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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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Politics

Yoon draws controversy with remarks on dog meat

By Lee Hyo-jin Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has stirred controversy with his remarks on dog meat consumption, which reflected claims shared among supporters of the dog meat trade. Yoon, who has been known as an animal lover raising four dogs and three cats, spoke about the dog meat trade and animal rights issues during a televised debate among presidential contenders of the PPP, Sunday.Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a TV debate at KBS on Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. YonhapWhen former four-term lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, another contender, asked Yoon's opinion about dog meat consumption, Yoon said, “I am personally opposed to the consumption of dog meat. But implementation of related government policies would require a social consensus.” Yoo further asked, “Considering that there are about 15 million pet owners in the country, this is a very sensitive topic. Would it be appropriate to l

Nov 1, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Yoon draws controversy with remarks on dog meat
Health

Unvaccinated people to face more COVID-19 restrictions

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol speaks during a briefing on the government's finalized "Living with COVID-19" plan at Government Complex Seoul, Friday. YonhapGov't announces finalized “Living with COVID-19” plansBy Lee Hyo-jin Starting Monday, unvaccinated people here will be barred from entering multiuse facilities such as gyms, singing rooms and public baths unless they submit PCR test results showing them as negative for COVID-19, following the implementation of the so-called “vaccine pass.” Amid controversy that the policy may lead to discrimination against the unvaccinated, the government has included the measure as part of the finalized plan for transitioning its “Living with COVID-19” policy into action.Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol unveiled the plan at a briefing, Friday, under which social distancing regulations will be lifted gradually in three phases every six weeks starting from early November. The plan included the introduction of the vaccine pass, which would restrict unimmunized individuals from accessing some multiuse facilities,

Oct 29, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Unvaccinated people to face more COVID-19 restrictions
Health

6 men get their driver's licenses suspended for not paying child support

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family /Korea Times file By Lee Hyo-jin Six divorced men who have been refusing to pay child support expenses to the custodial parent were issued a 100-day driver's license suspension, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.The ministry said that it has requested the law enforcement authorities to issue the order to the individuals, Thursday. The suspension will be retracted upon payment of unpaid child support expenses. This is the first imposition of such an order for delinquency in child support payments after the relevant laws were revised in July.Under the revised law, those who have failed to pay child support following a court order may face up to a one-year prison term, a fine of up to 10 million won ($8,550), an international travel ban or a driver's license suspension. The government may also disclose their personal information, including their name, age and occupation on the ministry's website if they c

Oct 29, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
6 men get their driver's licenses suspended for not paying child support
Health

Telemedicine industry concerned over 'return to normalcy'

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced the medical industry, boosting its digital transformation and introducing new healthcare models for contactless services.Telemedicine, which enables doctors to treat patients remotely via telecommunications technologies, was technically illegal here in the pre-COVID-19 era under the Medical Services Act.But through a revision to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, since February 2020, the provision of virtual healthcare services has been allowed in a limited manner when the country's infectious disease crisis level is “serious,” or at the highest level of alarm.The revision has led to the emergence of multiple businesses providing telemedicine services. Through a mobile app, patients can now receive counseling from licensed doctors, along with a diagnosis and prescription, without having to visit a clinic. According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, from February 2020 to September of this year, there have been over 2.7 million telemedicine visits, and about 1.3 million

Oct 29, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Telemedicine industry concerned over 'return to normalcy'
Health

Curfews on cafes, restaurants to be lifted on Nov. 1

A street in Myeong-dong in central Seoul is crowded with people during lunch time, Monday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced its draft to plan on the transition to the “Living with COVID-19” scheme, under which curfews on cafes and eateries will be lifted Nov. 1. YonhapGov't unveils draft of 'Living with COVID-19' schemeBy Lee Hyo-jin Restaurants, cafes, gyms and movie theaters will be allowed to operate without curfew starting Nov. 1 under the government's “Living with COVID-19” scheme, the government announced Monday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled its draft plan on the transition to the new plan during a discussion session on Monday, under which social distancing regulations, which had been in place since Feb. 29, 2020, will be lifted gradually in three phases starting from November.Starting Nov. 1, the government will ease the rules every six weeks. Under the scenario, the country is expected to return to normalcy by February 2022. At the first phase of the plan, limits on operation hours of facilities with relatively low risk of vir

Oct 25, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Curfews on cafes, restaurants to be lifted on Nov. 1
  • Young workers not entirely happy with 'return to normalcy'
Health

Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries

A person receives a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gwanak District, Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The percentage of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 here, which topped 70 percent Saturday, is the 10th-highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).As of 2 p.m., Saturday, over 35.94 million ― or 70 percent ― of the country's population of 51.35 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The 70-percent rate was achieved 240 days after the government kicked off its nationwide inoculation drive Feb. 26. According to Our World in Data, of the 38 OECD countries, Korea's percentage of fully vaccinated ranked 10th, higher than those of Japan, the United States and France. Portugal came in first at 86.82 percent, followed by Iceland (81.04 percent), Spain (79.58 percent), Chile (75.75 percent), Denmark (75.73 percent), Ireland (74.97 percent), Canada (73.49 percent), Belgium (73.24 percent) and Italy (70.75 percent).Such an achievement is notable, as Korea's

Oct 25, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries
  • Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death
Health

Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death

An ambulance transfers a COVID-19 patient to a hospital in Eunpyeong District of Seoul in this photo taken in December 2020. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being urged to improve the way it handles COVID-19 patients after an infected man died when his condition deteriorated quickly while he was waiting at home for an ambulance. This latest fatality is raising concerns as more patients displaying mild or no symptoms are expected to be told to stay home in line with the government's envisioned shift to a “living with COVID-19” policy from November. According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, the man, in his 60s, who was placed under isolation at his home in the Seodaemun District of Seoul, died Thursday morning, after his condition deteriorated abruptly while waitinf to be transferred to a hospital. This death is the first reported among some 13,000 cumulative cases of people who have undergone home treatment since the system was adopted in January of this year. According to the public health authorities, the paramedics arrived at the patient's house

Oct 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't urged to improve COVID-19 home treatment system after patient's death
  • Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate ranks 10th among OECD countries
Global Community

Students launch fundraising for multicultural youth basketball team

Members of Global Friends, a youth basketball team comprised of children of multicultural backgrounds, pose during a training session in Seoul in this 2018 photo. Courtesy of Cheon Soo-gilBy Lee Hyo-jin Two high school students are raising funds to save the country's one and only basketball team comprised of teenagers from multicultural backgrounds, which is on the verge of disbandment. Global Friends, the basketball team based in Seoul's Itaewon, is facing hardship after its only corporate sponsor Hana Tour suspended support this month due to financial difficulties amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.The country's largest tour agency had been supporting the team since 2012. During that period, over 100 students from multicultural backgrounds have played on the team, engaging in training sessions two times a week and participating in youth basketball tournaments held during vacations. “We have done our best to continue the sponsorship for the basketball team, which was one of our most meaningful projects. But the suspension was inevitable due to worsened business conditions,&r

Oct 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Students launch fundraising for multicultural youth basketball team
Politics

Raid into Seongnam mayor's office

Officials at Seongnam City Hall in Gyeonggi Province cover the entrance to the office of mayor's secretaries with newspapers to prevent people from watching a raid by the prosecution, Thursday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sent a team of 23 investigators to seize documents and other material as a part of its investigation into alleged corruption surrounding a massive land development project in Daejang-dong in the city. During four raids earlier this month, the prosecution did not include the mayor's and secretaries' offices, drawing criticism that it was mounting a limited investigation. Yonhap

Oct 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Raid into Seongnam mayor's office
Global Community

'Diverse Voices' of foreign residents shared on radio

Jasmine Lee, host of the radio show “Diverse Voices,” poses in a studio at TBS eFM in Seoul, Oct. 14. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jinBy Lee Hyo-jin “Diverse Voices,” a radio show on English broadcaster TBS eFM (101.3MHz), deals with a variety of issues surrounding migrants and residents of foreign nationality in Korea. The light-hearted show, which airs every day from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., not only delivers useful information to listeners, but also uplifts their spirits through interesting interviews with guests from various backgrounds.It is hosted by Jasmine Lee, a Philippine-born naturalized Korean and former lawmaker who has worked with various civic groups active around migrant and multicultural family issues.“As the title of the program suggests, our main goal is to have more diverse voices of foreign residents on radio, including those who don't speak English very well,” Lee said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. The program kicked off in March as a weekend show, but was changed to a daily in August, reflecting the broadcaster's i

Oct 21, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
'Diverse Voices' of foreign residents shared on radio
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