Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
High school student donates 1 million won to help premature babies
A teenage girl who was born prematurely 17 years ago has donated 1 million won ($700) to help premature babies.
Hong Ah-jin
By Jung Min-ho
According to Busan Paik Hospital on Tuesday, Hong Ah-jin, a freshman student at Hanil Girls’ High School, donated the money to help treat those born prematurely.
Hong said she had the same experience. Born at 26 weeks and weighing just 590 grams, she received three months of treatment at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Thanks to the hospital's efforts, her weight increased to 2.05 kilograms, at which point she was considered healthy enough to be discharged.
“Thanks to the staff at Busan Paik Hospital, I was able to grow up healthy and strong. I have always wanted to express my gratitude to the hospital, and I am so glad that I was able to contribute a small amount of money to a good cause,” Hong said.
“I wanted to help those in need and give them hope that they, too, can grow up healthily even if they were born prematurely like I was. I hope everyone is healthy and thank the medical staff at Busan Paik Hospital once again.”
Preterm babies can be defined as those born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
According to data released last year from Statistics Korea, 9.9 percent of all babies born in 2023 were premature, an increase from 6.5 percent in 2013.