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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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People & Events

Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding elementary school students

Park is caring student president with big enthusiasm for sciencePark Soo-jung is the student president at Yonan Elementary School in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The sixth grader displays leadership with her caring personality and the ability to communicate with diverse people. Park does not hesitate to make proposals and suggestions to the school on behalf of the students. Park Soo-jungBorn to a Vietnamese mother and Korean father, Park is the oldest among four siblings. She grew up taking care of her brothers and sisters and helping her parents. Park is also fluent in Vietnamese and Korean. She has proven her linguistic skills by winning a bronze medal in a bilingual speech contest hosted by the provincial government in 2019. Having spent her early childhood in Vietnam before entering school, Park had struggled with Korean at first, but she did not give up. And through her own efforts she was able to achieve remarkable results in her academic life. Park especially shows enthusiasm in science. She has received various awards in and outside of school related to the subject, a

Dec 9, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding elementary school students
  • 'Multicultural background makes me stand out among others'
People & Events

'Multicultural background makes me stand out among others'

Kim Hae-young, 17, the grand prize winner of the 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards, smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Dec. 2. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulGrand prize winner of The Korea Times' 9th Multicultural Youth AwardsBy Lee Hyo-jin Kim Hae-young, 17, travels some 160 kilometers back and forth by train every weekend from her school dormitory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, to her home in Seoul.Spending hours on the road weekly is no burden for the sophomore at Chungnam Foreign Language High School, who says she is happy to study at “the only high school in the country offering in-depth classes in my mother's language, Vietnamese.”“I was born in Vietnam and raised there until the age of seven. This is something that makes me stand out among others, leading to more opportunities, for instance, the chance to win this grand prize,” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul. Many people would assume that Kim's multicultural background gifted her with a

Dec 9, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
'Multicultural background makes me stand out among others'
  • Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding middle school students
  • Winners of 9th Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding high school students
  • Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding volunteers
  • Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Special awards
  • Winners of 9th Korea Multicultural Youth Awards - Outstanding elementary school students
Health

Health experts skeptical on COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo speaks about Korea's vaccine procurement plans during a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapKorea secures vaccines for 44 million peopleBy Lee Hyo-jin Health experts have shown skepticism over the government's “belated” COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans, saying that the pre-purchased supply may be insufficient to form herd immunity.The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday that it had secured enough supply of coronavirus vaccines for approximately 44 million people or roughly 85 percent of the population. It has obtained 64 million doses available for 34 million people through separate contracts with four pharmaceutical companies ― 20 million doses each from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna ― requiring two doses per person ― and 4 million doses from Janssen.Another 20 million doses to vaccinate 10 million people will be acquired through COVAX Facility, a multinational initiative aimed at developing and deploying COVID-19 vaccines.The ministry has already signed a deal with AstraZeneca, and legally binding ag

Dec 8, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Health experts skeptical on COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans
  • Korea secures COVID-19 vaccines for 44 million people
People & Events

Winners of 9th Multicultural Youth Awards announced

The Korea Times has selected 12 students as winners of the ninth Korea Multicultural Youth Awards.Kim Hae-young / Courtesy of Kim Hae-youngThe winner of the grand prize, to be presented by Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok, is Kim Hae-young from Chungnam Foreign Language High School in Asan, South Chungcheong Province. Born to a Vietnamese mother and Korean father, Kim was recognized for her excellent academic skills as well as various volunteer activities using her bilingual skills such as teaching Vietnamese at the Korea Vietnam Culture Communication Center. Ham Hui-jeong from Hongcheon Girls' Middle School in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, received the special jury award, while Abdulkhamidov Abdulbosit from Jeam Elementary School in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, won the Semoon Chang Award, which is given to a student with excellent foreign language skills. Kang Ye-jin from Lila Art High School in Seoul won the EDGC Award, sponsored by Eone Diagnomics Genome Center (EDGC), a leading Korean genetic research company.Two outstanding students were also selected each from

Dec 8, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Winners of 9th Multicultural Youth Awards announced
Society

30% of cram school instructors lose jobs amid pandemic

Signs hanging at a private cram school in Seoul announce its temporary closure due to the coronavirus pandemic in this March 4 photo. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin Around 30 percent of cram school instructors have experienced unemployment at least once amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a labor civic group, Monday.Workplace Gapjil 119, a civic organization consisting of labor experts and lawyers, disclosed the results of a survey conducted in November among 500 instructors at private academies, or hagwon, across the country. It showed that 27 percent of the respondents had lost jobs over the last 10 months. Among the reasons for unemployment were unwanted layoffs, canceled or suspended classes and recommended resignations from employers. The vast majority of unemployed tutors are not being supported with unemployment insurance, with only 4 percent having received unemployment benefits. Out of the 96 percent who did not receive them, 55 percent stated that they were not registered for the state employment insurance program. Meanwhile, 78 percent of the respondents said the

Dec 7, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
30% of cram school instructors lose jobs amid pandemic
Society

Noise complaints in apartments rise amid COVID-19

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Noise complaints are on the rise in apartment complexes as more people spend more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a lawmaker, Sunday. Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea disclosed data from the Korea Environment Corporation (KEC), which included information on the yearly number of noise-related complaints in apartments nationwide. The number has soared this year. A total of 36,105 complaints were reported from January to November ― a 51 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019. The data also showed that the figure has been increasing steadily over the past few years, from 19,278 cases in 2015 to 23,843 cases in 2019. However, due to lack of solutions, many conflicts remain unresolved and some go from bad to worse. In late November, a resident of an apartment complex, who did not disclose information on the location of the apartment, wrote on the internet that they had been “bombed with human excrement by downstairs neighbors over noise-related complaints.”“Around midnight on N

Dec 6, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Noise complaints in apartments rise amid COVID-19
Society

How COVID-19 has reshaped schools in Korea

A sixth grade homeroom teacher at an elementary school in Songpa District, eastern Seoul, gives a remote lesson in this March 30 photo. / Korea Times FileBy Lee Hyo-jin For Park Jeong-bin, a first grader at a middle school in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, the 2020 academic year did not unfold as she had imagined. In March, she entered her new school without an opening assembly ― canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spring semester, after being delayed for a month, kicked off online in April, and only in the first week of June was Park able to attend the school to meet her classmates in person for the first time.Over the past eight months she has been struggling to cope with remote classes. Park says the cons of online education far outweigh the pros. “I first thought online learning was convenient since I don't have to wake up early to get ready for school. But as time went by, I realized how I easily became distracted sitting in front of the monitor alone without any real interaction with my teachers and classmates. Also, some online assignments were too difficult for me

Dec 2, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
How COVID-19 has reshaped schools in Korea
Health

Health experts criticize government for applying lax social distancing regulations

People take COVID-19 test at a public health center in Nowon District, Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Health experts are criticizing the government for applying “lax” social distancing measures following its decision to maintain the current Level 2 restrictions in Seoul and its surrounding areas despite the third wave of COVID-19 that is sweeping the country.While admitting that the country is facing “the most serious situation since the first wave in March,” the health authorities announced Sunday that they would not raise the level in the capital area, but would impose stricter quarantine measures on specific facilities only. They raised the levels of other regions in the country to 1.5 of the five-tier social distancing scheme. Jacob Lee, a professor at Hallym University's Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, denounced the authorities' decision, saying that they were failing to provide the public with accurate information on the current situation, making people think that the situation is less serious than the first wave in March. “The Central Disast

Nov 30, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Health experts criticize government for applying lax social distancing regulations
  • COVID-19 Infection tally over 400 for 3rd day
Society

More policies needed to support elderly women willing to work

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The government should step up support for the employment of elderly women, following increases in the population of elderly women with a high level of education and willingness to work, The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said.The ministry held a second meeting with related experts Friday to analyze the employment status of women and discuss future policies in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI) and the Korea Labor Institute (KLI). The country has more than 4 million women aged between 55 and 64 as of May this year, up 59.6 percent from 2.5 million in May 2010, according to data from the KWDI. Among that age group, the number of women with a college degree or a higher level of education stood at 533,000, more than triple the 168,000 in 2010.A survey among women aged between 55 and 79 showed that more than half, or 58.2 percent have the wish to work, an 8.8 percent point increase from 2015.“The willingness of middle-aged and elderly women to participate in the labor market has

Nov 28, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
More policies needed to support elderly women willing to work
Global Community

Foreign residents experience discrimination amid COVID-19

Signs hanging at four eateries in Seoul stating that foreigners are not allowed to enter. / Courtesy of Dominic PhuaBy Lee Hyo-jin Dominic Phua, 30, a Chinese-Singaporean office worker in Seoul, feels hesitant about taking taxis after being kicked out of one for the second time in September, when the driver noticed he was a foreigner. “The same had happened to me once in March during the early stages of the pandemic. Both times they suddenly asked me to get out of the car midway, treating me like a coronavirus spreader. I was so shocked at the time that I couldn't even take a picture of the car number plate or report it to the police,” recalled Phua. He also shared several incidents in which he was denied entry to eateries and cafes due to his nationality. “At a cafe in Seoul I was allowed to enter, probably because I'm ethnically Asian, but after they heard me and my friends talking in English, we were immediately asked to leave. When we asked why, the staff replied 'it's our policy set by the manager',” Phua told The Korea Times. Ksenia Petrova, a student fr

Nov 27, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Foreign residents experience discrimination amid COVID-19
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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.