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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

How Denmark ended COVID-19 restrictions early

Jakob Skaarup Nielsen, CEO of Healthcare DENMARK, poses at the Danish Embassy in Seoul, Sept. 29. Courtesy of Embassy of Denmark in KoreaHealthcare DENMARK CEO seeks cooperation on smart hospitalsBy Kwon Mee-yooDenmark is one of the first countries in the world to lift all COVID-19 restrictions. As of Sept. 10, the country concluded that COVID-19 is "no longer a critical threat to society" due to the country's high level of vaccinations. "Denmark officially shut down on March 11, 2020. On Sept. 10, exactly 18 months later, Denmark declared COVID-19 an endemic disease, meaning it's not a critical disease for the society," Jakob Skaarup Nielsen, CEO of Healthcare DENMARK, said during an interview with The Korea Times, Sept. 29. Nielsen visited Korea recently for six days to boost cooperation between Denmark and Korea in the fields of healthcare and life science, paying special attention to smart healthcare infrastructure featuring information and communications technology (ICT), and to share Danish experiences with the pandemic. As public health officials in Korea are discussing shifti

Oct 4, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
How Denmark ended COVID-19 restrictions early
Politics

'King' mark on opposition presidential contender's palm raises eyebrows

The Chinese character meaning “king” is seen written on the palm of conservative main opposition People Power Party presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl during a live television debate, Friday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Chinese character for "king" was seen written on the palm of conservative opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl, stirring controversy that it might have a ritualistic meaning, which he denied.Yoon was seen with the character (王) on his left palm during a live television debate among the presidential hopefuls of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Oct. 1, when he waved his hand while talking. Soon, more pictures were revealed of Yoon bearing the letter on his hand during two previous debates. His rivals within the PPP and the liberal ruling party have raised suspicions that he is relying on shamanistic rituals to stay ahead in the presidential race.Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the PPP, a seasoned politician who emerged as a major rival of Yoon after announcing his second presidential bid, criticized the former prosecutor general for "writ

Oct 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
'King' mark on opposition presidential contender's palm raises eyebrows
  • Court questions key suspect in Seongnam land development scandal
Foreign Affairs

Australian Garden opens on Jara Island

Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper, right, poses with the embassy's koala character, Koko, and Gapyeong County head Kim Seong-gi at the newly-opened Australian Garden on Jara Island in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. The garden features flowers such as pansies, surfinias and lupines, as well as an "I Love Australia" sculpture and topiaries of a kangaroo and a koala. Photos of Australian soldiers who participated in the Battle of Kapyong (Gapyeong) in 1951 during the Korean War (1950-53) are displayed at the garden's observatory. Courtesy of the Embassy of Australia in Seoul

Oct 3, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Australian Garden opens on Jara Island
Politics

Meeting with small business owners

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, second from right, speaks during a meeting with small business owners and the self-employed, at a small business support center in Mapo, western Seoul, Monday, to listen to their problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap

Sep 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Meeting with small business owners
Society

For fair wages for migrant workers

Migrant workers and members of the South Korean Coalition for Anti-Discrimination Legislation march in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in central Seoul, Monday. They protested wage discrimination against female migrant workers at public institutions, saying the Multicultural Family Support Centers under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family apply different income standards and provide low salaries to female immigrants employed as translators and bilingual instructors in comparison to their Korean coworkers. Yonhap

Sep 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
For fair wages for migrant workers
Foreign Affairs

Friendship seeds

In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of independence of six Central American countries, diplomats from four Central American and Caribbean countries and officials from the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Korea National Arboretum pose in front of the Tropical Green House of the arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 14, after donating seeds of their national trees and flowers to the arboretum. The participating diplomats are Ambassador of Honduras Virgilio Paredes Trapero, third from right; Ambassador of Costa Rica Alejandro Rodriguez Zamora, fourth from right; Ambassador of Nicaragua Rodrigo Coronel Kinloch, sixth from right and El Salvadorian Charge d'Affairs Jaime Jose Lopez Badia, seventh from right. Courtesy of Embassy of Nicaragua in KoreaSeeds of national trees and flowers of the four Central American and Caribbean countries ― Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras ― donated by the relevant embassies in Korea to the National Korea National Arboretum are planted at the arboretum's Tropical Green House in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 14. Courtesy of

Sep 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Friendship seeds
Foreign Affairs

Mexican Embassy wraps up month of events in celebration of 200th anniversary of independence

Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa, front row center, poses at the Garden of Mexico in Suncheonman Bay National Garden in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Sept. 14, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence and the beginning of the fight for independence 211 years ago. Courtesy of Embassy of Mexico in KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Embassy of Mexico in Seoul commemorated the 211st anniversary of the beginning of the fight for independence and celebrated 200 years of independence with a variety of events in September. Dubbed the "Month of Mexico in Korea," the embassy offered an extensive program of activities aimed at sharing the diversity and richness of Mexican culture, performing arts, gastronomy and music with Koreans.“Over the recent years, Mexico's cultural, educational and tourism promotion activities in Korea have increased significantly, thanks to the renewed popularity of different expressions of Mexican culture and art as well as gastronomy and tourism. Despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy of Mexico has contin

Sep 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Mexican Embassy wraps up month of events in celebration of 200th anniversary of independence
Foreign Affairs

ASEAN-Korea Centre pursues two-way exchanges

ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary-General Kim Hae-yong speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the intergovernmental organization's headquarters in central Seoul, Sept. 13. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukSecretary-General Kim hopes for balanced ASEAN-Korea tiesBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been one of the most important partners of Korea since 1989. To boost economic, social and cultural exchanges between Korea and the ASEAN member states, the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) was founded in 2009. Kim Hae-yong, who was inaugurated as the fifth secretary-general of the AKC in April, recognizes that he took the post for the intergovernmental organization to bridge the ASEAN and Korea at a crucial point. "The ASEAN is getting closer to us in economic relations as well as in people-to-people exchanges. The AKC has played a significant role in the past in developing the ASEAN-Korean relations and I hope to evolve our partnership into genuine friendship," Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times, Sept. 13.The ASEAN-Korea relations developed e

Sep 25, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
ASEAN-Korea Centre pursues two-way exchanges
Health

Post Chuseok infection rate sees huge spike

People line up to take a COVID-19 test at a temporary screening center on a construction site in southern Seoul, Friday. The number of daily new coronavirus infections reached a record high of 2,434, Thursday, following the Chuseok holiday period. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooDaily new COVID-19 infections spiked to an all-time high of 2,434, Thursday, after the fear that increasing numbers of people traveling across the country during the Chuseok holiday would fuel the spread of the coronavirus became a reality. The new high broke the previous record of 2,221 seen Aug. 10. New cases have exceeded 1,000 for 80 days in a row now, as the country remains under the prolonged fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.Public health officials are now concerned that the daily number of new cases could surge beyond 3,000 next week.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the number of daily new infections was in the 1,700s during the holiday period but soared to over 2,000 immediately because a larger number of people underwent t

Sep 24, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Post Chuseok infection rate sees huge spike
  • New COVID-19 cases soar to all-time high after Chuseok holiday
Health

Seoul making progress toward vaccine production hub goal

President Moon Jae-in bumps elbows with Cytiva CEO Emmanuel Ligner, left, who submitted a $52.5-million investment plan to Korea, during a signing ceremony for a South Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership in New York, Tuesday. On the right is Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooPresident Moon Jae-in made progress in COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy during his visit to the U.S., taking one more step towards Korea becoming a vaccine production hub. Moon secured more vaccines for Korea's residents and in return, pledged to donate others to developing countries. Moon took part in a Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership signing ceremony in New York, Tuesday, attracting a $52.5-million investment from U.S. vaccine material producer Cytiva. This time is the first time that an overseas vaccine material producer has invested in Korea. Cytiva has the second-largest biopharmaceutical production capacity in the world. Cytiva will make the investment from 2022 to 2024, with a plan to produce disposable cell culture fluid, an essential material for vaccine production, in short supp

Sep 22, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Seoul making progress toward vaccine production hub goal
  • President Moon joins Biden-hosted virtual summit on pandemic, stresses Korea's role
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