South Korean influencer Yoo Yoon-jin, better known as Jinnytty or “Penguin Sister,” has been barred from entering the country after authorities determined she had engaged in unauthorized work during a previous visit.
Yoo, 32, gained a large following in Taiwan after livestreaming a trip around the nation in 2023. Despite holding a Taiwan Employment Gold Card — an open work permit granted to highly skilled foreign professionals — she said she was denied entry at the airport and informed she was banned from entering Taiwan for three years.
During a Twitch livestream to her 1.1 million followers on Sunday, Yoo said that the entry ban might stem from her participation in a one-day pop-up store event for a video game company in 2023 — a commercial activity she admitted she did not have a valid work permit for.
Photo: Screengrab from Jinnytty’s Instagram
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) in a statement said that the Ministry of Labor had notified it on March 25 that Yoo had undertaken illegal work in 2023. The NIA then issued an entry ban after the Taipei City Government’s Department of Labor imposed a penalty on her.
The case mirrors a recent incident involving American YouTuber LeLe Farley (樂樂法利), who was also denied entry to Taiwan last month despite holding a Gold Card. Authorities said that Farley had worked illegally in the country late last year by appearing on political commentary shows.
Farley said he had applied for the Employment Gold Card in November last year and received it in February. The NIA said the ban remains in force until further notice.
In both cases, neither Yoo nor Farley were aware that their Gold Cards had been revoked until they were turned away at the airport.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS