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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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Health

Seoul encourages foreign residents to take COVID-19 tests

A man gets a COVID-19 testing at a makeshift testing site near Seoul Station, Tuesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to encourage foreign residents to get tested for COVID-19, as part of the city's efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the capital area.The city announced a set a measures, Friday, to strengthen monitoring at workplaces involving foreign workers and to encourage some 240,000 expatriates in the greater Seoul area to undergo preemptive virus testing.The preventive measure follows infection clusters detected recently among foreign workers in Dongducheon and Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province.Foreign residents in Seoul will be able to be tested free of charge and living expenses will be offered for those placed under self-quarantine. Undocumented foreigners will be able to be tested without the risk of being arrested or deported, because they will not be required to submit information about their immigration status.The operating hours of makeshift testing sites in the Guro, Geumcheon, and Yeongdeungpo districts, which have large foreign p

Mar 5, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Seoul encourages foreign residents to take COVID-19 tests
Health

Medical experts warn against excessive fears of the COVID-19 vaccine

Medical workers at Asan Medical Center receive the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at the hospital in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Asan Medical CenterBy Lee Hyo-jin Medical experts have warned against excessive fears about the COVID-19 vaccine among patients with underlying health conditions, following several reported deaths after the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as it may lead to vaccine hesitancy. As of Friday, seven people with pre-existing health conditions had died after receiving a first shot of the vaccine, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The agency noted that they all had underlying conditions, such as cardiac disorders, diabetes, and cerebrovascular diseases. While the authorities are looking into any possible link between the fatalities and the vaccine, the deaths have prompted some fear and anxiety among people with underlying health problems.However, medical experts on chronic illnesses such as diabetes, rheumatic and respiratory diseases noted that the deaths should not be a reason for people to refuse or delay having the

Mar 5, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Medical experts warn against excessive fears of the COVID-19 vaccine
  • 279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines
  • South Korea approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
Health

Migrant workers fear being excluded from COVID-19 vaccination program

Migrant workers work in a fishery in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Feb. 2. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin Migrant workers here are concerned that they might be excluded from the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program or pushed back on the priority list, saying that the government's coronavirus-related measures so far have not been equally applied to them. Prior to the vaccine rollout, the government said that foreign nationals who have stayed in the country for over three months, including undocumented migrants, will be provided with the vaccine under the same order and procedures applied to Korean nationals.But limited information on vaccination schedules have left migrant workers wondering when their turn will come. Many of these workers are concerned that they might be lose their eligibility at the last minute, considering the government's inconsistent coronavirus-related policies for migrants. “As we haven't been told anything from the authorities yet, many workers are quite confused and concerned when they will actually be able to get vaccinated,” said Shekh al M

Mar 4, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant workers fear being excluded from COVID-19 vaccination program
Health

2 Korean nursing home residents die after getting AstraZeneca vaccine

A medical staffer draws AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine from a vial into a syringe at a nursing home in Seoul, Feb. 26. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Two Gyeonggi Province nursing home residents with pre-existing conditions died Wednesday after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, leading the health authorities to investigate whether there was any correlation between their deaths and the vaccine. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that the two residents of long-term care facilities ― one man in Goyang and the other in Pyeongtaek ― died some time after receiving their first shots of the AstraZeneca vaccineThe man at the Goyang nursing home, in his 50s, showed signs of cardiac arrest and associated breathing difficulties 11 hours after being vaccinated Tuesday morning. He received first aid on site, but died the next day due to heart failure. He had multiple pre-existing conditions including a cardiac disorder and diabetes, and had previously suffered from a stroke. The man in Pyongtaek was a 63-year-old patient suffering from cerebrovascular disease who died four days fo

Mar 3, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
2 Korean nursing home residents die after getting AstraZeneca vaccine
  • Gov't to intensify monitoring of coronavirus misinformation
Society

Migrant workers to be allowed to change workplace if offered poor accommodation

This photo taken on Jan. 21 shows the inside of a vinyl greenhouse that was being used as a dormitory for foreign workers at a farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hunBy Lee Hyo-jin The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Tuesday that migrant workers will be allowed to change their workplaces if their employers provide substandard accommodation such as makeshift dormitories built in vinyl greenhouses. In cooperation with related government bodies, the ministry announced a set of measures designed to improve the living conditions of foreign nationals working in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS).The measures follow the death of a Cambodian worker last December, which highlighted the substandard living conditions suffered by foreign workers. Poor dormitories will be included in the list of reasons allowing employees to switch their workplace, while business owners caught providing inappropriate housing will be banned from hiring foreign workers. Currently, migrant workers are permitted to change their workplace up to five times during their nea

Mar 2, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant workers to be allowed to change workplace if offered poor accommodation
Health

Urging support for tourism industry

Members of a coalition of travel agencies nationwide stage a rally in front of the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Korea on Yeouido in Seoul, Tuesday, calling on the ruling party and the government to help them overcome the financial crisis stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Yonhap

Mar 2, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Urging support for tourism industry
Society

1st day of school

First-grade students at Naesung Elementary School in Busan follow their homeroom teacher to their classroom on the first day of school, Tuesday, when elementary, middle and high schools nationwide opened for the new school year. First and second graders at elementary school and high school seniors will have in-person classes every day, while others will go to school two or three times a week and have online classes on the other days amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap

Mar 2, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
1st day of school
Health

Controversy rises over maximizing COVID-19 vaccine doses per vial

A medical staffer draws out a dose of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine with a syringe from a bottle at a vaccination center at the National Medical Center in Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Controversy is rising over maximizing COVID-19 vaccine doses per bottle by using domestically developed syringes.A low dead space (LDS) syringe, developed by a local company, minimizes the dead space between hub and needle, thereby increasing the number of doses that can be drawn from each vial. The syringe will be able to increase the number of Pfizer's vaccine shots per vial to seven from six. A bottle of AstraZeneca's shots, which provides shots for 10 people, can be administered to up to 12 recipients using the syringe. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has allowed their use at vaccination sites by issuing a guideline to the vaccine centers nationwide, Saturday. But it adopted an ambiguous stance later stating that no official review has been conducted of the syringes' usage.“It is difficult to make a one-size-fits-all decision on whether to use one Pfizer bot

Feb 28, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Controversy rises over maximizing COVID-19 vaccine doses per vial
Health

Dos and don'ts of getting the COVID-19 vaccine

A woman receives a coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca in a nursing home in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Friday. YonhapIt takes around two weeks to build immunity after inoculationBy Lee Hyo-jin With the start of COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide, attention is growing over how individuals should prepare for inoculations and what safety measures they should take after receiving the injections.Below is a list of questions and answers regarding vaccination based on information from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Q. What is the procedure before inoculation?Once you arrive at a vaccination facility, you will go through a preliminary checkup with doctors on your history of allergic reactions to medication, food, cosmetics or other vaccines. People who have previously shown abnormal reactions to ingredients in an mRNA coronavirus vaccine ― polyethylene glycol and polysorbate ― will not be able to receive a vaccine injection. Q. Should patients with underlying illnesses stop taking medication?There is no reason to discontinue or alter the medication of patients with unde

Feb 28, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Dos and don'ts of getting the COVID-19 vaccine
Health

COVID-19 mass vaccine inoculations to start Friday nationwide

Medical staff examine AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccines at a public health center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Thursday, ahead of the start of mass vaccinations scheduled for Friday. YonhapKorea to begin mass vaccination drive for herd immunity by NovemberBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea will kick off its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program, Friday, joining dozens of other countries in one of the largest mass immunization drives in history. The first inoculations will begin at 9 a.m. for patients and healthcare workers aged below 65 at nursing homes or public health centers across the country with the AstraZeneca vaccine.There has been heated debate on over who will be the first person to be vaccinated, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) did not specify a first individual as “vaccinations will begin simultaneously nationwide.”Although there will not be a “first person in the nation,” there will be “first individuals” in each region. In Daegu, a doctor couple in their 60s working at a nursing facility will be the first to roll up the

Feb 25, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
COVID-19 mass vaccine inoculations to start Friday nationwide
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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.