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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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'Sold like cargo': Korean adoptee in Norway fights to erase past she never chose

For most of her life, Jung Kyung-sook, 57, lived with an unrelenting ache — a longing for people who looked like her and for the mother tongue she never had the chance to learn. Sent from Korea to Norway in 1970 at the age of two, she was among the tens of thousands of Korean children sent to Western countries through a flawed adoption system operating from the 1970s to '90s. Jung was adopted by a Norwegian couple who, she says, subjected her to years of abuse and neglect. Now living in the rural town of Ramnes, Norway, Jung is among the 56 Korean adoptees who have received the results of a sweeping investigation by Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The findings, announced in March and sent to applicants in June, revealed significant irregularities in past overseas adoption processes. "I waited almost three years for this result. I was so happy and relieved. It felt like a dream," Jung said in a recent video interview with The Korea Times. According to the TRC report, Jung was born on March 27, 1968, and was registered for adoption through Holt International that Decemb

Jun 30, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
'Sold like cargo': Korean adoptee in Norway fights to erase past she never chose
North Korea

Will Pyongyang respond to Seoul’s urgent call for dam discharge warning?

All eyes are on whether North Korea will respond to South Korea’s annual request for advance notice before releasing water from a dam near the inter-Korean border during the summer monsoon season. The Ministry of Unification issued the appeal Friday — an annual request Pyongyang has routinely ignored since 2013. This year’s developments could provide an early indication of North Korea’s readiness to reengage, as the Lee Jae Myung administration signals a new emphasis on dialogue after years of stalemate. "The Lee Jae Myung administration recognizes that protecting the lives and safety of our people is the state’s most fundamental responsibility. Advance notification from North Korea about dam water discharges is directly related to the safety of South Korean residents living near the border," the unification ministry's deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong said during a televised briefing. Noting that joint responses to natural disasters are humanitarian in nature, Chang urged the North to cooperate during the upcoming monsoon season and to provide advance notice before discharg

Jun 27, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Will Pyongyang respond to Seoul’s urgent call for dam discharge warning?
Foreign Affairs

Korea on edge as NATO bows to Trump's demand for defense spending hikes

Korea is watching warily after NATO allies agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for a dramatic increase in defense spending, amid speculation that Washington may soon press its Asian allies, including Seoul, to follow suit. At a NATO summit held Wednesday in The Hague, the U.S.-led military alliance secured commitments from member states to increase defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) annually by 2035. "Allies commit to invest 5 percent of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations," read the joint declaration. The target includes a minimum of 3.5 percent of GDP dedicated to traditional defense expenditures, such as weapons systems and military personnel, with the remaining 1.5 percent earmarked for defense-related infrastructure and emerging technologies. The NATO pledge — widely seen as a concession to Trump’s persistent calls for greater cost-sharing — has raised concerns in Seoul that similar demands could soon be extended to U

Jun 26, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea on edge as NATO bows to Trump's demand for defense spending hikes
North Korea

Unification ministry greenlights NGO outreach to North Korea

The Ministry of Unification recently approved a series of requests from civic groups to establish contact with North Korea, signaling the Lee Jae Myung administration’s push to revive dialogue with Pyongyang. According to the ministry Wednesday, three such approvals have been granted since June 19, with the most recent occurring the previous day. "Following consultations with relevant government agencies, we have approved civilian requests to contact North Korean residents about humanitarian aid, as well as religious, social and cultural exchange purposes," a ministry official said. The official added that the decision was aimed at restoring communication channels between the two Koreas at the civilian level and fostering a peaceful atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula. On Tuesday, the ministry approved a request from the Foundation for Inter-Korea Cooperation, a private nonprofit organization, to engage North Korean residents through online cultural exchanges. The foundation is currently led by Im Jong-seok, who served as presidential chief of staff under former President Moon Jae-in, w

Jun 25, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Unification ministry greenlights NGO outreach to North Korea
Defense

Korea Aerospace Industries staff help renovate Indonesian school

Twenty-seven employees of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) traveled to Jakarta this week to help renovate one of the city’s oldest schools serving underprivileged students, the aerospace and defense manufacturer said Tuesday. From Monday through Wednesday, the volunteers worked on reconstruction efforts at Tugu Bhakti School, which enrolls about 200 students from kindergarten through middle school, many from economically vulnerable families. The renovation began in May, funded by 200 million won ($145,000) raised by KAI and its employees. The project was carried out in cooperation with Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense and local government officials. During the three-day on-site volunteer project, KAI officials helped with mural painting, along with desk and chair repairs. Indonesia is a key defense partner for KAI, Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer. Jakarta was the first overseas buyer of the KT-1 basic training aircraft and also purchased T-50 advanced trainers. The Southeast Asian nation is also Korea’s co-development partner for the KF-21, the country’s first domestically dev

Jun 25, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea Aerospace Industries staff help renovate Indonesian school
Foreign Affairs

Trump-Kim talks? ‘It takes two to tango,’ says acting US envoy

Joseph Yun, the acting U.S. ambassador in Seoul, said Tuesday that any renewed talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hinge on mutual willingness. "I have no doubt that President Trump considers his engagement with North Korea during his first term as unfinished business, and he wants to reengage with North Korea," Yun said. "But it takes two to tango," he added. "We have not really heard from the North Korean side whether they too want to reengage. And to me, that's the bigger unknown." Yun spoke during a Korea Press Foundation seminar with senior journalists, addressing the outlook for South Korea-U.S. relations. The comments came after the White House said earlier this month that Trump is "receptive" to correspondence from the North Korean leader. The U.S. government neither confirmed nor denied recent media reports that North Korean diplomats in New York refused to accept a personal letter Trump had addressed to Kim. Yun emphasized that any renewed U.S. engagement with Kim must be “smart and strategic,” with a clear plan to pursue the “big, yet

Jun 24, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Trump-Kim talks? ‘It takes two to tango,’ says acting US envoy
Others

S. Korea faces 'everything everywhere all at once' moment in geopolitics: foreign minister nominee

South Korea’s nominee for foreign minister warned Tuesday that the nation faces a diplomatic landscape as chaotic and overlapping as the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” vowing to navigate the turbulence with pragmatism, patience and discretion. In his first public remarks since being tapped for the role by President Lee Jae Myung, Cho Hyun struck a careful, measured tone — declining to offer specific policy plans ahead of his confirmation hearing, but signaling a continued commitment to “pragmatic diplomacy” and a quiet, steady-hand approach in managing relations with major powers including the United States, China and North Korea. "It's like the movie ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ It's hard to prioritize just one thing," Cho told reporters during an impromptu briefing on his way to work. "Given the current instability in the international landscape, I feel a great sense of responsibility as I take on this role at the ministry of foreign affairs," he said. He pledged to carefully assess and navigate the increasingly complex global environment if confirme

Jun 24, 2025By Lee Hae-rin and Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea faces 'everything everywhere all at once' moment in geopolitics: foreign minister nominee
North Korea

North Korea on edge after US strikes Iran

The recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities are reverberating in Pyongyang, where officials see the attacks as a possible warning that President Donald Trump might one day consider similar military action against North Korea’s own nuclear program. Although many analysts deem a preemptive U.S. strike on the North unlikely, citing its more advanced nuclear arsenal and the region’s volatile geopolitics, the Iran episode could still force Pyongyang to rethink its strategic assumptions. On Monday, North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, quoting statements from Russia and Iran without offering commentary of its own. Later in the day, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson condemning the U.S. airstrikes on Iran that occurred early Saturday. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the U.S., which severely violated the U.N. Charter and violently trampled down the territorial integrity and securit

Jun 23, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
North Korea on edge after US strikes Iran
Politics

President defends PM nominee amid backlash from opposition party

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday defended Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok, urging opposition lawmakers to give him a chance to address the controversies surrounding his appointment. His remarks, made during a luncheon with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), came amid growing pressure from the PPP for Kim to withdraw ahead of his confirmation hearing later this week. The luncheon meeting, held at the presidential residence in Yongsan District, was attended by DPK floor leader Kim Byung-kee, PPP interim leader Kim Yong-tae and PPP floor leader Song Eon-seog. It began at noon and lasted for an hour and 45 minutes. "The opposition leadership raised serious concerns about the prime minister nominee, pointing to issues in his background and perceived misconduct during the confirmation process," Woo Sang-ho, presidential secretary for political affairs, said at a briefing following the meeting. "The president said it would be appropriate to wait for his explanations during the confirmation hearing." According to Woo, Lee a

Jun 22, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
President defends PM nominee amid backlash from opposition party
Politics

Spy chief nominee rejects 'pro-North Korea' label

Lee Jong-seok, the nominee to lead the National Intelligence Service (NIS), pushed back against claims that he is pro-North Korea, Thursday, saying he would serve with a pragmatic approach focused on national interests. "I don’t quite understand why my past remarks would be considered pro-North Korea," Lee said during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. His comments came in response to a question from Rep. Song Eon-seok of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who referenced Lee's past statements opposing the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system and the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. "When someone like this becomes the head of the NIS, it raises concerns about whether the agency can protect our nation or become something like a liaison office for North Korea," Song said. Lee had also rejected the label in a written statement submitted ahead of the hearing. "Labeling me as pro-North simply because I have conducted in-depth research on North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is complete

Jun 19, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Spy chief nominee rejects 'pro-North Korea' label
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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.