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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

Gov't backs judge for ICC post

By Jun Ji-hyeChung Chang-hoThe government is making an all-out effort to get South Korean Chung Chang-ho elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in New York next month.The ICC, which sits in The Hague in the Netherlands, has 18 judges who serve nine-year terms. The intergovernmental organization conducts elections every three years to elect six judges.The court plans to hold sessions of Assembly of States Parties in New York from Dec. 8 to 17, and the election of judges, whose term in office will be until 2024, are expected to take place on the first day.Seventeen countries have fielded candidates, with Seoul nominating Chung.The government is using all its diplomatic resources to get Chung elected because ICC President Song Sang-hyun, a South Korean, will end his term in March.According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government has contacted 122 state parties to the ICC, emphasizing that Chung has vast experience in criminal law-related matters.The ICC has also assessed Chung.“Judge Chung has established competence in criminal law and procedure, a

Nov 23, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Gov't backs judge for ICC post
South Korea

UN move spurs Assembly rights bill

By Jun Ji-hyeThe United Nations’ adoption of a resolution against Pyongyang is serving as momentum for the National Assembly’s stalled efforts to pass North Korean human rights-related bills.Rep. Yoo Ki-june of the ruling Saenuri Party told reporters Wednesday, “Taking the U.N. move as an opportunity, the Assembly will speed up dealing with relevant bills.”Yoo chairs the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification CommitteeThe U.N. General Assembly’s Third Committee passed a resolution Tuesday (local time) calling for the referral of North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for state-perpetrated violations of human rights.Yoo said that parliament will spare no effort to pass the bills this year.Human rights issues in the reclusive state have been a subject of political debate between rival parties for almost 10 years, since former Saenuri Party lawmaker and former governor of Gyeonggi Province Kim Moon-soo submitted a related bill in 2005.Currently, six bills related to North Korean human rights are pending in the Assembly ― five

Nov 20, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Gov't declares war on defense industry corruption

By Jun Ji-hyeThe government, military and prosecution have begun an all-out effort to root out widespread corruption within the defense industry. The clampdown comes after a series of projects tainted by corruption came to light, including one involving a Navy salvage ship. The National Assembly is backing the inter-departmental drive.Rep. Kwon Eun-hee, spokeswoman of the ruling Saenuri Party, said Tuesday that prosecutors from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and military officers will form a joint investigation team as early as this week.“Members of the Financial Supervisory Service will also join the team,” she said.Kim Min-seok, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, also confirmed the plan, saying, “Military investigators need to join the investigation as suspects include active servicemen.”A former Navy officer was indicted earlier last month on charges of forging a document for the selection of a sonar system for the 3,500-ton Tongyeong, the first domestic-made rescue and salvage ship, when he was in charge of selecting a supplier on beh

Nov 18, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Opposition leader calls for leaving UN secretary general alone

By Jun Ji-hyeRep. Moon Hee-sang, interim leader of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, speaks during a debate organized by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists, at the Korea Press Center, Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapRep. Moon Hee-sang, interim leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), urged parties to refrain from raising speculation that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon may run for president in 2017.He said raising such speculation at this time was not beneficial to the national interest as Ban’s term of office runs until the end of 2016.“The ruling and opposition parties should leave Ban alone, at least for now, as he is doing well in the U.N.,” said Moon. “It will not be too late to make an issue of Ban’s possible challenge for the presidency by the time the next presidential poll approaches (in 2017), if the people want him.”Moon made the comments during a debate arranged by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists.The opposition leader said that competition between the ruling and op

Nov 18, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Opposition leader calls for leaving UN secretary general alone
South Korea

Rival parties agree on 3 welfare bills

By Jun Ji-hyeThe ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed late Monday on three welfare revision bills, a move aimed at expanding the scope of beneficiaries of the national basic livelihood social security system.The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee reached an agreement on the revisions, raising the possibility of them being approved by a vote in an upcoming plenary session.    The move to push the bills forward came after a mother and her two daughters committed suicide together at their home in Songpa-gu, Seoul, in February, after suffering from severe hardship. In the wake of their deaths, there have been growing calls for a stronger safety buffer for the underprivileged.The three bills are revisions to the National Basic Living Security Act and the Emergency Aid and Support Act, and a motion to create a law to make more people eligible for social security.The agreement came after the governing party took a step backward from its initial position that additional funds to implement the measures should be les

Nov 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

US backs Seoul over Japan in military contingency plan

By Jun Ji-hyeThe government welcomed U.S. clarification Monday that its forces stationed in Japan would automatically intervene in a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, dismissing Japan’s stance that any such move required prior consultation with it because they are stationed on its territory.“We believe the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty takes priority in the case of North Korean provocations and the U.S. government backs our position,” a defense ministry official said.The U.S. State Department made clear that Washington would not discuss contingency plans with Japan, and was prepared to carry out all obligations under its bilateral security treaty and joint operational plans with South Korea.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in July that U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) needed to have prior consultation with Tokyo and seek its understanding before sending troops to Korea.Some experts, such as Jeffrey Hornung of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, have supported Abe’s remarks.Hornung wrote on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website on

Nov 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Park 'deliberately' highlights weak yen problem at G20

President Park Geun-hye speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the International Convention Center at Yanqi Lake, Beijing, on Nov. 11, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Cheong Wa Dae released the photo Monday while explaining the achievements of Park’s recent trip to China, Myanmar and Australia. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyePresident Park Geun-hye said on Sunday that she “deliberately” pointed out a problem associated with the weakening Japanese yen during the G20 summit held in Brisbane, Australia.“I decided to talk about the issue openly because I thought I could not leave the problem as it is,” said Park in a rare press meeting held on the way back to Seoul.The comment was an answer to a reporter’s question about the context of her remarks made during the summit in which she said “recent falls or gains in the value of currencies in major advanced countries could deal a blow to some emerging markets.”Though Park did not mention Japan by name, her comment was construed as chiding Japan for its mon

Nov 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Joint drill planned near Dokdo

By Jun Ji-hyeThe military plans to conduct a drill this month designed to defend the nation’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in case of an outside invasion, a government source said Friday.The exercise involving the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army is scheduled for Nov. 24 on the rocky islets and surrounding waters in the East Sea.“The goal of the drill is to block non-military forces that approach the outcroppings via a sea and air route,” said the source, asking not to be named.The exercise, apparently designed to hold Japan in check, is expected to stir up a backlash from Tokyo. Japan has claimed that Dokdo, which lies closer to South Korea, is part of its territory, although it never established sovereignty.Seoul has carried out the exercise twice a year since 1986 with the latest on May 30, with Japan expressing displeasure each time.Five to six destroyers as well as the Air Force’s F-15K fighters and Navy’s P-3C patrol planes are ready to participate in the drill. Forces from the Army and National Police Agency of North Gyeongsang Province

Nov 14, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Joint drill planned near Dokdo
South Korea

Parties exchange views on parliamentary reform

By Jun Ji-hyeFour politicians in charge of setting up parliamentary reform met on Wednesday to engage in a lively discussion on the subject.A televised debate hosted by the National Election Broadcasting Debate Commission featured Kim Moon-soo from the ruling Saenuri Party; Rep. Won Hye-young from the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy; Rep. Oh Byung-yun from the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party; and Rep. Sim Sang-jeung from the Justice Party.The four are chiefs of special committees in each party that are seeking parliamentary reform.During the two-hour discussion, they agreed in principle over the need to reform protections and privileges provided for members of the National Assembly, including removing their immunity from arrest while they are members of the parliament.Along with the measure, Kim, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, also argued that “The no-work-no-pay rule should be instituted.” This rule means that members of the Assembly who do not perform their parliamentary duties under extraordinary circumstances ― such as if t

Nov 12, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

35 lawmakers to form special committee on constitutional revision

By Jun Ji-hyeThirty five lawmakers submitted a resolution to the National Assembly, Tuesday, calling for a special committee tasked with pushing for a revision to the constitution to be set up.Supporters of the constitutional amendment want to introduce a system of power-sharing between the president and the prime minister, as well as a two-term presidential system in order to give incumbent presidents the chance to be reelected.The power-sharing they refer to is a measure where the president would focus on matters related to foreign affairs and unification, while the prime minister would take care of domestic issues.Notably, nine lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party, including five-term Lee Jae-oh and third-term Chin Young, signed the resolution, although President Park Geun-hye has expressed her opposition to the proposed revision.“The National Assembly must begin discussing the constitutional amendment to better guarantee the people’s fundamental human rights and create a more harmonious political structure,” said 35 lawmakers in a joint statement. “Towa

Nov 11, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
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