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Choe Sang-Hun
For Choe Sang-Hun's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 18, 2022
Thought to be a success story, South Korea is forced to alter its COVID approach
The government will shift to dedicating its monitoring efforts to high-risk patients who are staying at home, supplying them with at-home treatment kits.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 29, 2022
Fiery North Korean defector charged under new propaganda law
South Korea banned the spreading of leaflets across the border last year. Park Sang Hak, an outspoken activist who defied the ban, was indicted this week.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 2, 2022
The new political cry in South Korea: ‘Out with man haters’
The gender wars have infused the South Korean presidential race, largely seen as a contest for young voters.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 14, 2021
South Korea has long wanted nuclear submarines. A new reactor could open a door.
The reactor project comes amid fears of an arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, driven by the conflict between China and the United States.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 21, 2021
South Koreans now dislike China more than they dislike Japan
More than 58% of the 1,000 respondents called China 'close to evil,” while only 4.5% said that it was 'close to good.”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2021
Kim Jong Un calls K-pop a ‘vicious cancer’ in the new culture war
K-pop's growing influence has drawn the leader's ire. But even a dictator may have trouble holding back the tide.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 13, 2021
The Korean War emptied the town. Those who rebuilt it may now be rewarded.
A decades-old struggle for land by villagers in the 'Punch Bowl' has become a symbol of the war's unfinished business.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 23, 2020
‘Each day is critical’: South Korea’s 11th-hour battle with COVID-19
In several provinces across South Korea, there are no ICU beds available to treat the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 patients. As of Monday, the government confirmed that there were only 42 beds available nationwide. In the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country’s population and the majority of its recent infections, there were just six. ​
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2020
South Korean couriers die of overwork as pandemic spurs surge in deliveries
A string of deaths among couriers this year has caused a national uproar, drawing attention to unevenly distributed worker protections.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 11, 2020
Cases surge in South Korea with COVID-19 vaccine still months away
South Korea's daily number of new cases was once as low as two per day. That number soared tou200b 682 on Thursday, with health officials warning it could reach record highs in coming days.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 22, 2020
Kimchi-making at home was going out of style. Rural towns to the rescue.
Families that have grown weary of eating commercial kimchi in big cities have started making pilgrimages to the countryside where they can learn how to prepare it on their own.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2020
She helped South Korea in its time of need. In the pandemic, it repaid her.
Sandra Nathan spent 1966 to 1968 in a South Korean town as a young Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English to high school girls. Fifty-two years later, Nathan, now back in the United States, received a care package from South Korea that nearly brought her to tears.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 25, 2020
In South Korea, draft resisters still go to prison. But now it’s a job.
Alternative service is a seismic shift in a country that considers conscription crucial to its defense against North Korea, with which it is still technically at war.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 8, 2020
North Korean diplomat, missing since 2018, is spotted in Seoul
The revelation could further aggravate North-South relations, which have been in a downward spiral for months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 20, 2020
In South Korea, COVID-19 comes with another risk: online bullies
Governments around the world have grappled with misinformation and outright lies about the coronavirus. In South Korea, that struggle has become uniquely personal.

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