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.
Citizens wait to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Daegu, Tuesday. As Korea's vaccination rate is picking up speed, the Ministry of Health and Welfare estimated that over 10 million people, or 20 percent of the country's 52 million population, would receive at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of this week. Yonhap
The Seoul Central District Court building / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin An appellate court in Seoul upheld a lower court ruling on Monday that sentenced a man to one year in prison for assaulting two women of foreign nationality for “giving the wrong directions.”The appellate department of the Seoul Central District Court issued the sentence to the man, in his 40s, who was convicted of verbally and physically assaulting the women at around 6 p.m., June 6, 2020, in Seocho District, Seoul. He attacked the women after they gave him the wrong directions. He threw a plastic bag filled with canned beverages and swore at them “for lying to him.”He was also additionally accused of assaulting an employee at a bar in the district, at around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 of last year, who stopped him from repeatedly approaching foreign women at the bar. The women were trying to avoid him by changing seats. He shoved the employee and then ran away, but when the employee went after him, he assaulted the worker.The lower court sentenced him to one year in prison, and the appeals
People wait in case of possible side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at a designated center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Friday. YonhapOver 13 million people to receive first dose by end of JuneBy Lee Hyo-jin The government's COVID-19 vaccination program is picking up pace, raising hopes that the country will be able to reach its goal of creating herd immunity by November. When the nationwide campaign started Feb. 26, the administration set the goal of achieving herd immunity by November by vaccinating 36 million individuals, or 70 percent of the country's 52 million population.It also targeted administering first shots of the vaccine to at least 13 million people within the first half of the year, beginning with vulnerable members of the population and priority groups.As of Saturday, 7.6 million people, or 14.8 percent of the population, had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 4.4 percent has been fully immunized, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Given the inoculation and reservation rates so far, the health authorities ex
Nurses wearing masks to hide their identities participate in a press conference organized by the Korea Health and Medical Workers' Union, May 12. The event was held to reveal publicly the struggles of nurses who are frequently forced to take on the duties of doctors, thus conducting illegal medical procedures against their will. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin A physician assistant (PA) nurse with 12 years of experience working at a general hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said he once made an incision in a patient's abdomen to cover for the surgeon who showed up late. He has also performed some surgical procedures requiring the skills of a licensed doctor, such as an abdominal drainage tube insertion and a bowel resection. But these procedures cannot be found in any medical records as they are officially illegal medical practices according to the Medical Law, which prohibits medical personnel from performing procedures beyond the scope of their licenses. The PA's te
A mother, right, who has been at a geriatric hospital in Daejeon, and her daughter meet in person, Tuesday, for the first time since March 20 last year when the authorities banned in-person meetings between patients at such facilities and their families to prevent COVID-19 infection among patients. They began to allow the meetings if either the patient or the family member has been fully vaccinated. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea's nationwide vaccination program against the coronavirus is gathering speed, with two more vaccines set to be introduced this month, bringing the country closer to its goal of reaching herd immunity by November. In addition to the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines currently being administered here, the single doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and initial doses of Moderna's vaccine will be put to use as soon as this week, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tuesday.First doses of the Moderna vaccines ― enough for 27,500 people ― were delivered through Incheon International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. The Korean government contracted the U.S.
Migrant workers and local civic activists demand that the government give migrant workers the freedom to switch jobs, at a rally held near Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, April 25. The event was held to mark Labor Day which falls on May 1. YonhapThis article is the first in a four-part series to highlight and address issues surrounding marginalized residents of foreign nationality who are living in legal blind spots in Korean society. ― ED.By Lee Hyo-jin Chiranjibi Rijal, 31, a migrant worker from Nepal, entered Korea in May 2019 under the Employment Permit System (EPS), which assigned him to work at a leather factory in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.Despite the heavy workload and the employer's frequent refusal to pay for overtime, Rijal said his first year at his workplace was “bearable.”But things changed after a fire broke out due to a boiler explosion at the factory in January 2020. The fire killed two of his coworkers and severely injured eight others. Rijal survived, but he was left with serious psychiatric trauma.“I had nightmares about the explosion and felt
Air Force officers over age 30 wait to receive the AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Daegu, April 28 .YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The supply of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines offered by the United States to Korea, which is set to arrive later this week, may not meet its original purpose of inoculating military service members, due to the age restrictions for the vaccine. During the Korea-U.S. summit in Washington, D.C., on May 21 (U.S. time), U.S. President Joe Biden made an announcement that his administration will provide Korean troops with enough vaccines for 550,000 people, with the details of when and which product to be decided later. After conducting follow-up discussions with their U.S. counterpart, health authorities announced Sunday that the country will receive enough Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccines from the U.S. to vaccinate 1 million people ― nearly double the amount Washington initially offered. The batches are scheduled to arrive later this week, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The ministry will take reservations a
More than 300,000 people have signed a public petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, as of Friday, calling on the government to withdraw its plan to ease Korean nationality acquisition requirements for underage foreign nationals. Screen captured from Cheong Wa Dae website By Lee Hyo-jin The government's plan to ease rules on the acquisition of Korean citizenship for underage foreign nationals has drawn public backlash due to mounting anti-Chinese sentiments here, as people opposing the policy believe it will mainly benefit “Chinese living in Korea.” The Ministry of Justice announced its plan to revise the Nationality Act, April 26, which will make it easier for children of permanent residents to gain citizenship. Under the revised scheme, if a permanent resident with “close ties” with Korea gives birth to a child here, the child may attain citizenship by simply filing an application to the ministry.Currently, they should wait until the age of 18 to file an ap
Father Daniel Brendan O'Keeffe, right, formation programme director r of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Korea, bumps fists with Justice Minister Park Beom-gye after receiving a presidential citation for “Immigrant of the Year” at an awarding ceremony held in Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, May 20. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Father Daniel Brendan O'Keeffe, formation programme director of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Korea, was honored as the “Immigrant of the Year,” recognized for his over 40 years of dedication to supporting marginalized people in the Korean society. The 70-year-old Catholic priest from Ireland was awarded with a presidential citation at an award ceremony organized by the Ministry of Justice, May 20.“I was very surprised to hear that I was selected as the awardee, out of many other immigrants that have shown greater deeds than me. I appreciate the Missionary Society of Saint Columban for having sent me here, giving me an opportunity to carry out my ministry with the Korean people,” O'keeffe sai
A quarantine official disinfects the inside of a community center for senior citizens in Guro District, Seoul, Wednesday, which is scheduled to reopen June 1, for elderly residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The reopening is one of the government's incentives offered to people who have been inoculated. Yonhap