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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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Koreans play lottery more amid COVID-19 pandemic

A customer buys a lottery ticket at a store in Seoul in this undated file photo. / Korea Times photo by Lee Dae-hyukBy Lee Hyo-jin A woman in her 40s surnamed Hwang is an active buyer of lottery tickets. She started purchasing the 1,000 won (85 cent) tickets to help lift her spirits after she was forced to close her souvenir shop in downtown Seoul, as sales plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic.“I buy a Lotto ticket almost every Monday at a store near my home. It gives me something to hope for during the weekdays,” Hwang said.An office worker in Seoul surnamed Choi spends about 5,000 won on lottery tickets every month. She knows that the chances of winning are near zero, but the ticket in her hand helps her to relieve stress from work. “I often buy one or two tickets on my way home after a hard day at work. I don't expect to win money, but I imagine myself making a fortune and quitting my job,” Choi said. The lottery industry in Korea is booming. Data shows that Hwang and Choi are among the many Koreans who hope to win the jackpot in the weekly national lott

Sep 16, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Koreans play lottery more amid COVID-19 pandemic
Law & Crime

Ansan residents nervous about release of notorious child rapist

Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam speaks to child rapist Cho Doo-soon at Cheongsong Correction Center in this Mar. 16, 2010 file photo. Cho, sentenced to 12 years in prison after violently raping an 8-year-old girl in 2008 in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is set to be released this December. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin Residents of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, are unnerved by notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon who said he plans to return to the city in December after his upcoming release from prison, according to city officials Tuesday.Cho, 68, said he plans to go back to his wife in Ansan, according to the Ministry of Justice. His 12-year prison term ends on Dec. 13.Ansan citizens reacted to the news with fear and anger. The city office has received over 3,600 related phone calls urging the mayor to ban Cho's return, asking for his address and the number of surveillance cameras installed in the neighborhood. A post regarding the pedophile rapist on a Facebook page for Ansan residents had more than 1,500 comments return as of Tuesday. “How can I raise my children in the same neighbor

Sep 15, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Ansan residents nervous about release of notorious child rapist
Politics

MBC under fire for exam question about late mayor's accuser

MBC's headquarters in Mapo-gu, western Seoul / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Local broadcaster MBC has come under fire for including an essay question about the woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against the late Seoul mayor in its employee entrance exam held on Sunday.In a written examination for prospective reporters, applicants were tasked to write an essay in response to the question, “How should the late Mayor Park Won-soon's accuser be described: an alleged victim or a victim? You may also suggest another appropriate term.” The term “alleged victim” has been used by several politicians including Lee Hae-chan, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). In his apology regarding the sexual harassment allegations against Park, Lee avoided describing the woman as a “victim” and stated, “We are deeply sorry for the alleged victim's suffering.” Lee's word choice was met with heavy public backlash, especially from women's rights activists. They condemned him for refusing to accept the accuser as a victim and delibera

Sep 14, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
MBC under fire for exam question about late mayor's accuser
Law & Crime

Calls mounting to punish driver of fatal DUI crash

A public petition calling for severe punishment for the driver responsible for a fatal DUI crash which occurred on Wednesday, in Eurwangni, Incheon, has gathered more than 360,000 signatures as of 2 p.m., Friday. / Screen capture from Cheong Wa Dae official websiteBy Lee Hyo-jin Calls are mounting for law enforcement authorities to punish the driver of a fatal DUI crash, which occurred on Wednesday in Eurwangni, on Incheon's Airport Island. A man on his way to deliver fried chicken was killed in the accident. A public petition posted Thursday on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding the driver receive severe punishment has gained more than 360,000 signatures as of 2 p.m., Friday. The public is now expecting a response from the presidential office as the petition has exceeded the number of signatures needed. The government is required to give an official response to a petition which gathers more than 200,000 endorsements within 30 days.The accident occurred around 12:55 a.m., Wednesday, on a two-lane road in the island resort area, according to Incheon Jungbu Police Station. A 33-year-o

Sep 11, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls mounting to punish driver of fatal DUI crash
Global Community

Filipinos angered by racist comments from internet users in Korea

Filipinos are outraged by racist comments from several internet users in Korea during a row triggered by a tattoo of 19-year-old Filipina TikTok star Bella Poarch. /Screen capture from Bella Poarch's TikTokBy Lee Hyo-jin Social media users in the Philippines appear to have been angered by racist comments made by some internet users in Korea during a row triggered by a tattoo of Filipina American TikTok star Bella Poarch. Poarch, a U.S.-born social media influencer, 19, has over 15 million followers on TikTok and more than 2.4 million followers on Instagram. The controversy began with Poarch's TikTok video of her dancing uploaded on Sept. 5. In the video, a tattoo on her left arm with the pattern of the Rising Sun flag was revealed to millions of viewers. The flag, which was widely used by Imperial Japan during World War II, to some symbolizes the country's wartime aggressions. It is perceived as highly offensive to Koreans as it harkens back of the tragic history of Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Following criticism from Korean internet users, Poarch issued a pub

Sep 10, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Filipinos angered by racist comments from internet users in Korea
  • VIDEO What do Koreans think about Filipinos joining #cancelkorea movement?
Health

Senior citizens suffer growing digital divide amid contactless boom

An elderly woman takes part in an education program for senior citizens on the use of self-service screens provided by Seocho District Office, Seoul, in this Nov. 13, 2019 photo. / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoBy Lee Hyo-jin Lee Yong-gil, a man in his 70s living in Seoul, recently tried to order takeaway food through a delivery app, as eateries are closed after 9 p.m., due to toughened social distancing measures. But following several unsuccessful attempts at making a payment, he gave up, and deleted the app he was attempting to use.Similarly, Park Jin-sook, a woman in her 60s, feels hesitant about eating at fast food chains after an unpleasant incident she had at a self-order screen few weeks back. Although it was not her first time using the system, completing the order within the time limit was quite a challenge. “It took several minutes for me to make the order since I had trouble inserting my card. But I felt the stares from people standing in line behind me, probably thinking, 'That old woman is taking too much time,'” Park recalled. Lee and Park are like many oth

Sep 9, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Senior citizens suffer growing digital divide amid contactless boom
Politics

Handwritten visitor registers pose risk of personal data breach

Handwritten visitor registers are placed on a table near the entrance at a supermarket in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin By Lee Hyo-jin Handwritten visitor registers in restaurants, coffee shops and other business establishments, a mandatory scheme implemented by the government to track coronavirus cases and prevent further spread, are raising concerns about possible breaches of personal information. Under toughened social distancing measures imposed in the greater Seoul area at the end of August, businesses in the hospitality industry such as eateries, cafes and theaters are obligated to collect customer information for potential contact tracing later on. All visitors must provide their personal details ― including name, time of visit and phone number ― through either a quick response (QR) code-based system or a handwritten form. Although the paper-based visitor log is a supplementary method for store owners who have trouble using

Sep 8, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Handwritten visitor registers pose risk of personal data breach
Law & Crime

Debate heats up over 'Digital Prison' after college student's death

“Digital Prison,” a website run by an anonymous operator, discloses photos and personal information of alleged sex offenders. / Screen capture from Digital Prison website By Lee Hyo-jin Debate over “Digital Prison,” a website which discloses the personal identities of alleged sex offenders, is heating up after a college student whose identity had been revealed recently was found dead. His death provoked questions over the website's 'name-and-shame' system, such as whether it should be seen as vigilantism or as a 'kangaroo court' capable of victimizing people through false accusations.The operator of the website uploaded personal information about a student at Korea University in July, based on allegations he committed an online sex crime. According to the post, he used a female student's photo to create pornographic images and distributed them online. Screen captures of Telegram messages and a voice recording of him admitting to the act were attached as evidence. Th

Sep 7, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Debate heats up over 'Digital Prison' after college student's death
  • 'Digital Prison' reveals identities of child porn site operator and judges who released him
Society

Disputes over tuition refunds set to reignite in universities

Students of Ewha Womans University hold signs calling for tuition fee refunds at the campus in central Seoul on June 29. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki By Lee Hyo-jin Disputes over tuition fee refunds are likely to reignite in universities as many have begun the fall semester with online classes due to the resurgence in COVID-19 infections mainly in Seoul and its metropolitan area. The refunds have been at the center of debate on campuses during the spring semester. Many college students were unhappy with the quality of online classes that replaced face-to-face lectures and demanded universities refund their tuition fees. After experiencing the first week of the fall semester online, Friday, it seems students are still dissatisfied with the quality of the online lectures. “I expected that the university would have come up with measures to improve the quality of classes by upgrading internet servers,” said a junior student surnamed Hong at Korea University. “A lot

Sep 4, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Disputes over tuition refunds set to reignite in universities
Health

People tired of frequent emergency text alerts

By Lee Hyo-jin More people are growing weary of the “excessive” number of emergency alert notifications amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and frequent typhoons recently, according to disaster prevention experts, Thursday. Those experts fear the public will develop a tolerance to disaster alerts and not act appropriately in the event of an emergency of greater magnitude. These text alerts received on Aug. 30 are disaster notifications about new coronavirus infection cases sent from multiple local governments and strengthened social distancing measures from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. / Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin Emergency text alerts are sent out by various government agencies to warn about natural disasters and to provide guidelines in emergency situations. Although mobile notifications from the government have been issued for some years now, they have been heavily used as a far-reaching digital public announcement system since the e

Sep 3, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
People tired of frequent emergency text alerts
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