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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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North Korea

Kim, Putin poised for high-stakes summit amid arms deal concerns

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is welcomed by Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov upon his arrival at Khasan train station Primorky region, at the start of his official visit to Russia in this photo taken and released by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia, Tuesday. AFP-Yonhap2 leaders expected to seal major arms deal; US warns NK against supplying arms to RussiaBy Lee Hyo-jinNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia early Tuesday morning for a possible summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to South Korea's defense ministry, amid speculations that the two leaders may strike a major arms deal. A green-and-yellow armored train carrying Kim arrived at Khasan railway station in the Primorsky Krai region near the border between North Korea and Russia, where he was greeted with a welcoming ceremony prepared by Russian officials, according to Japanese media outlets.The train then traveled farther north and passed the railway bridge over the Razdolnaya River at around 12:15 p.m. (local time), presumably

Sep 12, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Kim, Putin poised for high-stakes summit amid arms deal concerns
  • In desperation, N. Korea, Russia turn to one another for mutual assistance rivaling US-S. Korea cooperation
  • Yoon's office calls on Russia to 'act responsibly' ahead of Kim-Putin summit
  • N. Korea's Kim says Russia visit 'clear manifestation' of prioritizing ties with Russia: KCNA
  • US will not hesitate to take action if N. Korea provides weapons to Russia: state dept.
  • Putin welcomes Kim Jong-un at cosmodrome to consolidate interests
Foreign Affairs

Korea favors Japan over China in reference to 3-way ties

President Yoon Suk Yeol poses with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second from right, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, during a summit between the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Korea, Japan and China in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 6 (local time). Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hunBy Lee Hyo-jin In recent months, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been increasingly using the term “Korea-Japan-China” instead of “Korea-China-Japan” to refer to trilateral relations between Korea and its two neighboring countries. During his attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related summits in Jakarta last week, President Yoon again stressed the importance of relations between the three countries while placing China in the third position.“The reactivation of cooperation among Korea, Japan and China will become a stepping stone for a new leap in ASEAN Plus Three cooperation,” Yoon said during a summit with Chinese Premier Li Qiang held on the sidelines of the multilate

Sep 11, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea favors Japan over China in reference to 3-way ties
  • Yoon vows to actively seek trilateral summit with Japan, China
Politics

Yoon likely to replace gender equality, defense ministers this week

Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook arrives at her office at Government Complex Seoul, Sept. 1. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin President Yoon Suk Yeol is likely to replace three to four ministers, including the gender equality and defense ministers, as early as this week in an effort to keep his policy momentum going in preparation for general elections slated for April next year, according to several ruling party sources and media reports, Sunday. Both the gender equality and defense ministers have been facing mounting public criticisms in recent weeks over the poor planning and unpleasant conditions experienced at the World Scout Jamboree in August, and over the death of a young Marine during a search operation for people affected by the downpours in July, respectively. Other ministers that may be affected by the president's envisioned Cabinet reshuffle could include both the culture and ICT ministers, according to sources. Speculation is high that Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook, who is under scrutiny over her ministry's mishandling of the quadrennial Jambore

Sep 10, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Yoon likely to replace gender equality, defense ministers this week
Foreign Affairs

China distances itself from North Korea-Russia ties: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong of the standing committee of the China's National People's Congress, right, attend a military parade in Pyongyang, July 27, celebrated as “Victory Day,” to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. AP-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin China will send a relatively low-profile delegation to North Korea to take part in the celebration of the nation's founding day later this week, in what appears to be an effort by Beijing to distance itself from rapidly improving ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, according to analysts, Thursday.A Chinese delegation led by Liu Guozhong, vice premier of the State Council of China, will participate in the 75th anniversary celebration of North Korea's Foundation Day which falls on Sept. 9, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). China is apparently sending a relatively lower-ranking official compared to a previous occasion, given that North Ko

Sep 7, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
China distances itself from North Korea-Russia ties: experts
  • N. Korea-Russia partnership may benefit both but will have limits: former intelligence officer
Politics

Yoon sharpens anti-communist rhetoric to appeal to conservatives

President Yoon Suk Yeol gives a speech at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Sept. 1. Joint Press CorpsPresident's far-right stance likely to alienate moderate voters ahead of April election: analysts By Lee Hyo-jin After expressing a staunch anti-communist stance in his National Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, President Yoon Suk Yeol has been explicitly underscoring that sentiment in recent weeks.During the Aug. 15 speech ― in which he used the term “communist” eight times ― Yoon lashed out at “anti-state forces” that “blindly follow communist totalitarianism” and urged the public not to be deceived by such groups. When he met with new leaders of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council on Aug. 29, Yoon stressed their role in defending liberal democracy from “communist totalitarian forces that are engaging in psychological warfare to disturb the free society.”The president reaffirmed his assertive stance in another speech on Sept. 1 during a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the

Sep 6, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Yoon sharpens anti-communist rhetoric to appeal to conservatives
Politics

Presidential office lashes out at 'manipulative' interview about Yoon

Shin Hak-lim, the former head of the National Union of Media Workers, answers reporters' questions during a press conference in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The presidential office on Tuesday criticized a media interview given by Kim Man-bae, a key suspect in a high-profile land development scandal, calling the interview an attempt at “unprecedented electoral manipulation” against then-candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election.Kim Man-bae / Newsis“It is becoming clear that there has been political maneuvering in an attempt to switch the focus from Lee Jae-myung to Yoon Suk Yeol in the Hwacheon Daeyu scandal,” a senior official at the presidential office told reporters. “It is hard to dispel suspicions that the mastermind behind the Daejang-dong case, in collaboration with a media figure from the National Union of Media Workers, had been orchestrating an unprecedented election manipulation scheme.”The official was referring to Shin Hak-lim, former head of the National Union of Media Workers, who is under in

Sep 5, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Presidential office lashes out at 'manipulative' interview about Yoon
Society

Aircraft flyovers in central Seoul cause confusion, fear

Republic of Korea Army Apache attack helicopters fly over Seoul, Monday, during a tactical flight training exercise. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-jin Military aircraft spotted in the skies above Seoul recently have left residents confused and scared, with some mistaking the roaring sounds of fighter jets for a North Korean invasion.The South Korean Army's Apache attack helicopters conducted a tactical flight training exercise over central Seoul, including the areas near City Hall and Seoul Station, Monday morning. “The helicopters were so loud and they flew quite near the office buildings. My colleagues and I got a little nervous,” said an office worker surnamed Yoo, 32, who works in central Seoul. Although he received a notice from the Seoul Metropolitan Government about the training in advance, he did not expect the helicopters to fly so close to his office. “I received the text alert around 9 a.m., which read that a flyover will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. across Seoul. This is too vague, I think they should have given some detailed informa

Sep 4, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Aircraft flyovers in central Seoul cause confusion, fear
  • PHOTOS Attack helicopters on training in downtown Seoul
Defense

S. Korea launches drone command to counter N. Korean threats

Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, sixth from left in front row, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lee Bo-hyung, seventh from left in front row, commander of the drone operations command, pose during an inauguration ceremony held in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of StaffsBy Lee Hyo-jin The South Korean military established a new drone operations command, Friday, to bolster its defense capabilities against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the wake of North Korea's drone infiltration last year. An inauguration ceremony for the new command was held in Pocheon, northeastern Gyeonggi Province, where the unit is based, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The event was attended by key military and political figures, including JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, lawmakers and local government officials. “The drone operations command is a unit based directly under the Ministry of National Defense, and will be under the supervision of the JCS chairman. It is the first joint combat unit to be composed of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps,” t

Sep 1, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea launches drone command to counter N. Korean threats
Foreign Affairs

Korea's import ban on Fukushima seafood faces hurdles

A customer shops for locally caught seafood at the Hamanoeki Fish Market and Food Court in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Thursday. Reuters-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea's decade-long import ban on seafood originating from Fukushima, Japan could face hurdles, as Tokyo continues efforts to reassure neighboring countries that the radiation level of wastewater, released starting last week from a crippled nuclear plant, is within safe levels.The Korean government has been reassuring its citizens that the import restrictions would remain in place regardless of the wastewater discharge, but speculation is rising that Tokyo will increase pressure on Seoul to lift the curbs.Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, noted a potential inconsistency in Korea's position. He viewed that Japan is likely to use the fact that Korea's soft-pedaling stance on the release of wastewater appears contradictory to its import curb.“Korea has accepted Japan's decision on the water release saying that it meets global safety standards, but is not buying its seafood citing co

Sep 1, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Korea's import ban on Fukushima seafood faces hurdles
  • 7 out of 10 Koreans oppose Fukushima water release
  • Korea to file complaint with IMO on Fukushima issue if Japan reneges on original release plan
  • Noryangjin's seafood merchants struggle amid Fukushima wastewater concerns
Politics

Paying tribute to victims of April 19 Revolution

Rhee In-soo, second from right, adopted son of Korea's first President Syngman Rhee, pays tribute to the victims of the April 19 Revolution, a pro-democracy civil uprising that occurred in 1960, leading to his father's resignation, at the April 19th National Cemetery in Gangbuk District, Seoul, Friday. The younger Rhee apologized to the victims and their families, expressing hopes that his message would contribute to national unity and reconciliation. Yonhap

Sep 1, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
Paying tribute to victims of April 19 Revolution
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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.