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Jun Ji-hye

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.

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South Korea

Will Seoul, Tokyo discuss military info-sharing again?

Defense Minister Han Min-koo, right, shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani ahead of their meeting at the 14th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore in this May 30 file photo./ Courtesy of the Ministry of National DefenseBy Jun Ji-hyeWill South Korea and Japan once again push for the bilateral agreement to share sensitive military information?This issue has emerged as one of the major concerns amid growing signs of restoration of the strained relations between the two nations.The defense chiefs of the two countries met at the end of last month for the first time in four years. In addition, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se visited the neighboring nation from Sunday to Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties and meet with his Japanese counterpart.Tokyo has been pressuring Seoul to resume the suspended discussion on the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to strengthen their defense capabilities against missile and nuclear threats from North Korea.Seoul has sh

Jun 22, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
  • Park, Abe ready to restore relations
South Korea

Global approach for ending historical disputes

By Kan KimuraKan KimuraJapan and South Korea have experienced many historical and territorial disputes since the end of World War II. However, today’s situation has one new element.In the past, the rival nations could repair their relationship quickly after a dispute. In contrast, today’s situation has had seen no improvement for almost three years since former President Lee Myung-bak’s visited the islets known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.Why can we not improve relations quickly like we did in the past?The first reason is the decline of mutual importance.The Japanese share in South Korean trade has dropped from 40 percent to 7 percent in the past 40 years, and with the changing security situation in Northeast Asia, it is difficult to find a way to develop strategic cooperation. As a result, it has become difficult for people to find the required interest to improve ties.The second element is increasing nationalism in both countries.According to a public survey, more than 75 percent of people in Japan and South Korea support their respective governments

Jun 21, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
Global approach for ending historical disputes
  • 1965 treaty leaves thorny issues unresolved
South Korea

ASEAN, Korean youths to join hands for forest conservation

By Jun Ji-hye Young people from Korea and ASEAN countries are set to meet in August to explore ways of conserving forest together.ASEAN-Korea Center (AKC) said it is planning to host an ASEAN-Korea Youth Network 2015 for nine days from Aug. 10 in cooperation with ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation (AFoCO).The workshop first began in 2013 as part of efforts to promote understanding and friendship between the younger generations of the region.  ASEAN consists of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.Theme for this year’s event is “Youth in the Forefront of Forest Conservation in ASEAN and Korea,” which will give young people a chance of thinking about the role of forest and ways of protecting it, the AKC said.The first part of the event will take place in Seoul and Gangwon Province from Aug. 10 to 13, to which lectures from prominent speakers in the field of forest conservation will be given. The event will also feature UCC making contest, essay writing contest as well as cultural activities.The seco

Jun 21, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

NK vows 'merciless' steps against UN office

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the left photo, visits an anti-aircraft artillery unit on June 18 as part of his routine field inspections without wearing the badges of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. This is in contrast with the May 23 photo, right, in which he wears the badges on the chest during a visit to a military fish farm. The difference led to speculation that the young leader has launched an effort to stand on his own rather than leaning on the former leaders’ legacy. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye North Korea is threatening that it will take “merciless’’ measures against the planned opening of a United Nations office in Seoul to monitor human rights in the repressive state.The U.N. will open the field office to exclusively investigate Pyongyang’s state-perpetrated violations of human rights in Seoul on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Pyongyang claims this amounts to interference in the North’s domestic affairs.“If the U.N. office is set up in Seoul, we will regard it as a p

Jun 21, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
NK vows 'merciless' steps against UN office
South Korea

FedEx CEO urged not to deliver anthrax

A member of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union conducts a performance in front of the FedEx Korea building in Seoul, Friday./ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Jun Ji-hyeFedEx is facing mounting criticism over the delivery of a live anthrax sample.The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union criticized the firm Friday for having ignored its duty to protect its workers and the public from hazardous materials.“The company must take safety measures immediately to protect handling and delivery workers,” the union told a news conference. “In addition, the company must stop delivering anthrax samples.”The press conference took place in front of the FedEx Korea building in Seoul.Kim Chang-nam, head of FedEx Korea’s labor union, said Frederick Smith, founder and CEO of FedEx, should take steps to ease concerns among workers and resolve the controversy.“It is not too late,” Kim said at the conference.The world’s top package courier has been embroiled in controversy after accidently delivering live an

Jun 19, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
FedEx CEO urged not to deliver anthrax
South Korea

US strategic commander to visit Korea next week

By Jun Ji-hyeAdmiral Cecil D. HaneyAdmiral Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, will visit Seoul for four days starting Sunday to discuss missile and nuclear threats from North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday.Haney is planning to meet with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Choi Yoon-hee and other military authorities here, the ministry noted.It is the commander’s first visit since he assumed the post in November 2013.As he is in a position of responsibility over the U.S. missile defense (MD) system, Haney’s visit is drawing keen attention amid growing expectations that Washington will soon ask Seoul to engage in an official discussion on the potential deployment of the THADD missile system on the Korean Peninsula.THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is widely regarded as the core of the U.S. MD system.Defense watchers speculate that the commander could talk about THAAD during the visit because a number of high-ranking Pentagon officials have raised the need for the deployment on the peninsula, citing escal

Jun 18, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
US strategic commander to visit Korea next week
South Korea

FedEx may face boycott

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union is planning to launch a boycott of FedEx over its delivery of live anthrax samples.“We will fight with every possible means including a nationwide boycott until the company establishes proper measures to prevent a reoccurrence of such an incident,” the union said in a statement.The move comes in protest against the firm’s bungled response to sending the deadly toxin to a U.S. military lab in Korea from Utah.Jung Chan-moo, who is in charge of air and sea transport at the union, criticized FedEx Korea, the delivery firm’s Korean arm.“The company just said it complied with safety regulations without making any apology,” he told The Korea Times.The union will hold a news conference Friday to announce its plans in front of the company’s building in Seoul.Employees of FedEx Korea belong to the union, an affiliate of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the nation’s second-largest umbrella union.The U.S.-based firm is the world’s top package courier and

Jun 17, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Union to sue FedEx over anthrax case

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union is considering legal action against FedEx Korea for the company’s alleged failure to take safety measures in its delivery of live anthrax samples to a military lab in Korea from the United States.“FedEx delivered live anthrax samples through the general delivery service network, a violation of laws such as the Aviation Security Act,” Jung Chan-moo, who is in charge of air and sea transport of the union, told The Korea Times, Tuesday. “It did not notify transport workers of the danger, and did not offer safety equipment, either. This seems to have violated the Industrial Safety and Health Act.”He noted whether or not the company knew about the delivery of the hazardous material will be key to deciding the firm’s legal responsibility.“The company said all it did was just deliver parcels, and it did not know about the samples. But we believe there is greater possibility that the firm knew it, given FedEx is one of the major contractors of the Pentagon,” he said. &ldq

Jun 16, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Teenage NK soldier defects to South

By Jun Ji-hyeA North Korean solider defected to South Korea, Monday, across the inter-Korean border, according to the Ministry of National Defense.“A North Korean soldier defected to our side at around 8 a.m.,” a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “He crossed the border in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, on foot, and arrived at one of our guard posts. He then expressed his wish to defect.”The official noted that the man is 19 years old.The man was quoted as saying by the ministry that he decided to defect because of habitual beatings by superiors and dissatisfaction with the repressive state. The ministry said other details will be disclosed later as the investigation continues.Tension between South and North Korean soldiers was raised over the course of securing the defector, but no gunfire took place, the official noted.No other unusual movements by the military of the reclusive state have been detected, he added.    The defection of a North Korean soldier through the demilitarized zone is the first since October 2012 when

Jun 15, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Will Park attend Japan event?

By Jun Ji-hye Will President Park Geun-hye attend the June 22 event in Seoul to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties between Korea and Japan?The question surfaced after the Japanese media reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would participate in the same event in Tokyo if Park does so in Seoul.The event will be hosted by Japanese Embassy in Seoul and the Korean Embassy in Tokyo.Kyodo News quoted Japanese government sources as saying, “Abe will make a final decision after Park makes hers.”Nihon Geizai Shimbun also reported that the Korean government unofficially delivered its position that Park would attend the event in Seoul, if Abe does the same in Tokyo.The newspaper added that the both governments sent invitations to each leader.The possible participation of both leaders in the event might bring a warm breeze to the two countries’ frozen relations over historical issues and Tokyo’s consistent territorial claim on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.On the 40th anniversary of Korea-Japan relations in 20

Jun 12, 2015By Jun Ji-hye
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