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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Foreign Affairs

Foreign missions show support for queer culture festival

A rainbow flag, symbolizing LGBTQ rights, is displayed on the U.S. Embassy building in Seoul along with the U.S. flag in this June 2019 photo. A group of foreign missions submitted a letter of support for the organizer of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, which has filed a complaint with Seoul City's Administrative Judgment Committee against the city's rejection of its application to establish a non-profit foundation. Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooA group of foreign missions in Seoul have shown their support for Korea's largest queer culture festival organizer's effort to promote rights of sexual minorities here. Seventeen foreign missions in Korea submitted a letter of support, under the signature of Dutch Ambassador to Korea Joanne Doornewaard, to the festival's organizer on Jan. 12. The letter will be used in favor of the organizer in its ongoing administrative battle with the city government.The Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) Organizing Committee filed an application to set up a non-profit corporation to the Seoul Metropolitan Government in October 2019, but the local gover

Jan 15, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Foreign missions show support for queer culture festival
Health

Patients of rare diseases slam DPK candidate's health insurance coverage plan for hair loss treatment

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung sweeps his hair up in a YouTube video posted Jan. 4, to collect public opinion about his pledge to include hair loss treatment in national health insurance coverage. Captured from YouTubeBy Kwon Mee-yooRuling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's pledge to include hair loss treatment in national health insurance coverage is drawing protest from patients with rare, incurable diseases, many of which are excluded from the public health insurance.The Korean Organization for Rare Diseases (KORD) released a statement, Thursday, lamenting Lee's hair loss treatment proposal. "There are still many patients with rare life-threatening diseases, including babies born with rare disorders in this era of ultra-low fertility, and they are not guaranteed access to treatment due to the high cost of new, orphan drugs. It is not proper to discuss expanding the coverage of national health insurance to hair loss treatment in this situation," the organization said in the statement.An “orphan drug” r

Jan 14, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Patients of rare diseases slam DPK candidate's health insurance coverage plan for hair loss treatment
  • National insurance coverage for hair loss treatment becomes Lee's official campaign pledge
Foreign Affairs

Kazakhstan ambassador assures safety of foreign companies after unrest

Municipal workers cover the charred city hall building for repair work in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Thursday. Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has blamed the unrest on foreign-backed terrorists and requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led military alliance of six former Soviet states. AP-YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooAmbassador of Kazakhstan to Korea Bakyt Dyussenbayev / Courtesy of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in KoreaAs the Kazakhstan government has restored order in the country after protests triggered by a sudden raise in gas prices earlier this year, the official Kazakh envoy in Korea has said that the recent unrest in the country would not affect Korea-Kazakhstan relations and that the country will protect foreign missions and businesses.Kazakhstan Ambassador to Korea Bakyt Dyussenbayev said that the situation in Kazakhstan is stabilized now and that constitutional order has been restored in all regions. "On Jan. 11, the president of Kazakhstan made an address to the people, where new political and economic reforms were announced. A new prime

Jan 14, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Kazakhstan ambassador assures safety of foreign companies after unrest
Music

Korean violinist invited to Basel Peace Forum

Violinist Won Hyung-joon will give a speech at the Basel Peace Forum, sharing his experiences promoting inter-Korea relations through music. Courtesy of Won Hyung-joonBy Kwon Mee-yooKorean violinist Won Hyung-joon will give a speech at the Basel Peace Forum, the first Korean to speak at the event, which promotes peace building initiatives.Won, the artistic director of the Lindenbaum Festival Orchestra, will speak during the "Emotions, Art, and Peace" session on Jan. 21, along with other artists. Won will talk about his experiences bridging different ideologies through music.Back in 1990, Won performed at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, which was celebrating Germany's reunification. The experience led him to recognize music as a medium of reconciliation and he then performed under the theme of world peace at the U.N. General Assembly Hall in 1996. He founded the Lindenbaum Festival Orchestra in 2009 with the aim of bridging North and South Korea through music and promoting peace. Won tried to create a joint orchestra of young people from the two Koreas, taking inspiration fro

Jan 12, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean violinist invited to Basel Peace Forum
Society

Prime minister meets Afghan evacuees

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, right, speaks with Afghan evacuees to Korea, designated "special contributors," at the Korea Coast Guard Academy in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday. Afghans who worked with the Korean government in recent years were evacuated to Korea in August, after the Taliban were returned control of the country from the U.S., and have been receiving education to adapt to life in Korea. Yonhap

Jan 11, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Prime minister meets Afghan evacuees
Foreign Affairs

Kazakh cyclist travels from Busan to Seoul

Kazakhstani cyclist Damir Kusheyev, who is making a bike trip from Busan to Seoul on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Korea, is seen in this file photo. Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan to KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooKazakhstani Damir Kusheyev embarked on a bicycle trip across Korea, from Busan to Seoul, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Kazakhstan. Kusheyev began his trip at Haeundae Beach in the southern port city of Busan on Saturday and plans to arrive in Seoul by Jan. 16. Kusheyev will cycle for 793.8 kilometers over nine days, passing through Samnangjin, Daegu, Mungyeong, Jeungpyeong, Daejeon and Jincheon before arriving in Seoul. "This is my first visit to Korea. I wish to introduce beautiful sites of Korea to Kazakh people while I ride bicycle throughout the country. I am also excited to contribute to the amicable relations between Kazakhstan and Korea on the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations," Kusheyev was quoted as saying by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to Korea.Duri

Jan 10, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Kazakh cyclist travels from Busan to Seoul
Foreign Affairs

Russian ambassador hails avant-garde art exhibition in Seoul

Russian Ambassador to Korea Andrey Kulik delivers a congratulatory speech during the opening ceremony for the "Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde" exhibition at Sejong Museum of Art at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiBy Kwon Mee-yooRussian avant-garde art may not be so well-known in Korea, but it holds a great significance in the development of modern art."Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde," an exhibition co-hosted by The Korea Times and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo, sheds light on the crucial movement of Russian art, featuring works by notable Russian artists."The diplomatic history between Russia and Korea is only 31 years, which is a relatively short period. However, the two countries have built strong bilateral relations in such a short time," Russian Ambassador to Korea Andrey Kulik said during the opening of the exhibition at Sejong Museum of Art at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Wednesday.The exhibit features a wide range of Russian artists, from pioneers of abstraction Wassi

Jan 10, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Russian ambassador hails avant-garde art exhibition in Seoul
Foreign Affairs

Korea seeks to boost relations with Latin America

Map of Latin America and the Caribbean / gettyimagesbank15 Latin American countries commemorate 60 years of diplomatic ties with KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooIn 2022, Korea celebrates the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with 15 Latin American countries. Those countries ― Mexico, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, Ecuador, Jamaica and Guatemala ― are becoming increasingly important to Korea's strategy of diversifying diplomacy.It was in the 1990s that Korea's diplomatic ties and cooperation with Latin American countries began to expand rapidly.As those countries are trying to recover from the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, Korea seeks to boost cooperation, especially in the field of digital and green economy.Strengthening ties with Latin America was included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' major projects for this year. "This year, Korea marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with 15 Latin American nations, which is about half of the countries in the region. The

Jan 9, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea seeks to boost relations with Latin America
Politics

Ruling party campaign worker accused of sexually harassing voter

A screenshot of Lee Jae-myung Plus, a communications platform operated on KakaoTalk by the Democratic Party of Korea's election committee, posted by a user who claimed the platform staffer sexually harassed her / Captured from Democratic Party of Korea's websiteBy Kwon Mee-yooAn online communications worker for ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung drew criticism for making comments about the appearance of a female user, which could be considered sexual harassment. A post was uploaded to the DPK's online board, last Thursday, by the woman, who used "Lee Jae-myung Plus," a communications platform operated on KakaoTalk by the DPK's election committee to provide direct answers to questions from citizens.The user said she posted on the platform asking if Lee had the final approving authority for the Daejang-dong development project, in which a newly established small company took charge of the lucrative project in a region of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, when Lee was the Seongnam mayor. One of the staff members then answered: "Your name is pretty. Yo

Jan 9, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Ruling party campaign worker accused of sexually harassing voter
Foreign Affairs

Mark Fletcher named new Canadian ambassador to Korea

By Kwon Mee-yooCanadian Ambassador to Korea Mark Fletcher / Courtesy of Embassy of Canada in KoreaGlobal Affairs Canada, the Canadian ministry of foreign affairs, appointed Mark Fletcher as the country's new ambassador to Korea.Fletcher is a seasoned official at Global Affairs Canada who began his diplomatic career at External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1992. He previously worked at various foreign affairs and international trade-related departments, including the Representation Abroad Secretariat and the Assignments and Pool Management Division, which manages Canada's global network of missions.Before being appointed as the Canadian ambassador here, Fletcher was the director general of the Locally Engaged Staff Bureau, which manages employees hired locally by Canada's diplomatic missions abroad.His overseas appointments include regional counsellor and consul in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire from 1994 to 1996 and regional counsellor and consul in Budapest, Hungary from 2001 to 2004. Most recently abroad, Fletcher served as the minister-counsellor and consul-general in London

Jan 1, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo
Mark Fletcher named new Canadian ambassador to Korea
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