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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

Tensions escalate between gov't, Sarang Jeil Church over COVID-19

Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church gives a public statement at a press conference held in front of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, northeastern Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinTensions are escalating between the government and Sarang Jeil Church over a COVID-19 outbreak linked to the controversial church, as the state-run health insurance operator vows to seek reimbursement from the church for coronavirus treatment costs. Quarantine authorities claim pastor Jun Kwang-hoon and his followers have been obstructing the government's anti-infection efforts by refusing to submit a list of church members and lying about their whereabouts.On Wednesday, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced its intention to seek COVID-19 treatment costs of church members to be covered by Sarang Jeil Church. It plans to demand about 5.5 billion won ($4.6 million) spent to treat 1,035 church-related patients. The average coronavirus treatment cost per patient is 6.32 million won, and the NHIS covers 5.34 million won of the total.“We will soon take legal procedures after spe

Sep 2, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Tensions escalate between gov't, Sarang Jeil Church over COVID-19
Society

KDI School opens admissions for 2021 spring semester

KDI School Campus / Courtesy of KDI School of Public Policy and ManagementBy Lee Hyo-jinKDI School of Public Policy and Management will open admissions for the 2021 spring semester to both international and domestic students starting from Sept.7, according to the KDI School, Tuesday. Online application for the 2021 spring semester will be available from Sept. 7 to Oct. 5.Established in March 1998, KDI School is the educational body of the Korea Development Institute (KDI). The school has successfully positioned itself as the No.1 think-tank in Asia, and as an unrivaled institution in teaching and research in the field of development and public policy.It is also known for its global alumni network, with over 5,800 alumni from 138 countries since its foundation. All courses are taught entirely in English and both master's and Ph.D. programs are open with various scholarships for the 2021 spring semester. An Open House session will be held online through KDI School's YouTube channel and Zoom livestreaming to provide prospective students with detailed information about admissions and pro

Sep 1, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
KDI School opens admissions for 2021 spring semester
Health

Bakeries, convenience stores become blind spots for quarantine

People gather in a bakery in Jung-gu, Seoul, in this Aug. 31 photo. Enhanced social distancing rules have been in force in the greater Seoul area since Aug. 30. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiBy Lee Hyo-jin Bakeries and convenience stores are becoming quarantine blind spots ― along with university libraries ― after coffee store franchises and restaurants were placed under limited operation orders on top of enhanced social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area.Following the sudden resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, the government has reintroduced strengthened quarantine measures restricting the operation of restaurants and cafes, but people are still gathering in places not subject to the latest restrictions.Hwang Soo-yeon, a college student studying for the civil service exam, said she began to study at her university's library in Anam, eastern Seoul, after the public library she was using closed last Saturday. “The university library is crammed although we don't have any in person classes on campus this semester,” Hwang said

Sep 1, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Bakeries, convenience stores become blind spots for quarantine
  • Korea's COVID-19 infections surpass 20,000
Society

Migrant workers welcome Seoul's disaster relief fund

Migrants' rights groups hold a press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae urging the government to equally provide emergency disaster relief funds to foreign residents in this May 7 photo / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Migrant workers are welcoming Seoul city's decision to provide disaster relief funds to non-citizens here, adding hopes that other municipal governments will follow suit, according to multiple migrants' rights groups, Monday.Following the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) on June 10, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced last Wednesday it would include foreign residents in its disaster relief fund plan to support everyone suffering economic hardships amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting Monday, eligible foreign residents can apply for the disaster relief fund through the city government website. Eligible households can receive a lump-sum payment of 300,000 won ($253) to 500,000 won, depending on the number of family members.“The virus does not discriminate by nationality, so neither should the disaster relief money,” said

Aug 31, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Migrant workers welcome Seoul's disaster relief fund
Health

Doctors' strike begins to take toll on patients

A banner reads that medical treatment for everyone except urgent patients may be restricted or delayed at the emergency room of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinA doctors' strike in protest against the government's plan to produce more doctors has begun taking a toll on patients, with the death of a patient who failed to receive emergency treatment in the southeastern city of Busan, Friday. The local 119 center received a report of a drug-poisoned man in his 40s in Buk-gu, Busan, around 11:23 p.m., Wednesday, according to the Busan Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters. Rescuers immediately searched for a nearby hospital available for suitable treatment, but failed because doctors were off duty in the nationwide walkout. The authorities stated that despite about 20 urgent calls made by hotline officials, six major general hospitals in Busan and surrounding South Gyeongsang Province, and seven other hospitals in the area refused to accept the patient.The patient's condition became critical as treatment was delayed for more than three

Aug 28, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Doctors' strike begins to take toll on patients
  • When will coronavirus pandemic peak?
Law & Crime

Korean Muslim YouTuber under fire over alleged rape attempt

YouTuber Daud Kim makes an apology video and talks about the sexual assault case that was filed against him in a video posted on Wednesday./ Capture from YouTubeBy Lee Hyo-jin Korean Muslim YouTuber Daud Kim has come under fire for allegedly attempting to rape a woman last year, prior to his highly publicized conversion last year, and internet users have raised speculations that he may not be a true convert and faithful to Islam.Kim, a content creator in his 20s with more than 2.27 million subscribers, posts videos in English about living as a Muslim in Korea. He has gained many Muslim followers from around the world after he openly converted to Islam from Christianity last September. The rape accusation was raised Monday through a TikTok video posted by a foreign woman claiming Kim attempted to sexually assault her.In an undated video, Kim is shown putting on his underwear and trousers at the bottom of a set of stairs in the woman's home while she can be heard crying. “Kim tried to rape me on the day I arrived in Korea. I wanted to gather more evidence but he blocked me on soc

Aug 27, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean Muslim YouTuber under fire over alleged rape attempt
Society

Incheon Global Campus offers alternative to studying abroad

Paek Ki-hun, CEO of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation / Courtesy of the Incheon Global Campus FoundationBy Lee Hyo-jin Incheon Global Campus (IGC) is a viable alternative for students who want to study abroad but have been unable due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it offers high-quality education programs of prestigious foreign universities, in which students can expand their global networks, according to the head of the campus Thursday.“We will produce world-class global leaders through our excellent educational programs and global industry-academia cooperation using Incheon City's abundant industrial resources,” said Paek Ki-hun, who took office as CEO of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation last September. IGC, located on Incheon's Songdo, is the country's first shared campus of leading foreign universities, established through joint efforts by the central government and Incheon Metropolitan City. Established in 2012, the campus aims to attract 10 universities and 10,000 students. The first phase of the project has been completed with the opening of SUNY Korea Stony B

Aug 27, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Incheon Global Campus offers alternative to studying abroad
Law & Crime

Violence on public transport surging over face masks

People wear face masks at a bus stop on Aug. 18 in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Lim Hyun-jeongBy Lee Hyo-jin Incidents of violence over face-covering rules on buses and subways have been increasing in recent weeks amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, according to police data Wednesday. It is feared more cases could occur in the coming weeks as face masks are especially uncomfortable to wear during the summer heat.A man in his 70s has been arrested for threatening to kill another passenger who told him to wear his face mask properly on a Line 2 subway train passing Wangsimni Station in eastern Seoul, Aug. 21, around 5:45 p.m. The accused was reportedly wearing the mask on his chin, leaving his mouth and nose uncovered. On Aug. 14, a man in his 60s was caught for assaulting a bus driver who requested he wear a mask. He hit the victim in the head multiple times and insulted other passengers on the bus, according to Dongdaemun Police Station. He was also accused of attacking the police officer called to the site by biting his hand. A total of 349 people have been arrested for f

Aug 26, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Violence on public transport surging over face masks
Health

Korea urged to better regulate wild animals to prevent future pandemics

A child touches a raccoon at an exotic animal cafe in Seoul in this undated photo from a 2019 report on nationwide exotic animal cafes by Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education . Courtesy of Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and EducationBy Lee Hyo-jin Recent pandemics caused by “zoonosis” ― disease transmitted from animals to humans ― are driving movements to strengthen controls regarding wild animals in order to prevent future pandemics, according to public health and veterinary experts.COVID-19, as most scientists believe, originated in bats from southwestern China. It has caused one of the worst zoonotic diseases in history, but it is definitely not the first. H1N1 came from pigs. MERS, carried by camels, is believed to be originally from bats. In fact, 60 percent of known infectious diseases and 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. “A low-pathogenic virus causing mild symptoms in animals can result in deadly diseases when transmitted to a human body,” said Song Dae-

Aug 26, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea urged to better regulate wild animals to prevent future pandemics
Health

Criticism grows against doctors' strike amid pandemic

Doctors hold pickets in a protest against the government's medical workforce reform plans on Tuesday at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Public criticism is mounting over the ongoing doctors' strike, which has begun disrupting medical services at some hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.As of Tuesday, thousands of trainee doctors have been staging an indefinite strike for five days since Friday, to protest the government's medical workforce reform plan. The strike was joined by hundreds of doctors Monday.The number is expected to increase as the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents more than 130,000 doctors, will begin a three-day nationwide walkout starting Wednesday. But it seems that their collective action amid the pandemic crisis is failing to gain public support. The hashtag #disqualifythem was trending on Twitter, Monday, as many users called for the disqualification of doctors who “are using public safety as a negotiating tool.” A twitter user with the ID @ddang*** wrote, “Nowhere in the world do phy

Aug 25, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Criticism grows against doctors' strike amid pandemic
  • Doctors' strike feared to disrupt medical services amid pandemic
  • Doctors launch full-scale strike, disruptions expected
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