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

Will use of leftover vaccines for second shot help curb ever-growing cases?

People are observed for possible side effects after receiving a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap1st shot vaccination rate to reach 70% by Friday By Lee Hyo-jin The government has decided to allow the use of leftover COVID-19 vaccines for second shots, in a bid to speed up its vaccination drive amid the unrelenting increases in coronavirus infections nationwide. Leftover vaccines refer to spare doses that have become available after someone canceled or did not show up for their appointment. Eligible recipients can book the slot for a “no show” vaccine through a real-time search system on Kakao and Naver.Starting Friday, second doses can be booked through the leftover vaccine reservation system, according to the COVID-19 Vaccination Taskforce. Previously, the leftover doses had not been available for second shots. In addition, the government has decided to shorten the dosing interval for people booking the leftover vaccines. While the gap between two shots of the mRNA vaccines ― Pfizer and Moderna ― is set at six

Sep 17, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Will use of leftover vaccines for second shot help curb ever-growing cases?
Health

Korea urged to improve support for LGBT students

Human Rights Watch issued a report titled, “'I Thought of Myself as Defective': Neglecting the Rights of LGBT Youth in South Korean Schools,” Tuesday. Courtesy of Human Rights WatchBy Lee Hyo-jin Kim Do-hyun, a 25-year-old transgender male, remembers the day when a classmate in his middle school, after watching a film in class portraying a same-sex relationship, said, “All homosexuals should be shot dead.” The remarks left him trembling with rage, so he had to leave the classroom and calm down outside. “The teacher didn't intervene,” Kim said. “Other classmates just laughed.”Jin Pu-reun, a 22-year-old lesbian, said, “Once it became known that I was a lesbian in high school, I was singled out for harassment and the older students rebuked me saying, 'You are homosexual, you're dirty.'”These two cases of discrimination in school against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students were included in a report titled, “I Thought of Myself as Defective: Neglecting the Rights of LGBT Youth in South Korean Schools,&rdq

Sep 14, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea urged to improve support for LGBT students
Health

Chuseok delivery

Red Cross workers carrying relief kits packed with daily necessities walk up the stairs in a residential area of Busan, Monday, to deliver them to impoverished people ahead of the upcoming Chuseok long weekend, which runs from Sept. 18 to 22. Yonhap

Sep 13, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Chuseok delivery
Health

Afghans enjoying activities after self-quarantine

Afghan evacuees enjoy outdoor activities on a playing field at the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Monday, after they underwent two weeks of self-quarantine following their arrival in Korea late last month. Afghans who had helped the Korean government's activities in the country and their family members were airlifted here from their Taliban-controlled homeland. Joint Press Corps

Sep 13, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Afghans enjoying activities after self-quarantine
Society

Backlash growing over mosque construction in Daegu

This photo taken on Feb. 14 shows the construction site of a mosque in Daegu's Buk District. Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin A conflict is deepening over the construction of a two-story mosque in a residential district of Daegu, the nation's third-largest city located in the southeastern region of the country. Some residents, worried that the mosque would lead to stronger Islamic influence in the area, have been strongly opposing the construction, whereas the Islamic community and civic groups supporting it believe the mosque should be built to guarantee the freedom of religion.The construction of the place of worship in Daehyeon-dong, Buk District, was launched in December 2020 by the local Islamic community, mainly consisting of international students studying at Kyungpook National University in Daegu. They received a construction permit from the local district office in September of that year. But it was met with heavy backlash among some residents and members of conservative Protestant groups in the area. They staged rallies in front of the construction site and filed multiple pet

Sep 13, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Backlash growing over mosque construction in Daegu
Health

1st-shot vaccination rate to top 70 percent this week

People are observed for possible side effects after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Sept. 9. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin Korea is expected to reach its goal of inoculating 70 percent of its population with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this week, according to the health authorities.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said over 33 million people or 64.5 percent of Korea's 52 million population have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Saturday.At this pace, the government said it will be able to accomplish its target of inoculating 70 percent of the population with their first dose before the extended Chuseok weekend, which runs from Sept.17 to 22. According to Our World in Data, the country's first dose vaccination rate at 64 percent is higher than that of Japan and the United States, which stood at 62 percent. Korea's vaccination rate has been falling behind other countrie

Sep 13, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
1st-shot vaccination rate to top 70 percent this week
  • New cases fall under 1,500 on fewer tests; potential upticks worrisome during holiday
  • Increasing claims of vaccine-related deaths raise concerns
Society

Seoul subway workers' strike imminent

People walk across a platform at Yeouido Station in Seoul, Sept. 3. YonhapSeoul Metro labor union threatens to stage walkout from TuesdayBy Lee Hyo-jin The union at an operator of part of Seoul's subway system plans to call for a strike from Tuesday as talks between it and management have remained stalled over the last few weeks. Unionized workers at Seoul Metro had already threatened to stage a walkout in early August to protest a proposed restructuring plan that included employee layoffs and a wage freeze.They are demanding that the company withdraw the restructuring plan and come up with “feasible” measures to tackle the ongoing financial problems at the subway operator instead of firing employees. The two sides will hold a final meeting on Monday, but chances of reaching a last minute agreement remain low as the company has been under heavy pressure from the Seoul Metropolitan Government to implement urgent measures to resolve its continuing deficit.Seoul Metro, which was created after two city government-affiliated corporations, one running lines 1 to 4 and the other

Sep 12, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul subway workers' strike imminent
Global Community

Migrant groups to lodge human rights petition on exclusion from disaster relief fund

By Lee Hyo-jin Migrants' rights groups here are demanding the government pay COVID-19 disaster relief money to all foreign residents without discrimination, as a vast majority of them have once again been excluded from the financial support program.A coalition of migrants' rights groups stage a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae, July 6, urging the government to provide COVID-19 disaster relief fund to all residents of foreign nationality in Korea. YonhapA coalition of such groups is planning to lodge a petition with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) today, claiming that unequal access to state aid programs is a violation of human rights as well as discrimination based on race and nationality.Starting Sept. 6, the government has been offering a fifth round of disaster relief funds to 88 percent of the population in the bottom income bracket, with a lump-sum payment of 250,000 won ($215) per person, in a bid to ease economic hardships from the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of residents of foreign nationality, the monetary support is offered only to permanent resid

Sep 8, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant groups to lodge human rights petition on exclusion from disaster relief fund
Health

Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children

Jeong Jae-min, an official at the Ministry of Justice, speaks during a briefing in Seoul, Monday, on the ministry's plan to allow single people to adopt children. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A controversy is arising over the government's move to allow single people to legally adopt children, with the decision being welcomed by those who agree on the need to recognize diverse forms of family, while others express concerns over possible child abuse by the adoptive parent. The Ministry of Justice announced Monday a plan to amend the law to allow an adult who is single to adopt children if they meet certain requirements proving their capability of raising a child.Under the current law, only couples who have been married for three years are allowed to adopt a child. Unmarried people are ineligible for adoption based on the traditional view that they would face more difficulties in raising a child than married couples.But a ministry taskforce created to devise policies for single-member households said that many single people are as capable as married people of raising children, and thus the elig

Sep 7, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children
Health

Calls growing for 'live with COVID-19' strategy

People stand in line to receive a coronavirus test at a testing center near Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap6 out of 10 Koreans support new quarantine schemeBy Lee Hyo-jin There are growing calls here for the government to adopt a “live with COVID-19” strategy, under which social distancing measures can be eased in preparation for a new normal in which the country might have to live with a permanent presence of the coronavirus. Unlike the current policy which focuses on bringing down the number of daily new infections, the new strategy would concentrate on the treatment of patients in critical condition, while relaxing distancing measures to enable people to return to their pre-pandemic daily lives.According to a poll of 500 adults released by Realmeter, Monday, 58.5 percent of respondents said that Korea should adopt the new strategy around early October ― 34.3 percent disagreed, while the remainder were unsure. Calls for a “live with COVID-19” strategy have been mounting especially among small business owners, who have suffered damages due to the prolonged soci

Sep 6, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls growing for 'live with COVID-19' strategy
  • Self-employed people to hold drive-through protests against COVID-19 restrictions
previous page
140141142143144
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.