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.
Rep. Song Young-gil, left, chief of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, bumps fists with Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper, who is the granddaughter of a Korean War veteran, during a meeting held at the National Assembly, Wednesday. They discussed cooperation between the two nations on renewable energy. Yonhap
Bottles of cold water are offered by a local volunteer group in front of Jin District Office in Busan, Wednesday, to people working outdoors in the hot weather, such as delivery workers, street cleaners and postal workers. Yonhap
People are observed for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap Inoculation of 20-40 age groups may be pushed backBy Lee Hyo-jin The government's COVID-19 vaccination plan is facing uncertainties due to supply issues involving products from Moderna, with which the country has signed a contract to receive 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people. Korea has so far received 1.15 million doses from the U.S. pharmaceutical company, with the remainder set to arrive in the latter half of the year. The government was planning to use the doses to vaccinate people in their 50s, as well as those in lower age groups, from AugustBut the health authorities have were informed by Moderna, July 23, about a production issue involving its vaccines, making changes in the supply schedule inevitable, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). “There may be some adju
A street in Myeongdong, a shopping district in Seoul, is almost empty, Sunday, amid the toughest Level 4 social distancing measures imposed in the greater Seoul area. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin People here are losing trust in the government's COVID-19 responses, as its social distancing measures, despite repeated extensions, are failing to contain the virus spread, while prolonged restrictions on daily activities are deepening public fatigue. The health authorities have extended distancing measures by two or three weeks 12 times this year alone, each time asking for public cooperation in overcoming a “critical moment” in the country's battle against the coronavirus.Most recently, Level 4, the toughest distancing measures imposed in the Seoul metropolitan area, has been extended for another two weeks until Aug. 8, unlike President Moon Jae-in's earlier promise that the Level 4 measures will be “strong and short.” The decision came as the strongest virus curbs, including gathering bans of over two people after 6 p.m., have failed to bring the current situation under c
People are observed for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine injections at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Concerns are rising over mix-and-match inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines, following the death of a police officer who received a Pfizer dose for his second shot after an AstraZeneca for his first one. This is the first death reported since July 5 when the Korean government introduced mix-and-match inoculations, using the AstraZeneca vaccine for the first dose and Pfizer for the second.A 52-year-old police officer at Chilgok police station in North Gyeongsang Province died, July 20, three days after having been administered with a Pfizer dose. After his family found him unconscious at home around 2 a.m., he was transferred to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead about an hour later. He received his first shot of the AstraZeneca dose April 28, followed by a Pfizer vaccine on July 17. He exhibited symptoms of headache and chills after the second dose, according to his family. The Korea Disease Control an
Cheong Jong-won, a pastor, and his wife Kim Sung-eun visit a woman and her baby at her home in Seoul in this March 2018 photo. Courtesy of Light and SaltBy Lee Hyo-jinBeing a single parent is not easy in Korea, but it is especially tough for people of foreign nationality. On top of the burden of having to raise and educate their children on their own, they face hurdles due to social prejudice against foreigners and single parents. “Framily,” a social cooperative established by Cheong Jong-won, a pastor, and his wife Kim Sung-eun, encourages such parents to stand on their own feet by giving economic and emotional support as well as caring for their children.“We launched the organization in 2016, with an aim to become a friend and family for single foreign parents who are raising their child alone after divorcing, or the death of, their spouse,” Cheong told The Korea Times. The couple also run a Vietnamese cafe “Mom's Apron,” offering job opportunities for migrant women who are raising their children on their own. Located in a residential area in Gan
People wait to receive a coronavirus test at a makeshift testing center in Incheon, Wednesday. YonhapKorea reports daily record of 1,784 COVID-19 casesBy Lee Hyo-jin The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of abating here despite toughened social distancing measures, with daily caseloads breaking new highs. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,784 new infections Tuesday, beating the record of 1,615 set July 13. The daily number of cases has stayed above 1,000 for two consecutive weeks, and it is highly likely that the government will extend the Level 4 social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area before their July 25 expiration. Meanwhile medical experts believe that stronger measures are a necessary inevitability.Tuesday's total didn't even reflect the 270 confirmed cases among service members of the coronavirus-hit Cheonghae naval anti-piracy unit, who were returned home that evening.The unrelenting increases in infections have put the health authorities on high alert, as they had been expecting the stringent measures t
Citizens wait for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine injections at an inoculaton center in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap.By Lee Hyo-jin Korea's coronavirus vaccination reservation for people in their 50s is not running smoothly, with repeated crashes in the booking system frustrating the people, and delays in vaccine deliveries causing setbacks to the inoculation plan.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), people aged between 50 and 59 will be administered with their first Moderna or Pfizer doses beginning later this month, but getting a spot through the online reservation website has not been easy for many in that age group.Online reservations for people aged 53 and 54, or those born in 1967 and 1968, opened from 8 p.m., Monday. But as soon as it opened, the server crashed due to high user demand. The KDCA resumed taking reservations after installing additional cloud servers at around 10 p.m., but many people still experienced connection delays. They had to sit in front of their computers for hours attempting to b
A woman walks near City Hall, central Seoul, Monday, covering her head with a bag as torrential rainfall hit the region, with Seoul put under a heavy rain advisory due to atmospheric instability amid a heat wave, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. After more rainfall Tuesday, a heat wave is forecast across the country. Yonhap
Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee bumps elbows with her Australian counterpart Dan Tehan, ahead of their meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Monday. The two ministers agreed on stronger cooperation for investments into and development of mineral resources including rare earth elements. Yonhap