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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

Politicians, gov't officials raise ire

By Jun Ji-hyeSong Jung-geunRep. Kwon Eun-heePoliticians and government officials have drawn public criticism for their improper behavior in connection with the Sewol tragedy.The latest controversial case involves Song Jung-geun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD). He was caught pretending to be a family member of the missing at the gym used as a shelter for the passengers’ families in Jindo County, South Jeolla Province.Widespread public anger boiled over after it became known that he was not a relative of any victim, but running to win the party ticket to be a member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in the June 4 local elections. At a port terminal, he assumed the role as a representative of the families, claiming to be a pastor based in Ansan of Gyeonggi Province, which is home to Danwon High School, whose students were on board.When President Park Geun-hye visited the gym on April 17, a day after the ferry carrying 476 passengers with over 300 teenagers sank off the southwestern coast of Jindo, Song also voluntarily played the role of me

Apr 23, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Politicians, gov't officials raise ire
South Korea

Salvage work considered cautiously

A relative of a passenger missing from the sunken ferry Sewol prays as she looks skyward at Paengmok Port, Jindo, South Jeolla Province, where families were waiting for news from the ongoing search and rescue operation Tuesday. / Ap-YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeSome relatives of the missing and government officials were cautiously weighing the potential start of work to raise the sunken ferry Sewol as rescue operations entered a seventh day to no avail, Tuesday.While the families demand prioritizing rescue operations over salvaging the ship, there are also growing concerns that a further delay in lifting the vessel will increase the risk of losing and damaging the bodies of those still missing.The need to prepare for the salvage work comes as hope for survival of the missing has been fading for the past week since the ferry carrying 476 people, mostly high school students, sank off the southwestern coast of Jindo, South Jeolla Province, last Wednesday.In a statement Monday, the families asked the government to finish rescue work within two or three days. The statement came a day after represen

Apr 22, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Gov't slammed for failing to train disaster experts

Education officials take part in a meeting at the government complex in Sejong City, Monday, to prepare safety measures for future student field trips. The meeting was called in the wake of last week’s sinking of the ferry Sewol with mostly high school students on board. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is drawing fire for its failure to train disaster experts although it promised to do so two years ago.The criticism came to the fore following the administration’s incompetence in dealing with the sunken ferry tragedy, stirring anger among family members of the missing as well as the public.The Ministry of Security and Public Administration announced a plan in November 2012 to recruit civil servants specialized in disaster prevention and management.The ministry initially planned to recruit those majoring in related studies at universities from 2013, and then conduct open competitive employment from 2014.But it neither recruited this occupational group in 2013 nor included such a group in its 2014 employment plan.“We did not implement the employment plan as academi

Apr 21, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Losing “golden hour” raised casualties

By Jun Ji-hyeThe “golden hour” is a medical term referring to the time in which rescue personnel need to start treating a patient to give them the best chance at survival.That first 60 minutes is so much more critical in the event of a maritime disaster because the sooner rescue personnel get to vessel following a distress signal, the more people they can save.As hope for the survival of the missing is fading, criticism is mounting against the government and the rescue teams for wasting that crucial “golden hour,” when the ferry Sewol was sinking on Wednesday morning.Rescue helicopters came to the site at about 9:40 a.m., about 50 minutes after the Mokpo Coast Guard Station first received a distress signal.However, they were not much help as they could not approach the sinking vessel. Divers were also unable to conduct rescue operations actively as the necessary equipment did not arrive with them.While authorities were scrambling in confusion, the vessel sank with only the lower bow remaining above the water off the southwest coast.The families of the missing

Apr 18, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Losing “golden hour” raised casualties
South Korea

Captain, gov't under fire

Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the ferry Sewol that capsized off the southwest coast on Wednesday morning, undergoes questioning at the Mokpo Coast Guard Station in South Jeolla Province, Thursday. Lee, who was among the first to be rescued, said he was not sure about the cause of the sinking./ YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe captain of the ill-fated Sewol ferry is the focus of public outrage after it became known that he and six other crewmembers were among the first to be rescued when the vessel was sinking.Captain Lee Joon-seok, along with a chief engineer surnamed Sohn and other crews, was escaped from the 6,835-ton ferry Sewol at around 9:30 a.m. about 40 minutes after the ferry reportedly struck a submerged rock.A number of survivors told reporters that they witnessed the captain waiting on the deck to be saved. They also said that Lee was among the first to jump down into a Coast Guard vessel.“I couldn’t see any crew when the ship was going down. Adult passengers around me told me to wear life jackets,” one student survivor told SBS.The sinking of the ferry, with mostl

Apr 17, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Hyundai Heavy stake obstacle to Chung's bid

Rep. Chung Mong-joon, left, of the ruling Saenuri Party, shakes hands with former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik at a joint speech session held at the National Election Commission’s Gwangjin-gu branch in Seoul, Monday./ YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeRep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party is emerging as a major threat to Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in the race to be mayor of Seoul as he is beating Park in early opinion polls.Of course he needs to beat two other rivals before winning a party ticket to compete with Park. However, the biggest obstacle he has to overcome is not the other contenders but his stake in Hyundai Heavy Industries.Under the so-called “blind stock trust system” detailed in the Public Servant’s Ethics Law, he must clarify how to handle his stake.The law stipulates that high-ranking public officials are obliged not to hold shares worth more than 30 million won ($29,000) in firms considered relevant to their duties.Chung directly holds a 10.15-percent stake in the company, the total value of which approaches 1.7 trillion won, according to the compa

Apr 16, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Hyundai Heavy stake obstacle to Chung's bid
South Korea

ROK, US's defense cost sharing pact passed

By Jun Ji-hyeThe National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Tuesday approved a motion to ratify a new defense cost-sharing pact signed between South Korea and the United States in January.Lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy plan to hold the plenary session today and conduct a vote by the full body.Once approved, the Seoul government will pay 920 billion won ($884 million) this year. The new pact, which will be applied for the next five years, also stipulates that the amount paid reflect the consumer price index (CPI), and increase Seoul’s cost-sharing every year by a maximum of 4 percent.In January, the two nations renewed the Special Measure Agreement (SMA) to share the financial burden to keep some 28,500 U.S. soldiers on guard against North Korean threats here. But since the motion was submitted to the Assembly, it has been pending due to opposing opinions between the rival parties.The 24-member committee reached a tentative consensus at Monday’s meeting.The two allies signed their firs

Apr 15, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
ROK, US's defense cost sharing pact passed
South Korea

Jung hit for questioning NK drones

By Jun Ji-hyeRep. Jung Cheong-raeMembers of the governing Saenuri Party denounced opposition lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae for saying that three drones the defense ministry concluded were from North Korea may not have come from there.Ruling party lawmakers said Jung’s remarks were construed as agreeing with people who claim the drone scenario was fabricated by the Park Geun-hye government seeking to unite conservative voters ahead of the June 4 local elections.Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, chairman of the Saenuri Party, said: “Jung made an irresponsible remark that only causes conflict among voters in the South.”He added the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) should express its position on Jung’s remarks.On Friday, during a meeting of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Jung said the font used for lettering on the drones is one provided in Hancom Office’s word processing program widely used in the South.The Ministry of National Defense tentatively concluded the three unmanned aerial vehicles

Apr 14, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Jung hit for questioning NK drones
South Korea

NPAD split over candidate choices

Members of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and civic groups attend a news conference at Gwangju City Council, Monday. They called for the resignations of five NPAD lawmakers who declared support for Yoon Jang-hyun as a candidate for Gwangju mayor. As Yoon was from Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s camp, their support of Yoon led to conflict in the opposition coalition between Ahn’s supporters and members of the now-defunct Democratic Party. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeInternal conflict is brewing in the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) between those from the now-defunct Democratic Party (DP) and supporters of Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo over which candidates should stand in the June 4 local elections.The seeds of discontent between the two factions were sown when the two camps came together to form the NPAD early last month, with Ahn and Rep. Kim Han-gil, the former chairman of the DP, co-chairing the coalition.Controversy arose after five lawmakers whose constituencies are in Gwangju declared on Sunday that they will support Yoon Jang-hyun, an NPAD hopeful running in the Gwa

Apr 14, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Secretive military material allegedly hacked

By Jun Ji-hye The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) is being criticized for its sluggish response to allegations that a considerable number of its military secrets were leaked in an alleged cyber attack.The military’s cyber investigation team recently began its probe after securing circumstantial evidence that somebody tried to hack emails of some ADD staffers.The ADD is a key research institute for the nation’s military.The investigation came as Rep. Kim Young-joo of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) claimed: “Putative hackers from China and North Korea planted malignant coded to control the ADD’s server and the personal computers of its members, and took classified materials away.”She said Thursday that almost 750 pages of documents were leaked, including information about an unmanned aerial vehicle that is currently under development, as well as function test results of the Shingung portable surface-to-air missile.“That is highly sensitive information that only the ADD members and those from defense industries can have acces

Apr 11, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Secretive military material allegedly hacked
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