my timesThe Korea Times
lhj

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Health

Korea grapples with hospital bed crisis

Medical workers at Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang District, Seoul, monitor coronavirus patients hospitalized in intensive care units, Nov. 15. YonhapKDCA assesses COVID-19 risk level in the capital area as 'very high'By Lee Hyo-jin Korea is grappling with a shortage of hospital beds for coronavirus patients due to a surge in the numbers of daily new infections and critically ill patients amid the government's gradual phase-out of social distancing measures. Hospital beds are filling up rapidly especially in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, forcing patients to wait for more than a day for hospitalization. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of Sunday, 907 patients in the greater capital area had been waiting for more than one day, the highest number since the outbreak of the pandemic here.Of them, more than half, or 466 patients, were aged 70 or older, while 440 patients had underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. One patient was a pregnant woman.Among them, 137 people had been waiting for more than four days to be hospitaliz

Nov 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea grapples with hospital bed crisis
  • Critical COVID-19 cases hit all-time high
Society

Coal briquette donation

Volunteers deliver charcoal briquette donations for impoverished residents in a village in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Monday. Briquettes are still used as fuel for heating and cooking in some old homes. Yonhap

Nov 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Coal briquette donation
Politics

Silent tribute to late ex-president

Yoon Seok-youl, center, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, pays a silent tribute to late former President Kim Young-sam on the sixth anniversary of his death, with other members of the party's Supreme Council ahead of their meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. Joint Press Corps

Nov 22, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Silent tribute to late ex-president
Health

Schools cautiously resume in-person classes amid surging infections

Students at an elementary school in Dongnae District of Busan head to class, Sept. 6. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin All kindergartens and schools across the country will return to full-scale in-person classes from Monday, despite the continuous surge in daily COVID-19 infections and the number of critically ill patients. While the government has eased social distancing regulations from Nov. 1 under the first step of its three-phase plan on “returning to normalcy,” full resumption of students' in-person attendance has been pushed back until after the national college entrance exam, which took place on Thursday.Although students in regions outside the Seoul metropolitan region returned to their classrooms from September, the full resumption of in-person classes in the capital region was postponed due to the unrelenting number of infections in the area.According to the Ministry of Education, 97 percent of schools in the greater Seoul area will be holding in-person classes from Monday. Other face-to-face activities, such as club meetings and field trips, will be expanded gradually dep

Nov 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Schools cautiously resume in-person classes amid surging infections
Health

Flip-flopping on vaccine policy irks public, lowers trust in gov't

People wait in line for coronavirus testing at a public health center in Songpa District, southeastern Seoul, Thursday. YonhapDaily new infections surge to all-time high at 3,292By Lee Hyo-jin The government's inconsistent COVID-19 vaccination policies are inconveniencing the public, with some beginning to lose trust in the inoculation program due to frequent changes to dose intervals and age limits.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Wednesday the shortening of the interval between primary vaccinations and booster shots to four months, from the previous six, for people aged over 60 and residents at nursing homes.The dosage gap will be reduced to five months for those aged over 50, as well as priority groups including police officers, firefighters and soldiers.In addition, the government has suspended the administration of the Moderna vaccine on individuals aged under 30 due to higher risk of heart inflammation in that age group. Beginning Thursday, those who have received a first Moderna dose will be administered with a Pfizer one for their second dose.

Nov 18, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Flip-flopping on vaccine policy irks public, lowers trust in gov't
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit new record high
Global Community

Welfare center for Myanmarese workers wins Minu Memorial Award

Zay Min, center, co-representative of the Myanmar Migrant Worker Welfare Center, poses with his colleagues during the Minu Memorial Award Ceremony held in Seoul, Nov. 16. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin By Lee Hyo-jin A local welfare center supporting migrant workers from Myanmar has won the Minu Memorial Award, recognized for its contribution to enhancing migrant worker's rights and helping them settle in Korea.The Minu Memorial Award was established in 2020 by a group of supporters of Minod Moktan, the late migrant worker and activist from Nepal, to commemorate his death and remember his accomplishments. “Minu” was his Korean name.The annual award ceremony took place at the Seoul Anglican Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Nicholas, Wednesday. The Myanmar Migrant Worker Welfare Center, based in Bupyeong, Incheon, opened in 2019. It is currently run by three co-representatives ― Zay Min, Thaung Tun, and Lee Ju-hee ― along with 32 regional representatives ac

Nov 18, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Welfare center for Myanmarese workers wins Minu Memorial Award
Society

Immigration detention center urged to address human rights violations

Members of migrants' rights groups hold a press conference in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea office in central Seoul, Sept. 29, criticizing human rights violations at an immigration detention center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-gwonBy Lee Hyo-jin The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has urged immigration authorities to address human rights violations that occurred at an immigration detention center and come up with measures to prevent any recurrence. The human rights watchdog expressed this opinion, Tuesday, in response to a petition filed by a Moroccan man in his 30s who is currently being held at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province.An immigration detention center, operated by the Ministry of Justice, is a facility where undocumented foreign nationals are held before being deported. The man, who was sent to the facility in March, claimed that he had been subject to inhumane treatment multiple times between May and June, due to the excessive use of force by the officers. Surveillance foot

Nov 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Immigration detention center urged to address human rights violations
Trends

More young Koreans choose to leave the nest

Young adults seek financial, personal independenceBy Lee Hyo-jin Park Yu-hui, 25, an office worker, lives alone in Jongno District in central Seoul. She moved out from her parents' house located in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, to a 17-square-meter studio apartment in July as soon as she found a job. As her workplace is located in Seongdong District of Seoul, saving time on the daily commute was one of the major reasons she moved out, but it was not the only one.“Now that I have a full-time job with a stable income, I wanted to lead an independent life without receiving any financial support from my parents. I also wanted to spend my free time after work in peace in my own space,” Park told The Korea Times.Getting a bank loan to finance a 120 million won ($102,000) “jeonse” deposit (home rental based on large deposits) was not an easy decision, but Park says “it was worth it.”“On top of the freedom of having full control of my life, I feel very comfortable as I can decorate and make my home how I want, and invite friends over whenever I

Nov 16, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
More young Koreans choose to leave the nest
Health

Medical capacity for critically ill COVID-19 patients in jeopardy

Medical staffers work in an intensive care unit for critically ill COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Gangwon Province in this December 2020 photo. YonhapGovernment urged to speed up rollout of booster shotsBy Lee Hyo-jin The country's national public health system is at risk of being overwhelmed by surging coronavirus patients in critical condition amid the gradual phase-out of social distancing measures under the government's “Living with COVID-19” strategy. The number of critically ill patients ― those requiring ventilators, high-flow oxygen therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) ― is a crucial factor in the government's decision on whether the country will be able to move to the next step in its “return to normalcy” plan.This figure has stayed over 400 for 10 consecutive days, raising concern as the health authorities said earlier that their current medical capacity could cope with up to 500 seriously ill patients.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country rep

Nov 15, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Medical capacity for critically ill COVID-19 patients in jeopardy
  • New cases over 2,000 for 6th straight day amid eased virus rules
Society

College entrance exam papers distributed

Workers at a printing factory in Sejong City move boxes containing College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) papers and answer sheets, Monday, three days ahead of the state-run examination for college entrance. The papers and answer sheets are sent to test venues across the country. Yonhap

Nov 15, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
College entrance exam papers distributed
previous page
134135136137138
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
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.