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.
Korean Air union demands Japanese gov't official apologize for assault
A Japanese government official is suspected of assaulting a Korean Air employee, who held him back from boarding a plane for “being too drunk” at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on March 19. Korea Times file
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Employees at Korean Air, the country's largest airline, have demanded a Japanese government official apologize and offer compensation to a company official he allegedly assaulted at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, March 19.
A union representing Korean Air staff released a statement March 22 to express “serious regret” for the “unforgivable” behavior of Kosuke Takeda, 47, a senior official at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Takeda allegedly assaulted an employee, who held him back from boarding a plane for “being too drunk.” While refusing to comply, he reportedly said things like, “I hate Korea!”
“It was a necessary safety check, which is stipulated in the guidelines,” the union said.
If Takeda refuses to apologize, the union said it would take action to strip him of his civil servant status.
This is was not the first time Takeda had been prevented from boarding a flight to Japan. Only two days before the incident, he was held back by
for being drunk and disorderly.
After the second incident, he was temporarily detained by Korean police, but released a few hours later and returned to Japan.
On Facebook, Takeda denied being drunk and said he did not understand why police detained him. “It's a weird country,” he wrote.
After the issue came into the spotlight, the health ministry released him from his position as head of the wages division and apologized.