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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

Korea seeks to secure additional COVID-19 pills from Pfizer

Paxlovid, Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment pill, is seen being packaged in Ascoli, Italy, in this undated handout photo, Nov. 16. Reuters-YonhapKorea reports 109 COVID-19 deaths, first triple-digit tollBy Lee Hyo-jin The Korean government seeks to secure an additional supply of Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment, after the pill became the first oral antiviral drug to have been cleared by the U.S. drug regulator during the pandemic.“We are closely discussing with Pfizer supply deals additional to the pills for 70,000 people that we have already purchased,” Kim Ok-soo, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said during a briefing, Thursday. “Details on shipment schedules, the supply amount and whom they will be used on will be announced later, in accordance with the emergency authorization approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.”If introduced, the pills will be used in treating COVID-19 patients undergoing home treatment, patients of high-risk groups as well as those showing mild and moderate symptoms, Kim said. The ann

Dec 23, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea seeks to secure additional COVID-19 pills from Pfizer
Health

Medical workers call for more personnel at COVID-19 hospitals

An intensive care unit at Hyemin Hospital in Seoul is being converted to a negative pressure isolation ward, Wednesday, as the hospital was newly designated as a COVID-19 treatment center. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Medical workers are calling on the government to increase personnel for treatment of COVID-19 patients, as hospitals continue to grapple with unrelenting numbers of critically ill patients. They argue that recent measures from the administration to secure additional intensive care unit (ICU) beds will do little to resolve the current crisis, without expanding the number of healthcare workers.The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union held a press conference, Monday, demanding the government introduce specific ways to increase the number of trained nurses at COVID-19 treatment centers.“Other than securing more ICU beds, negative pressure isolation wards and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines, the government has done virtually nothing to alleviate the burden of overworked nurses. They have long been suffering from burnout as hospitals are on the verge of

Dec 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Medical workers call for more personnel at COVID-19 hospitals
  • Coronavirus: Deaths and critical cases hit record highs
Health

Omicron variant likely to become dominant strain in Korea

Students at an elementary school in the southwestern city of Gwangju receive coronavirus tests, Tuesday, following infections at the school. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is likely to replace the Delta variant to become the dominant strain in Korea, health officials said Tuesday.Health authorities here are on high alert, as the country saw its biggest spike in the number of Omicron cases on Monday, following the identification of the first cases in the country on Dec. 1. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 49 new Omicron infections, pushing up the total caseload to 227.The KDCA detected cluster infections at a kindergarten in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, and a state-run facility Gwangju. Twenty cases have been detected at the kindergarten and nine at the state-run facility.The spread of the Omicron variant is roughly three times faster than that of the Delta variant, according to the agency. It took just 20

Dec 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Omicron variant likely to become dominant strain in Korea
  • Omicron now dominant COVID-19 strain in US
Health

Controversy rises over AI-based facial recognition program used to track COVID-19 patients

Officials of the Guro District Office in Seoul work in the CCTV surveillance camera monitoring room of the district office, May 13, 2020. The photo above is unrelated to the article. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-sukBy Lee Hyo-jin Controversy is arising over a city's pilot project to combine AI-based facial recognition technology with thousands of surveillance cameras installed in the city to use in the contact tracing for COVID-19 patients. While the city government expects that the new system will help carry out swifter and more accurate epidemiological investigations, civic groups have expressed concerns over breaches of privacy and infringements of the personal information of infected people. Bucheon City Government in Gyeonggi Province is set to launch the project next month with funding from the Ministry of Science ICT. The local government received 1.6 billion won from the ministry, and allocated its own budget of 500 million won. As one of the most populated cities in the metropolitan area with more than 800,000 residents, Bucheon has the highest density of CCTV surveillance

Dec 20, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Controversy rises over AI-based facial recognition program used to track COVID-19 patients
Health

Omicron detected in 4 people administered with booster shots

A student receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a school in Gwangju, Dec. 16. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jin Four people have tested positive for the Omicron variant, even after receiving COVID-19 booster shots, prompting concerns that the inoculations may not offer protection from the new strain where three doses were previously thought to be sufficient.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 12 more Omicron cases for Saturday, pushing the total caseload to 178 after the first cases were detected here on Dec.1. The 12 new infections were all detected in inbound travelers. Six cases were reported among people entering Korea from the United States, four from the United Kingdom, along with one each from Ghana and Tanzania. Regarding the vaccination records of the total 178 patients, the KDCA said 88 were not vaccinated. Four people were partially vaccinated, meaning that they either received only the first dose, or two weeks haven't passed since their final doses. Another 76 were fully vaccinated with two doses. Four people caught the variant even after being administ

Dec 19, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Omicron detected in 4 people administered with booster shots
  • Pfizer says pandemic could extend to 2024
  • New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 1st time in 6 days
Global Community

Migrant workers' rights groups stage rally demanding better treatment

Migrant workers and civic activists hold up placards during a rally held in front of Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District, Seoul, Sunday, demanding better working and living conditions and the eradication of discrimination. The event was organized to mark International Migrants Day which falls on Dec. 18. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Hundreds of migrant workers and local activists marched down the streets of central Seoul, Sunday, staging a rally calling for better working and living conditions and the eradication of discrimination. The event, co-organized by over 20 migrant workers' support groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Social and Labor Affairs Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and Hope Center along with migrant workers, began at 2 p.m. in front of Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno District.Undeterred by freezing temperatures, about 200 foreign workers and members of civic groups gathered, holding placards reading, “Guarantee freedom to switch jobs” and “Stop discrimination in COVID-19 relief funds.”According to its organizers, th

Dec 19, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant workers' rights groups stage rally demanding better treatment
People & Events

61 lawmakers awarded by Sunfull Foundation for using positive, respectful language

Awardees of Sunfull Foundation's award for lawmakers using positive language, and students who picked the awardees, pose during an awards ceremony at Seoul Garden Hotel, Thursday. Courtesy of Sunfull FoundationBy Lee Hyo-jin Sixty-one lawmakers were awarded by Sunfull Foundation for their use of positive language and words during legislative meetings, according to the foundation. The awards ceremony organized by the nonprofit anti-cyberbullying foundation took place at Seoul Garden Hotel, Thursday.This year, a total of 30 lawmakers from various parties were selected as winners by a panel of judges consisting of 300 high school and college students. They chose the winners by monitoring the transcripts of the National Assembly's legislative meetings over the last two months starting in September. In addition to the 30 awardees, the ceremony took place with another 31 lawmakers who were selected last year but could not receive the award, as the annual event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.“This award is very meaningful as the winners were chosen by teenagers and young s

Dec 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Environment & Animals

Fine dust blankets Seoul

The sky over central Seoul is clouded with fine dust, Thursday, when ultrafine dust concentration levels reached “bad” in most parts of the country. While the dust is expected to clear up in most regions by Friday, a cold wave is forecast to grip the nation, with Seoul's morning lows hitting minus 5 degrees Celsius. The cold spell will continue through Sunday. Yonhap

Dec 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Fine dust blankets Seoul
Health

Korea's COVID-19 crisis likely to persist despite stricter distancing curbs: experts

Medical workers wearing protective gear transfers a COVID-19 patient to Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap Private gathering size cut to 4, unvaccinated face more restrictions By Lee Hyo-jin The government's latest social distancing measures, reintroduced in response to the country's worst ever COVID-19 crisis, may do little to contain the spread of the coronavirus by the year's end, according to medical experts. As the country continues to struggle with its biggest surge in infections since the pandemic outbreak, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced a return to tough social distancing restrictions Thursday, while officially halting the administration's plan for a “return to normalcy.”Under the new measures, regardless of vaccination records, the size of private gatherings will be reduced to four nationwide, down from the current six in the greater Seoul area and eight in other regions. Entertainment

Dec 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's COVID-19 crisis likely to persist despite stricter distancing curbs: experts
  • New COVID-19 cases above 7,400 for 3rd day ahead of tough virus curbs
Health

Korea halts 'return to normalcy' scheme

People waiting to receive a COVID-19 test stand in a long line that snakes outside a public health center in Songpa District, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapDaily virus cases hit fresh high of 7,850By Lee Hyo-jin The government has decided to halt its “return to normalcy” plan and reinstate strong social distancing measures, as the country continues to grapple with its worst ever COVID-19 crisis. The decision comes about six weeks since the implementation of the pandemic exit plan, under which the country was expected to gradually return to normalcy with eased distancing restrictions.“We are taking the current virus situation very seriously and plan to implement tougher social distancing measures,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting, Wednesday. “Among the measures currently under review are imposing stronger restrictions on private gatherings and putting limits on the operating hours (of multiuse facilities),” he said, adding that the government will announce detailed measures as soon

Dec 15, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea halts 'return to normalcy' scheme
  • Gov't reduces private gathering size to 4 in fight against COVID-19
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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.