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.
China condemns Japanese man for vandalism of 'comfort woman' statue
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang / AP
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The Chinese government has condemned a Japanese man for kicking a symbolic statue for the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, also known as “comfort women.”
Local media reported Tuesday that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China hopes Japan will take up its responsibility and handle the act of vandalism in Taipei properly.
CGTV, a Chinese state-run broadcaster, reported that Geng also said what Japanese soldiers did to the victims was inhumane and their crimes have been recognized by the international community.
The statement comes after Mitsuhiko Fujii, a Japanese right-wing group member, kicked the bronze statue in Tainan on Thursday.
His behavior caused dozens of human rights activists to rally outside Japan's de facto embassy in Taipei on Monday to call on the Japanese government to apologize.
As many as 200,000 Taiwanese, Koreans and many other Asian women were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels. In Taiwan, there are two publicly identified victims alive today.