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Heejin Kim
For Heejin Kim's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Demonstrators protest against a government plan to increase the number of seats at medical schools in Seoul in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 8, 2024
Deaths amid doctor shortage fuel election angst in South Korea
A critical lack of doctors in South Korea has led to thousands of deaths as President Yoon Suk-yeol works to address the problem.  
Demonstrators gather during a protest in Seoul on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 29, 2024
South Korea seeks first talks with doctors as deadline looms
The Health and Welfare Ministry said it has proposed having talks to address the 10-day walkout by about 9,000 trainee doctors.
The Yeouido financial district in Seoul
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2024
South Korea watchdog intensifies crackdown on China-linked notes
Authorities will investigate 12 institutions over the sale of equity-linked securities that are tied to the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.
A cable is connected to a Volvo AB XC40 electric sports utility vehicle displayed at the EV Trend Korea exhibition in Seoul in March 2022.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023
Chinese firms seek South Korean partners to skirt U.S. EV rules
Recently, Chinese firms and their South Korean partners have announced $4 billion of investments in new battery plants in South Korea.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2023
The world’s fastest-growing whisky market is South Korea
South Koreans consumed 14.2 million liters of whisky in 2022, a small amount compared with other nations, but up 46% from 2021.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2023
South Korean rocket ambitions pose a fresh challenge to SpaceX
Cash from arms sales to Ukraine’s neighbors is helping to fund Hanwha Aerospace's efforts to expand its 2-year-old space business.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 25, 2022
South Korea was ready for COVID. Now it’s eyeing the next threat.
The country had overhauled the way it responds to diseases after having learned painful lessons from the MERS outbreak just four years earlier, giving it a global edge when COVID-19 hit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2022
Honda and LG set to build $4.4 billion EV battery plant in U.S.
The facility will have an annual capacity of about 40 gigawatt-hours with mass production slated to start at the end of 2025, Honda has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 19, 2022
Janet Yellen touts ‘friend-shoring’ as global supply chain fix
Yellen called on 'trusted” U.S. allies to strengthen trade relationships disrupted by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and threatened longer term by a reliance on China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2022
China sees an exodus of South Korean giants as relations wane
Manufacturing giants like Samsung Display and LG Electronics are already shutting some factories in China, pressured by cheaper local rivals and uncertainty over lockdowns.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2022
Hyundai jumps back into Japan with an online-only, all-electric plan
The last time Hyundai sold a car in Japan was in 2009, when it pulled out after years of dismal sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2021
'Squid Game' and BTS are driving a boom in Korean-made goods
South Korean music, TV and films are bringing once-obscure brands into the mainstream as far away as the U.S.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2021
Three BTS members garner $8.4 million from sale of agency shares
The group is looking to reap as much earnings as possible before a mandatory two-year military conscription kicks in.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 20, 2020
BTS fans have a new way to show their love: buying shares
In the music industry, fans are everything. But when it comes to K-pop, that adage holds more true than ever.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 23, 2019
Tokyo-Seoul row hits economies
The escalating feud between South Korea and Japan is heightening concerns about the fallout for global supply chains, financial markets and economic growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2019
South Korea braces for Japan's tighter export restrictions
As Asian markets slid Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he'll impose more tariffs on China, another trade spat between Japan and South Korea is escalating.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores