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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

Coalition party plan faces huge backlash

By Jun Ji-hye Reps. Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo’s sudden decision to form a new coalition party before the June 4 local elections is expected to prompt a huge backlash within the Democratic Party (DP).Analysts and members from both the DP and Ahn’s supporters said the agreement to form a new coalition party was too hasty to draw sufficient endorsement from party members, and that it therefore faces a bumpy road ahead.Rep. Kim Kwang-jin of the DP posted on his Facebook: “I didn’t know that the party chairman has such absolute power to unilaterally decide to join hands with another power and create a new party.”He claimed that Kim did not consult with party members before holding a joint conference with Ahn.“The decision, which skipped relevant procedures, can never earn support from party members as well as from the people,” he said.Yoon Hee-woong, Min Consulting’s head of public opinion research, pointed out that Ahn’s party includes previous members from the Saenuri Party, and that these people are likely to object to a me

Mar 2, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Coalition party plan faces huge backlash
South Korea

Parties agree on permanent special prosecutor system

By Jun Ji-hyeThe ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic Party (DP) agreed Thursday to allow the National Assembly to promptly appoint special prosecutors for the investigation of sensitive issues whenever deemed necessary.The parties are expected to pass the bill named the Prosecution Reform Law today at a parliamentary plenary session.“Many distrust the current method of appointing special prosecutors,” said Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Saenuri Party. “The bill is to create a fair appointment procedure.”Under the current law, the president makes an appointment from among two candidates recommended by the Korean Bar Association.The new bill mandates a recommendation committee under the National Assembly to find candidates.Setting up such committee was demand from the DP.In return, the DP accepted the governing party’s condition ― more than half of lawmakers voting for a motion to appoint a special prosecutor. The largest opposition party initially argued that one-third of lawmakers was enough.However, the parties failed to narrow t

Feb 27, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Parties agree on permanent special prosecutor system
South Korea

Reps. Ahn, Kim to meet over nominations today

By Jun Ji-hyeRep. Ahn Cheol-soo and Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Kim Han-gil will meet today to discuss eliminating party nominations for local elections.The decision came after Ahn suggested holding a three-way meeting with the chairmen of the ruling Saenuri Party and the DP. “Ahn suggested the meeting to Saenuri Chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea and Kim Han-gil Tuesday,” said an official from the recently established New Political Vision Party, Wednesday.Ahn plans to officially launch his party in March, three months before the June 4 local elections.The DP said Kim agreed to meet Ahn, while Hwang has yet to respond.At the meeting, Ahn, a former independent presidential candidate, plans to stress that scrapping the practice of parties selecting candidates to stand for municipal mayors and councilors in the local elections was a key campaign pledge from all major candidates, including the ruling party’s President Park Geun-hye, DP’s Rep. Moon Jae-in and himself.The top-down nomination system has been cited as a source of various forms of corruption in l

Feb 26, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Reps. Ahn, Kim to meet over nominations today
South Korea

Rep. Chung ready to run mayoral race

Rep. Chung Mong-joon, left, of the governing Saenuri Party, speaks to Rep. Rhee In-je at a meeting with senior members at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. After the meeting, Chung told reporters that he will formally announce his candidacy for mayor of Seoul, Sunday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeRep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party said Wednesday that he will officially declare his candidacy for the Seoul mayoral election this Sunday.“The worry is now over, and happiness has begun… I will declare my entry in the (mayoral) race Sunday,” said the seven-term lawmaker at a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly.Ahead of the June 4 local elections, Chung is expected to participate in the ruling party’s primary to select a final candidate for Seoul mayor, along with Supreme Council member Lee Hye-hoon and former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik.According to various opinion polls, Chung is taking the lead in a hypothetical race against the two, while running neck and neck against current Mayor Park Won-soon of the main opposition

Feb 26, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

President rapped for not reaching out

Rep. Kim Han-gil, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, speaks at a rally at the National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday, on the first anniversary of President Park Geun-hye’s inauguration. Kim said Park has showed no will to communicate with opposition parties and the public. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe greatest weakness of the Park Geun-hye government over the past year has been her lack of communication, not only with the public, but also her political foes.“President Park made a wide range of bold economy-boosting steps on the occasion of the first anniversary of her inauguration on Tuesday. However, she won’t be able to achieve those without cooperation from opposition parties,” said Bae Jong-chan, chief director at Research and Research, an opinion survey company.“She definitely needs to talk with opposition parties to persuade them. But it would be hard for her to change her ‘my way’ leadership style.”Park is reputed for making decisions only after careful consideration, rather than holding discussions with aides or persons co

Feb 25, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Parties falter on nomination reforms

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo speaks at a press conference in the National Assembly, Seoul, Monday. He said his New Political Vision Party will keep its campaign pledge to scrap the party nomination system in local elections, while the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are committed to maintaining it. / YonhapRep. Ahn turns up pressure over campaign pledgesBy Jun Ji-hyeThe main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is backpedaling on its campaign pledge to scrap the practice of parties nominating candidates to stand for municipal mayors and councilors in local elections.The ruling Saenuri Party, which pledged the same proposal in the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election, has already said it will retain its current nomination system.The DP, which denounced the governing camp for disavowing its campaign pledge, is now saying that it will follow the ruling party’s move to introduce a bottom-up nomination system, under which ordinary people as well as party members can participate.“We will bring an innovative nomination system ― public participating prim

Feb 24, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Calls growing for regular reunions

Kim Jin-chun, 66, says goodbye to his 91-year-old father Kim Sum-kyung from the South, in an ambulance parked in front of a hotel in Mt. Geumgang Resort in North Korea, Friday. The father had to return to the South a day before the official closing of the reunions of separated families during the Korea War, due to health problems.  / Yonhap  By Jun Ji-hye Calls are increasing to hold reunions for families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War on a regular basis.The appeals are being made because an increasing number of members of separated families have died or had to stay away from this week’s reunions due to health problems.Events are still underway at Mt. Geumgang Resort in North Korea, but some people had to return home due to health problems, while others were not able to recognize their families due to Alzheimer’s disease.According to the Ministry of Unification and the Red Cross, a total of 129,264 members of separated families applied for reunions from 1988 to December last year. However, only 25,282 have met their families since 1988

Feb 21, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Calls growing for regular reunions
South Korea

US opposes Gaeseong complex plan

By Jun Ji-hye A U.S. congressional report Thursday raised the possibility of a clash between Seoul and Washington over the former’s plan to expand and internationalize the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in North Korea.The report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that President Park Geun-hye’s plan to expand the complex may conflict with U.S. legislative efforts to expand sanctions against the North.It said such an expansion could result from recently improved inter-Korean relations, as evidenced by the current reunions taking place of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.“Since Park’s inauguration, the two allies have continued close cooperation on North Korea policy… Both Seoul and Washington have emphasized deterrence in the face of a series of actions by North Korea, including Pyongyang’s February 2013 nuclear test ,” said the CRS in its report posted on its website.“An issue for the Obama administration and Congress is to what extent they will support ― or, not oppose ― Park’s possible inte

Feb 21, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

151 legislators agree to revise Constitution

By Jun Ji-hyeA group of lawmakers will draw up a draft bill as early as next month for an amendment to the Constitution that would change the current single, five year presidential term to a four term with the possibility of an incumbent president being reelected.According to Rep. Woo Yoon-keun of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday, a total of 151 lawmakers joined the group to push for the revision.Woo said the number satisfied the law that requires more than half of all legislators or the President to propose an amendment of the Constitution. The entire number of members serving in the National Assembly is 300.“Among those, 56 are from the ruling Saenuri Party, 93 from the DP and 2 from the minor opposition Justice Party,” said Woo.Along with changing the presidential term, they are also looking at measures to introduce power-sharing between the president and the prime minister, under which the president would focus on matters related to foreign affairs and unification, while the latter would take care of domestic affairs.   Rep. Lee Jae-oh o

Feb 20, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
151 legislators agree to revise Constitution
South Korea

Rep. Moon allowed to rejoin Saenuri

By Jun Ji-hyeRep. Moon Dae-sungThe ruling Saenuri Party on Thursday decided to allow Rep. Moon Dae-sung, who quit the party over allegations that he plagiarized his doctoral thesis, to rejoin it despite opposition from within and outside of the party.Rep. Hong Moon-jong, secretary general of the ruling party, presented a scheme for Moon’s reinstatement at the Supreme Council meeting, and the six-member meeting reached a consensus.“The council members stated that the reason for its decision that as Moon is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he is expected to play a huge role in the sports sector,” said a party official.  Soon after he was elected in April 2012 to represent Busan’s Saha-A district, Moon resigned from the ruling party amid controversy that he allegedly plagiarized his doctorial dissertation at Kookmin University. At the time, he also gave up a professorship at Dong-A University.The first-term lawmaker was also the subject of an internal investigation by the IOC of which he is an athlete member until 2016. He won a gold me

Feb 20, 2014By Jun Ji-hye
Rep. Moon allowed to rejoin Saenuri
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