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Lee Hae-rin

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Society

LGBTQ students condemn city gov't's disapproval of Seoul Plaza for festival

Members of a student-led coalition of LGBTQ and human rights advocacy groups from 10 universities in Korea hold a press conference in western Seoul, Friday, after a mini pride parade to condemn the Seoul Metropolitan Government's decision to disapprove the Seoul Queer Culture Festival's use of Seoul Plaza. Korea Times photo by Cho Hye-yoonBy Lee Hae-rinLaura Carrera, a 23-year-old exchange student from Guatemala studying at Dongguk University, was taken aback upon learning that the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) had been denied permission this year to use Seoul Plaza, a location where it has taken place for years. “I think it's ridiculous,” Carrera said, explaining that canceling a Pride Month celebration in 2023 is "inconceivable" even in her home country, which she describes as "conservative," with anti-LGBTQ protests frequent during events celebrating the sexual minority community.Nerea Garcia from Spain, 21, who is in a one-year exchange student program with Carrera, agreed that queer festivals are widely celebrated events in her country as well, supported not ju

May 12, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
LGBTQ students condemn city gov't's disapproval of Seoul Plaza for festival
Travel & Food

Hong Kong airport to give away 24,000 air tickets to Korean travelers

Vivian Cheung, fourth from right, the chief operating officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, poses with participants at a press conference in Seoul, Thursday, to announce Hong Kong's air ticket giveaway campaign. Courtesy of Hong Kong International AirportBy Lee Hae-rinHong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will give away over 24,000 sponsored economy-class round-trip tickets to travelers in Korea starting May 16, as part of a government campaign to boost tourism after the pandemic, the airport authority announced, Thursday.“Hong Kong has fully opened up to travel, and we at Hong Kong airport are excited to welcome visitors from around the world once again,” said Vivian Cheung, chief operating officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday.The promotion is part of the Hong Kong government's Hello Hong Kong campaign and the AAHK's World of Winners global air ticket campaign, in which a total of 500,000 free tickets are being distributed around the world. The city aims to attract over 1.5 million inbound travelers after three

May 11, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Hong Kong airport to give away 24,000 air tickets to Korean travelers
Travel & Food

Delta Air Lines introduces new Korean menu items

Delta Air Lines' Director of Sales in Korea and Southeast Asia Kim Seong-su presents nine new in-flight menus for business class passengers traveling between Korea and the United States during the second quarter at an airline meals catering company in Incheon, April 27. Courtesy of Delta Air LinesBy Lee Hae-rinDelta Air Lines unveiled nine new in-flight menu items for business class passengers traveling between Korea and the United States during the second quarter.The menu items include beef tenderloin bibimbap, spicy shrimp and braised spicy chicken with vegetables, developed in collaboration with Korean chefs. The American airline expanded Korean food options back in 2007.“Korean in-flight meals are popular not only among Korean passengers but also among foreign travelers,” said Kim Seong-su, Delta Air Lines' director of sales in Korea and Southeast Asia, underlining the American carrier's intent to continue developing and serving Korean menu items above the clouds.The airline's Korean menu options aim to make Korean passengers feel at home during their flights, as well

May 11, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Delta Air Lines introduces new Korean menu items
Travel & Food

INTERVIEW Gyeonggi Tourism chief seeks to develop intercity network to bolster regional tourism

Region offers wide spectrum of tourist attractions By Lee Hae-rinGyeonggi Tourism Organization CEO Cho Won-yong / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Tourism OrganizationGyeonggi Province, in the vicinity of Seoul, is a popular one-day suburban getaway destination for Koreans thanks to its large number of attractions, but it is still off the beaten track for many foreigners. In that respect, Cho Won-yong, CEO of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization (GTO), aims to introduce the lesser-known travel gems of the province to foreign travelers by enhancing interregional networks.“Gyeonggi Province is huge and offers so many must-see attractions of all colors,” Cho said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Suwon.Housing 31 cities and counties and a population nearing 14 million, Gyeonggi Province is a mega municipality housing almost a quarter of South Korea's population. Since taking office last December, Cho has crisscrossed the province learning about its wide spectrum of lesser-known tourism assets and their particular themes.For example, the northwestern side of th

May 11, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
[INTERVIEW] Gyeonggi Tourism chief seeks to develop intercity network to bolster regional tourism
Society

Documentary on ex-Seoul mayor criticized for causing secondary victimization

Seen is the poster for “First Defence,” a documentary on the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, released last Tuesday by the film's producing committee Trust Won-soon. The film will hit theaters in July. Courtesy of Trust Won-soonBy Lee Hae-rinA documentary film on the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who took his own life after being accused of sexual harassment by a former secretary in 2020, is facing a backlash for denying the alleged offence and thus triggering secondary victimization.Trust Won-soon, the producing committee of the film “First Defense” released a poster for the documentary on its website, May 2, announcing it will hit theaters in July. The poster, which has an orange semicolon intended to mean “there is more to come,” according to the committee, reads in Korean, “The man who defended the world. He is gone, and people who are left will now defend him.” The film is based on a book published in 2021, consisting of interviews by a Korean journalist with the ex-mayor's close aides. The book raised controversies

May 10, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Documentary on ex-Seoul mayor criticized for causing secondary victimization
Foreign Affairs

Incheon to house new agency for overseas Koreans

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lim Soo-suk announces Incheon as the location of the soon-to-be-launched government agency for overseas Koreans during a press briefing at the ministry office in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinA new state-run agency for overseas Koreans, which will be launched next month, will be headquartered in the western port city of Incheon, the government announced, Monday.Seoul, which was the rival city for the location of the agency, will instead be home to an auxiliary center to provide better access to people in the capital seeking the agency's administrative services.“Considering the convenience, accessibility, regional development and consistency in administrative structure, the agency will be headquartered in Incheon and the civil service center in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said during a press briefing at the ministry in Seoul.Although the exact locations have yet to be confirmed, the ministry plans to provide overseas Koreans with accessibility by establishing the Incheon headquarters as cl

May 8, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Incheon to house new agency for overseas Koreans
Society

Space-out competition returns to Seoul this month

Participants in diverse costumes attend the 2022 Space-out Competition on Jamsu Bridge over Han River in Seoul, Sept. 18, 2022. NewsisBy Lee Hae-rinSeoul's annual Space-out Competition will return to its signature venue, the Han River, later this month.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Sunday, that this year's competition will be held on Jamsu Bridge, May 21, starting at 4 p.m. Vehicle traffic will be regulated to let the players space out without any distractions. Online registration for the event will open from 9 p.m. Monday and close at 12 p.m. Thursday. The Space-out Competition is a performance art event that aims to inspire weary city dwellers to take a break and do nothing, challenging the widespread belief that zoning out is a waste of time by rewarding the most spaced-out individuals.The event grew in size to 70 teams this year from 50 that competed in 2022. Each team will include up to three individuals.When the event returned after a three-year hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the city government had to close registration earlier than expected as over 4,0

May 8, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Space-out competition returns to Seoul this month
Society

Proposed bill aims to embrace more diverse types of families

GettyimagesbankConservative Christians oppose Life Partnership Act amid fear of legalizing same-sex marriageBy Lee Hae-rinA bill has been proposed that would grant civil union status to a more diverse range of relationships and provide people with a broader range of legal rights and protections, despite stiff opposition from conservative Christian groups in Korea.Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor opposition Basic Income Party and 10 other lawmakers from opposition parties proposed the Life Partnership Relations Act, which recognizes partnerships outside of blood relations and marriage as familial, April 26.“The concept and shape of family is quickly changing in our society,” Yong said during a press conference at the National Assembly before proposing the legislation, April 26. “However, the current law and system fail to embrace diversity in the various forms of family that exist.”The lawmaker noted that the proposed bill will include a wider range of groups of people living together as a family, such as the elderly, friends and unmarried couples, and provide the

May 7, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Proposed bill aims to embrace more diverse types of families
Society

City gov't says no to use of Seoul Plaza for Queer Culture Festival

A giant rainbow flag is unfurled across Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall at the 23rd Seoul Queer Culture Festival, July 16, 2022. The event is held annually to celebrate the identity and diversity of sexual minorities, but has been met with protest from conservative Christian groups. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeonBy Lee Hae-rinSeoul Metropolitan Government disapproved the use of Seoul Plaza for the upcoming Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) scheduled for July, the festival organizers said, Thursday. It instead approved a youth concert organized by a Christian broadcaster.According to the city government, Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) organizing committee and Christian Television System (CTS) Culture Foundation both applied to book Seoul Plaza for their respective events on April 3, 90 days before their events scheduled for July 1.The city government consulted with the two parties on rearranging the dates last month, according to the regulations on the city square management, to which both sides refused.In response, Seoul referred the agenda to the civic committee in char

May 4, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
City gov't says no to use of Seoul Plaza for Queer Culture Festival
People & Events

Animal rights lawyer becomes voice for the voiceless

Animal rights lawyer Park Joo-yeon files a bill of complaint on animal cruelty to stray cats from Seoul's Dongmyo Market at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, Nov. 23, 2020. Courtesy of Park Joo-yeonBy Lee Hae-rinAnimals are much loved and hated at the same time in Korea ― one in every four Koreans lives with companion animals, while over two million dogs are slaughtered every year for dog meat and animals are stipulated as objects under the current legal system.Park Joo-yeon, an attorney at Law Firm DIRECTION, is one of the first lawyers here who has been defending the rights of animals under such harsh circumstances. Based on her decade-long experience in efforts to elevate the legal status of animals, Park takes an in-depth look at the evolution of the Animal Protection Act (APA) and maps out its future in her latest book, “They Are Not Things,” published last Monday.Park decided to speak up for animals after coming across a horrific video of animal cruelty in 2012, when she became a lawyer, because “no living and sentient being deserves to be treated

May 4, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Animal rights lawyer becomes voice for the voiceless
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