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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

Dispute over incentives for reservists reignites

Enlisted soldiers shout "The battle will be won by the strong?during basic training at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on Feb. 14, 2011. The Ministry of National Defense recently said that it will push to revive a system that allows conscripts to receive extra points in recruitment exams after they are discharged, to offer them compensation for serving the nation. Women's organizations immediately expressed their opposition at a time when the job market remains tight. / Korea Times fileBy Jun Ji-hye The military established a committee tasked with reforming its culture on Aug. 6 to help ease the mounting public distrust against it in the wake of a series of tragic accidents. Such mishaps featured a shooting spree by an Army sergeant who killed five comrades, and the death of a hazing victim, an Army private first class.The members of the committee wrapped up their four-month study and announced 22 recommendations to the Ministry of National Defense on Dec. 18.They included a plan to allow conscripts to receive extra points in recruitment exa

Dec 29, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Dispute over incentives for reservists reignites
South Korea

Seoul to sign intelligence pact with Japan, US

By Jun Ji-hyeSouth Korea, the United States and Japan will sign an arrangement Monday to share military intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday.Despite some built-in limitations, the pact will be the first of its kind for Seoul and its former colonial ruler.To address Korea’s concern, Washington will mediate between Seoul and Tokyo.“The arrangement does not mean direct sharing with Japan. We will give our intelligence first to the U.S. and the tips will then be shared with Japan upon our approval, and vice versa,” a ministry official said.He added that vice ministers from the three countries will sign the pact separately without gathering for a ceremony.The three have been discussing intelligence sharing since May when they agreed on the need for it in the face of Pyongyang’s evolving security threats during defense ministers’ talks, dubbed the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.“All three have been paying attention to the nuclear and missile threats from the repressive state sin

Dec 26, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Seoul to sign intelligence pact with Japan, US
South Korea

NK Internet down for second day

By Jun Ji-hyeInternet access in North Korea was disabled for a second consecutive day early Wednesday amid growing speculation that a cyber war has started between Washington and Pyongyang.The second day without Internet access came after the repressive state restored services on Tuesday morning following an outage that lasted almost 10 hours.Internet performance analyst Dyn Research, the company that identified that Pyongyang’s Internet was down, wrote on Twitter that it was disabled again at 0:41 a.m. Wednesday.The repeated shutdown of the North’s system followed U.S. President Barack Obama’s vow to hold Pyongyang proportionally responsible for hacking Sony Pictures and forcing it to cancel the screening of “The Interview.” The satirical movie is about a CIA plot for a TV show host and his producer to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Following the second blackout, the website of the North’s main propaganda organ, Uriminzokkiri, and other well-known propaganda websites, including Ryugyong and Ryomyong, remained inaccessible for an hour.

Dec 24, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
People & Events

Ex-USFK commander awarded for enhancing S. Korea-US alliance

Former commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Burwell BellBy Jun Ji-hyeThe former commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Burwell Bell was conferred with the ICAS Annual Liberty Award earlier this month for his contributions to enhancing the Seoul-Washington alliance, according to ICAS, a non-profit international research organization. ICAS stands for the Institute for Corean-American Studies.Kim Sang-joo, senior fellow and vice president of the organization, said, “The ICAS Liberty Foundation conferred General Bell the award and the title of ICAS Liberty Foundation Distinguished Fellow at a celebration dinner held on Dec. 5 in honor of him at the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C.”Bell was recognized for his distinguished military service to the nation and the people, and making significant contributions to elevating the quality of humanity, said ICAS.During his acceptance remarks, the retired United States Army general said, “I accept the award on behalf of all the military personnel with whom I have soldiered over my 39 years of service in the U.S. Army.”He

Dec 24, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Ex-USFK commander awarded for enhancing S. Korea-US alliance
South Korea

Saenuri Party corners opposition on UPP dissolution

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Saenuri Party is stepping up its offensive against the opposition following the dissolution of the minor pro-North Korea Unified Progressive Party (UPP).The opposition is making a counterattack, claiming that the governing party was seeking a distraction to enable an exit strategy from the “memogate” scandal.The Saenuri Party has become more vocal since Sunday when President Park Geun-hye praised the Constitutional Court’s ruling ordering the UPP to disband and stripping its five lawmakers of their seats. Park described the ruling as “a historic decision” that defended the nation’s liberal democracy.  The governing camp, including President Park in particular, appears to be making the most of the court’s ruling as an opportunity to turn the tables in its favor.Park has been suffering setbacks since late last month amid a controversy over memoranda leaked from Cheong Wa Dae, which suggested a power struggle taking place involving her younger brother Park Ji-man and her former confidant Jeong Yun-hoe.Saenuri Party Chairman

Dec 23, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Parties hit for dragging court in

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Constitutional Court’s recent ruling ordering the dissolution of a leftist political party has again highlighted the weighty significance of the judicial entity because of the nationwide social impact the decision has made.The court has previously issued “landmark” rulings on major issues of national importance such as the impeachment of an incumbent head of state and whether to designate another location for the nation’s capital.Commentators blame politicians for giving the top court too much power and influence by too often letting it rule on controversial issues instead of resolving them through debate and dialog. “The court’s influence has grown constantly since it has made some major decisions regarding political issues,” Rep. Park Beom-kye of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy told reporters.The court was established in 1988 as the result of the nation’s struggle for democracy, to counter widespread distrust of the judicial system after years of military dictatorship beginning in the 1960s.By the 2000s,

Dec 22, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Nation divided over disbanding of leftist party

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision to disband the leftist Unified Progressive Party (UPP) and strip the party’s five lawmakers of their seats has prompted a range of reactions from legal experts.Some have welcomed the decision as “fair”, and a move to protect the nation from a rebellious power faction that threatened the basic democratic order provided for by the Constitution.However, critics say that the decision has damaged the nation’s democracy, and describe it in terms of evidence of tyranny by the majority over the minority.The Constitutional Court Friday ordered the dissolution of the UPP with an overwhelming 8-1 vote against what the judicial body’s President Park Han-chul said was organizing activities with the hidden goal of creating a Communist country like North Korea.Prof. Lee Yung-hyeock, who teaches police science at Konkuk University, supported the decision, saying it meant the nation will no longer allow any groups to promote a North Korea-like system in the country.“The overwhelming majority have

Dec 21, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Nation divided over disbanding of leftist party
  • Park praises court ruling
South Korea

Both parties worry about damage on Park

By Jun Ji-hyePresident Park Geun-hyeMembers of both the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) expressed concern Wednesday about the impact the continuing “memogate” scandal will have on the presidency of Park Geun-hye.These concerns reached their peak Monday, as her younger brother, Park Ji-man, presented himself before the prosecution for questioning over the scandal that centers on leaked memoranda from Cheong Wa Dae.“The brother’s appearance before the prosecution seems to deal a heavy blow to the President in her management of state affairs,” said a lawmaker of the government camp, asking not to be named.An NPAD lawmaker agreed, saying, “President Park is now passing only the second year of her five-year term. It is not good that her family member showed up at the prosecution at this early stage.”In the nation’s history, political scandals involving presidents’ family members have taken place later in their terms, or after they left office.President Park took office on Feb. 25, 201

Dec 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Both parties worry about damage on Park
South Korea

US Amb. Lippert faces tough test on THAAD

By Jun Ji-hyeU.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert has two big challenges on his new tour of duty.One is to fulfill Washington’s hope to deploy its latest ballistic missile interception system here as part of its missile defense program (MD).The other, which is tied to the first, is to keep Seoul from forming closer ties with China.On arrival here Oct. 30, Lippert got a sense of the difficulties attached to the first mission, when he employed diplomatic tact about the purported U.S. plan to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense battery here.Lippert Tuesday told Rep. Moon Hee-sang, interim chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, Tuesday, that the allies will transparently discuss the deployment, adding that the two have yet to begin discussions on the matter.Party spokesman Kim Sung-soo noted that the ambassador stressed that THAAD is a defensive measure, after Moon raised concerns over possible tensions in Northeast Asia over its deployment.But this contradicts earlier remarks he made that THAAD will target the North’s ballistic missiles

Dec 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

State auditor to request for disciplinary action against Navy chief

By Jun Ji-hyeThe state auditor will request the Ministry of National Defense to take disciplinary action against Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Hwang Ki-chul and hold him responsible for a case of defense industry corruption involving a faulty Navy ship, insiders said Tuesday.The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) concluded that Hwang was deeply engaged in the process of selecting a supplier of an outdated sonar system for the first domestic-made rescue and salvage ship, the 3,500-ton Tongyeong, in January 2009. At that time he was serving as head of the department in charge of the vessel project at the military procurement agency.Launched in September 2012, the ship failed to take part in the rescue operation after the Sewol ferry sank in April because of the malfunctioning sonar system. It sparked a huge controversy over deep-rooted corruption in the nation’s defense industry.According to the BAI, Hwang pushed for a purchase agreement with the supplier even before the Defense Acquisition Program Administration secured the proper evaluation data. He also gave the company preference

Dec 16, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
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