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.
Jeju tourism body scraps plan to release 1,000 butterflies from mainland
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By Jung Min-ho
Jeju Island's tourism organization said on Monday that it decided to cancel a plan to release 1,000 butterflies from the mainland due to concerns about the potential impact on crops and the island’s ecosystem.
According to the Jeju Tourism Association, the release of the insects from Hampyeong, a South Jeolla Province county known for its butterfly festival, was canceled following complaints mostly from farmers.
In collaboration with Hampyeong officials, the organization came up with the idea as part of its effort to promote Jeju tourism and the importance of biodiversity.
But soon after the announcement, the plan faced opposition from Jeju's council members, who pointed out that most of the butterflies are the cabbage white type and their larvae are known to be harmful to some crops.
After being urged to review possible repercussions on the island's environment, the organizers briefly considered releasing male butterflies only, but eventually decided not to take the risk.