gap between the Seoul metropolitan

Jan 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Leading presidential candidates offer differing healthcare pledges
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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.