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.
Court issues arrest warrant for Jeju hotel employee over sexual assault of Chinese tourist
This file photo shows the Jeju Seobu Police Station on the northern coast of Jeju Island. A Jeju hotel receptionist accused of raping a Chinese traveler in her room has been arrested on the charge of sexual assault, according to police on Friday. Korea Times file
By Jung Min-ho
A Jeju hotel receptionist accused of raping a Chinese traveler in her room has been arrested on the charge of sexual assault, according to police on Friday.
The Jeju District Court approved an arrest warrant on Thursday evening for the employee, in his 30s, of a hotel in Yeon-dong on the island's northern coast.
The suspect faces indictment after allegedly accessing the room with a master key, entering the room and raping the guest at around 4 a.m. on June 14 while she was highly intoxicated following a night out with other Chinese tourists.
Security camera footage police secured showed the employee entering the woman’s room shortly after she had been escorted there by other travelers who left immediately thereafter. After the alleged crime, he returned to the reception desk.
She later told one of her travel companions what had happened. The companion reported it to police.
The suspect admitted to police that he entered the woman's room but claimed that he believed he was partaking in consensual sex with the woman.
The woman told police that she was too drunk at the time of the crime to take any evasive action.
Given that she was scheduled to return to China soon after the incident, police and the prosecution took legal steps for the preservation of evidence, which prosecutors can use against the suspect once his trial begins.