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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

Medical groups clash over insurance coverage of herbal medicine

Members of the Korea Medical Association (KMA) speak during a press conference at the KMA building in Seoul, Nov. 23. They demanded the government withdraw the pilot program to provide national health insurance coverage for some herbal medicine treatments. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinA pilot program rolled out by the government to include several types of herbal medicine in treatments covered by national health insurance was welcomed by practitioners of traditional Korean medicine. It, however, immediately provoked backlash from Western medical doctors.As the government has plans to expand the coverage for more herbal medicine in the future following the progress of the trial program, the mixed reactions of the two medical groups may deepen into another dispute. Under the pilot program, which started on Nov. 20, patients at traditional Korean medicine clinics who are prescribed treatments for menstrual pain, facial paralysis, or the aftereffects of cerebrovascular diseases, pay only half of the fee for the herbal medicine, as the rest is covered by state insurance. The three-year test run is

Nov 26, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Medical groups clash over insurance coverage of herbal medicine
Society

Korea to host 1st ASEAN-Korea Youth Summit

Participants of the ASEAN-Korea Youth Summit hold a pre-discussion session through a virtual meeting, Monday, ahead of the event to be held from Wednesday to Friday. / Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and FamilyBy Lee Hyo-jin Young people from Korea and ASEAN countries will share their ideas on the role of the young generations in fostering mutual growth and prosperity through an online conference, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Korea will host the ASEAN-Korea Youth Summit, the first of its kind, from Wednesday to Friday. The youth dialogue, co-hosted by the ministry and the National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea, comes as a follow-up to the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, at which the two sides vowed to enhance people-to-people interactions among the younger generations.A total of 110 students aged between 18 and 24 from Korea and 10 ASEAN member countries have been invited to engage in discussions on the theme of “Togetherness of ASEAN-Korean youth, for the future of the ASEAN-Korean community.”The summit wil

Nov 24, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea to host 1st ASEAN-Korea Youth Summit
Society

HUFS signs MOU for upgrading campus

Kim In-chul, second from left, president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), poses with dignitaries at HUFS Seoul campus, Friday, during an MOU signing ceremony for the development of the school's Songdo campus. The participants are, from left, Kim Yong-sik, senior manager at Korea Investment & Securities; Kim In-chul; Kim Yong-sik, head of the construction project division at Hyundai Engineering & Construction; and Jeong Hyang-don, head of Zinol D&C. / Courtesy of Hankuk University of Foreign StudiesBy Lee Hyo-jin Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) will strengthen business cooperation at its Songdo campus based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with three companies ― Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Korea Investment & Securities, and Zinol D&C.The MOU signing ceremony took place at the HUFS main campus in Seoul, Nov. 20. The three companies have agreed to invest 300 billion won ($269 million) in the university's innovative campus development plan in Songdo, Incheon. The event was attended by Kim In-chul, president of HUFS,

Nov 24, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
HUFS signs MOU for upgrading campus
Global Community

Police urged to offer better interpretation services for foreigners

By Lee Hyo-jinThe national human rights agency has urged the law enforcement authorities to provide better interpretation services for non-Koreans during legal procedures even if they can speak some Korean, after a case in which a Moroccan man went through a police investigation here without an interpreter.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) made the recommendation on Monday to the National Police Agency to ensure that foreign nationals, who are unfamiliar with the country's criminal proceedings, do not suffer any discrimination or disadvantages.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) building. / Korea Times file“Police should make sure they meet the basic needs of foreign nationals during their investigation, such as by providing interpretation services or allowing a legal guardian to accompany them, even if the person in question does speak Korean,” the commission said in a press release. “Police stations must be equipped with translated versions of necessary information on criminal procedures such as the Miranda warning. The recomm

Nov 23, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Police urged to offer better interpretation services for foreigners
Law & Crime

Police investigate disinformation, data breaches related to COVID-19

National Police Agency headquarters / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin The police have launched a full investigation into disinformation about COVID-19 cases and misuse of private data collected on visitor registers, according to the National Police Agency, Sunday.“We are closely monitoring illicit activities on distribution of false information online in cooperation with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). We plan to track down not only the initial source of the  disinformation, but also all the suspects involved in the distribution,” an NPA official said.The authorities have recently received reports on disinformation about COVID-19 infections circulating online in the form of urgent messages shared between employees at a medical institution. Some of the messages read, “COVID-19 update: 412 confirmed cases as of 6 p.m., Nov. 18,” “852 confirmed local cases as of 11 p.m., Nov. 18,” all of which were false. They even included incorrect tracing data of confirmed patients in Sinchon, western Seoul. As the content was soon widel

Nov 22, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Police investigate disinformation, data breaches related to COVID-19
  • Third virus wave to shatter hopes of economic recovery
  • Korea to raise social distancing level to curb mass outbreaks
Law & Crime

Unregistered Thai woman gets suspended jail term over death of newborn

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin An unregistered Thai woman was given a suspended prison sentence for neglecting her newborn baby, resulting in death, according to a local court, Thursday. The Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced the 37-year-old woman to a two-year prison term suspended for three years for the crime of abandonment of an infant resulting in death.The woman delivered the baby at around 8 p.m., Mar. 29, in Gwanak District, Seoul, alone without medical assistance. The baby died around two hours later as she neglected the infant without giving it sufficient care including failing to clear amniotic fluid from the baby's nose and mouth. It was found during the police investigation that she had been staying in the country illegally, and therefore did not contact the police nor take the baby to the emergency room, out of concern that her illegal stay would be revealed. Regarding the baby's father, the accused stated that she had become pregnant with one of her clients at a massage shop where she was working. She claimed that she had not been aware of the pregnancy until the du

Nov 19, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Unregistered Thai woman gets suspended jail term over death of newborn
Society

Bangladesh-born migrant activist wins first Minu Memorial Award

By Lee Hyo-jinShekh al Mamun, a migrants' rights activist and movie director, has become the first winner of the Minu Memorial Award, recognizing him for his years-long contribution to enhancing immigrant workers' rights in Korea. The Minu Memorial Award was established by a group of supporters of Minod Moktan, the late migrant worker and activist from Nepal, to commemorate his death and remember his accomplishments. Minu was his Korean name. Shekh al Mamun, the first winner of the Minu Memorial Award / Courtesy of Shekh al MumunShekh, 45, is a naturalized Korean from Bangladesh. He started work in a furniture factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, after entering the country in 1998.But the poor working conditions and rampant discrimination against migrant workers led him to raise his voice representing fellow workers. Engaging in various labor rights activities since 2001, he was appointed as a senior member of the migrant workers' union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in 2013.“I am honored to become the first winner of this meaningful prize. This will

Nov 19, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Bangladesh-born migrant activist wins first Minu Memorial Award
Society

Migrant women call for better working conditions

Migrant women and local activists demand the government provide better working conditions to migrant women at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Women Migrants Human Rights Center of KoreaBy Lee Hyo-jin Purevsuren Maingbayar, 38, a marriage migrant from Mongolia, is a bilingual tutor at a public education institution with nine years of work experience. But her employment status remains unstable as it is based on short-term contracts each lasting less than 10 months. She recently signed a six-month contract with less than 14 working hours per week, which means she will not be eligible for retirement or bonus payments. Another marriage migrant, who has worked as a Korean-Chinese interpreter in a state-run multicultural family support center for 10 years, said that she is still being paid minimum wage, whereas her Korean colleagues are given steady pay raises and chances for promotion. The two women are among many migrant women employed in government-run facilities who have experienced unfair treatment in wage and promotion opportuniti

Nov 18, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant women call for better working conditions
Global Community

Migrants criticize human rights agency's decision on disaster relief funds

Migrants and local activists protest in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, urging local governments to provide disaster relief funds to foreign residents, April 26. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinThe national human rights agency's recent decision not to recognize the exclusion of foreigners from the state disaster relief fund plan as discrimination has drawn a backlash from migrants' rights groups, Tuesday. A coalition of such groups from across the country issued a statement expressing deep disappointment in the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) for its dismissal of a petition filed in May, demanding the central government to provide equal financial support to foreign residents. “The commission's decision runs counter to its previous recommendations to municipal governments advising them to include all foreign residents in their relief fund plans. We do not understand why it has given different responses depending on the government bodies,” read the statement. The commission had advised the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gyeonggi Provincial Government in May to subsidiz

Nov 17, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrants criticize human rights agency's decision on disaster relief funds
Health

Gov't to increase support for single parents

Gender Minister Lee Jung-ok attends a meeting with single parents held at a cafe run by single mothers located in Dongjak District, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and FamilyBy Lee Hyo-jin Single parents will get more financial support and chances to receive vocational training programs and counseling services, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a set of measures aimed at improving the child-rearing environment of unwed mothers and single parents by assisting them in dealing with financial hardship and eliminating social prejudice.The measures come as parents raising children alone often suffer economic difficulties as well as social discrimination and stigmatization, with several incidents recently showing that the current government policies lack practicality in supporting them.An infant was found dead on the street in Seoul, Nov. 3, and the birth mother, an unmarried woman, was arrested shortly after. Earlier in October, a woman in her 20s who was not capable of raising her child, offered to sell her newborn ba

Nov 16, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't to increase support for single parents
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