Hong Hye-gul to Jin Joong-kwon: "Some influencer attacked me as 'Yame'..."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Shin-won] Dr. Hong Hye-gul, a medical doctor and broadcaster who is the head of the medical channel 'Biondwi,' has responded to former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon's criticism that "medical advice should be genuine, not fake (yamae)."

The incident began on the 15th when former professor Jin posted an article titled 'Hong Hye-gul's Thoughts' on his Facebook. Jin stated, "I tend to filter what medical journalist Hong Hye-gul says," and added, "I remember he vigorously defended Hwang Woo-suk during the scandal with his so-called professional medical knowledge(?)."

He continued, "(Dr. Hong) claims that Korea's success is due to high productivity rather than public healthcare, but what good is producing diagnostic kits diligently? If a test costs 4 million won, who would get tested?" He also pointed out, "He advocated 'take Tylenol instead of aspirin,' but the source and authenticity of this claim are unclear."

He described Hong's medical advice as 'yamae' (fake) and said, "Trust the quarantine authorities and follow their instructions," adding, "Don't be fooled by strange rumors and hoard medicines."

In response, on the 17th, Hong posted on his Facebook, "An influencer attacked me as yamae," and said, "Let me clarify two things: kits costing over 4 million won are supplied free of charge to all citizens in the U.S. Also, the recommendation of Tylenol has been reported with evidence by major global media such as The New York Times and The Guardian."

Regarding the controversy over his remarks that domestic COVID-19 diagnostic kits might fall short of U.S. FDA standards, he explained, "Since serious distrust of Korean diagnostic kits was raised through a U.S. congressman, I judged it necessary to inform the public first," adding, "There has been debate among experts about our kits."

He added, "I still believe our kits are excellent and deserve praise," and said, "However, if a score of 90 can become 100, that would be even better, and I hope any possible improvements will be made through this controversy."

Finally, he concluded his post by saying, "I hope our country overcomes this crisis well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.