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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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Local college refuses refund for 52 Uzbek students denied visas

Seogang Occupational Training College / Screenshot from the Seogang Occupational Training College website By Lee Hyo-jin “I still can't believe that $7,880, which is my parent's salary for two years has vanished into thin air,” said Dinurbek Jumaniyozov, a 19-year-old student living in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. In addition to the financial loss, his hopes of studying in Korea to become an IT developer have been dashed.Jumaniyozov is one of the 52 Uzbek students who over the last few months have been demanding full refunds from Korean universities for the money they spent on visa applications and tuition fees. It all began in November 2019, when Seogang Occupational Training College, a vocational school based in Seoul, gave a presentation promoting the school at a language center in Tashkent. Dozens of students wanting to study in Korea attended the session, according to its manager.The college invited them to enroll in its educational courses offering the

Oct 23, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Local college refuses refund for 52 Uzbek students denied visas
Health

Mass infections at rehabilitation hospitals push daily cases over 100 again

A healthcare worker walks past Namcheon hospital in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, where eight new infections were recorded on Thursday, bringing the total to 12. / Yonhap. By Lee Hyo-jin Korea's daily new COVID-19 case numbers have bounced up to over 100 for the first time in a week due mainly to sporadic infection clusters at rehabilitation hospitals, raising concerns about the recently eased social distancing measures, Thursday.The country added 121 new cases for Wednesday, including 104 local transmissions, bringing the total caseload to 21,944, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It is the first time in a week that the daily number has reached triple digits, more than double the benchmark 50 level for maintaining Level 1 social distancing rules.The government had relaxed social distancing measures to the lowest level on Oct. 12 in the belief that the virus situation was stabilizing following two months of tightened quarantine measure

Oct 22, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Mass infections at rehabilitation hospitals push daily cases over 100 again
  • New virus cases spike to over 150 as cluster infections pile up
Economy

Tour agency CEO's letter to employees reflects industry hardship

The notice on the NHN DoctorTour website reads that it has not been receiving new reservations due to limited operations since Aug. 1. / Screen capture from NHN DoctorTour websiteBy Lee Hyo-jin A travel agency CEO is attracting attention for his candid letter to employees about the company's recent massive layoffs, according to industry officials, Wednesday.Yang Joo-il, head of NHN DoctorTour ― also known as Tour baksa ― sent an email to senior employees on Tuesday, expressing his thoughts on the company's downsizing and the future of the business. NHN DoctorTour CEO Yang Joo-il / Courtesy of NHN DoctorTourThe firm shocked the tour industry when it announced the dismissal of 250 of its 260 employees on Oct. 13. It is under de facto shutdown and has not taken any new reservations since August, a notice on its website says. “I wished this day wouldn't come, but it has come after all,” Yang said in his letter. “Some might be blaming me for the sudden announcement, thinking it was all part of my plan. But I hope that it will not undermine my sincere promise and efforts

Oct 21, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Tour agency CEO's letter to employees reflects industry hardship
Health

Korea spent W2.4 tril. on treating Chinese patients over five years

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea spent 2.4 trillion won ($2.12 billion) on medical treatments for Chinese nationals over the last five years, said Rep. Kang Ki-yoon of the People Power Party, citing data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).From January 2015 to June 2020, the state-run health insurance company spent a total of 3.4 trillion won on medical services for foreign nationals, among which Chinese nationals accounted for 71 percent.They topped the list of the top 20 countries with 2.4 trillion won, followed by Vietnamese (215.3 billion won), Americans (183.2 billion won), Taiwanese (77 billion won) and Uzbekistani (71.9 billion won). The data also revealed that 31.6 billion won of health service costs was received by unqualified foreigners through borrowed or stolen medical care certificates. Of that, the government was able to recover 16.1 billion won, over half the total. Kang pointed out that the laxity of current laws is allowing foreign nationals to take advantage of the country's medical service subsidies. They enter the country as “medical

Oct 21, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea spent W2.4 tril. on treating Chinese patients over five years
Society

Provincial universities struggle to recruit freshmen

Honam University in Gwangju City recently announced to provide incoming freshmen with electronic gadgets such as Airpods and smartphones. / Courtesy of Honam UniversityBy Lee Hyo-jin Provincial universities are struggling to recruit new students amid a steady decline in the college-age population, according to the schools and an opposition party lawmaker, Tuesday.As more students are choosing to enter universities in Seoul and its surrounding areas, schools in the provinces are desperately trying to come up with new strategies to attract new faces.Honam University in Gwangju recently vowed to provide electronic devices such as Airpods and smartphones worth 550,000 won ($481) to the incoming freshmen who pass the non-scheduled admission, also known as the rolling admission. “Like many other universities outside the capital, we are desperate to bring more talented students to our school. Since we are currently concentrating on developing our AI department, we decided to give the new students electronic gadgets,” an official at the university told The Korea Times. Other coll

Oct 20, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Provincial universities struggle to recruit freshmen
Law & Crime

Indian man faces deportation after sexually harassing teenager

Incheon District Court / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin An Indian man in his 20s is facing deportation after he was found guilty of sexually harassing a teenage girl and overstaying his visa, according to a local court, Monday.The Incheon District Court sentenced the 28-year-old man to one year in prison suspended for two years, in consideration of health issues connected to the man's HIV positive status. He was found to be in violation of both the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse and the Immigration Control Act. The court additionally issued him a three year ban on employment at child-related facilities. “The judge found that the accused is suffering from severe health issues due to HIV, and therefore should be given the chance to return to India to reunite with his family and receive proper medical treatment,” a court official told The Korea Times.Despite the judge's seemingly humanitarian sentiment toward the sex offender, the official added that the man has been transferred to the Immigration Office for deportation procedures. The man

Oct 20, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Indian man faces deportation after sexually harassing teenager
Health

More young people suffer from hair loss

Gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin“I knew that my hair would start falling out one day, but not at the age of 26. I'm worried that being bald will hinder me in my career because it doesn't give a good first impression,” wrote an internet user in an online community for those concerned about hair loss.He shared his recent experience of discovering bald spots while dyeing his hair at home, asking for advice on how to regrow his hair or at least to slow down his hair loss “Not only am I losing my hair, but also the confidence and self-esteem that follows with it. I feel hesitant to take photos of myself and I've grown very conscious about people commenting on my hairstyle,” wrote a woman in her 20s.Imaban, one of the biggest online communities for people suffering from hair loss on Naver, has some 250,000 members, 45 percent of whom are aged between 25 and 35. In the group people open up about their experiences of balding and share reviews on various hair growth medication

Oct 16, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
More young people suffer from hair loss
Law & Crime

More consumers swindled by online counterfeit goods sellers

Kim Yong-rae, the commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) examines counterfeit products seized by the Special Judicial Police under KIPO at the Government Complex in Daejeon in this Sept. 15 photo. / Courtesy of Korean Intellectual Property Office By Lee Hyo-jin An office worker surnamed Jeong in Seoul immediately felt something was wrong when she received the designer bag she had ordered from overseas through Naver Smart Store, an online shopping platform in September. “The invoice attached to the parcel read that it was shipped from Guangzhou, China, not Italy as was written on the website,” recalled Jeong. After unboxing it, she was convinced that the bag was fake by the smell of faux leather and several typos on the authenticity label. “Although the sellers didn't admit that the bag was fake, they gave me a full refund. So I told them to take it back. But they haven't sent anyone to pick it up yet, which made me 100 percent sure it was a f

Oct 15, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
More consumers swindled by online counterfeit goods sellers
Society

Gap in English skills may lead to socioeconomic disparity

GettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin English language proficiency can play a critical role in advancing the education and career prospects of aspiring Korean professionals, meaning that English language skills could translate to tangible socioeconomic disparities, according to ETS, an educational testing and assessment organization, Wednesday. ETS released a white paper emphasizing the importance of English ability for Korea's workforce development and national resiliency. The white paper, titled “Does Korea have the language capabilities to be future ready?” provides data on the level of English proficiency of Korean nationals and its potential impacts on the development of individuals' careers and the country's competitiveness.The research was based on an online survey of 500 office workers from various sectors between the ages of 24 and 39 with an undergraduate degree or higher. Two-thirds of the respondents said their language skills have opened up more professional opportunities. Among them, 85 percent agreed that having more people who speak English fluently will help the

Oct 14, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Gap in English skills may lead to socioeconomic disparity
Global Community

Justice ministry hit for racist content in int'l marriage guidance program

This section from a guidebook used in the international marriage guidance program of the Ministry of Justice states that Vietnamese people 'do not easily admit to their wrongdoings and tend to make excuses for their mistakes rather than apologizing.' / Courtesy of Rep. Kim Jin aeBy Lee Hyo-jinThe Ministry of Justice is facing criticism for racist content included in the educational materials for its international marriage guidance program, according to a lawmaker and foreign residents, Wednesday.Published in 2019, the guidebook titled “Understanding the social customs and marriage culture of foreign countries” purports to explain particular characteristics of people of nationalities that commonly come to Korea through and for marriage to Korean nationals.The material is used in a mandatory four-hour educational course provided by the Immigration Office for Korean nationals who are planning to marry people from a designated list of countries. The guidebook, which aims to provide a "balanced" perspective on the spouse's culture for the success of the marriage, was foun

Oct 14, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
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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.