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.
Controversies surrounding President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife Kim Keon Hee followed him during his presidential election campaign in 2022. Two years later, the prevailing negative sentiment around the first lady is still casting a shadow over the ruling People Power Party (PPP) in the April 10 parliamentary elections, a poll showed, Wednesday.
![[POLL] Over half of Koreans say first lady controversy will impact voting decision](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Planned performances in Seoul by Russia's state-owned Bolshoi Ballet are drawing criticism from the Embassy of Ukraine and diplomats from several European countries, who argue that Russia's use of cultural events as a tool to justify war and genocide constitutes a form of cultural weaponization.
Two veteran politicians from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), both of whom have been disqualified from candidacy for the general elections amid a nomination feud within the party, are going in noticeably different directions.
Tens of thousands of doctors and medical students gathered in Seoul's Yeouido, Sunday afternoon, in protest against the government's plan to increase the medical school admissions quota, marking their largest-scale rally in years.
Accepting migrants will become a part of Korea's future, according to Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She stressed that the narratives about migrants should be reshaped to portray them as essential members of society, beyond merely meeting labor needs.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) faces a possible mass defection of members as internal feuding intensifies over the party's nomination process for the April 10 general elections.
Rep. Ko Min-jung, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) Supreme Council, quit her post Tuesday in protest at what she said was her party's untrustworthy candidate nomination process for the April 10 general elections.
North Korea could launch a second military spy satellite as early as March, according to Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, amid fears that Pyongyang might resort to provocations leading up to the April 10 general elections in South Korea.
Veteran politician Kim Chong-in has returned to politics, now donning the distinct orange colored jacket of the Reform Party.
Members of the firefighters' union, affiliated with the Korean Government Employees' Union, pay a silent tribute to fallen firefighters killed in the line of duty, during a rally held near the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. The participants demanded a better working environment, calling for an increase in the number of firefighters and the central government's direct management of them. Yonhap