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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

Ruling party asks Park to discipline aides

By Jun Ji-hye Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Hwang Woo-yea speaks on his one-year anniversary at the party building, Tuesday./ YonhapRuling Saenuri Party Chairman Hwang Woo-yea asked President Park Geun-hye to overhaul the way her top lieutenants are appointed, Tuesday. His request came as Cheong Wa Dae is embroiled in a sexual abuse case involving former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.“For the success of the Park Geun-hye administration, we need to change the appointment system. Then the reformation of politics and parties should follow to create an era in which people are happy,” said Hwang during a meeting with the President at Cheong Wa Dae.He also called on the government to set up an appropriate system to collect talented people from various areas and thoroughly verify their credentials before officially appointing them as top ranking officials.Park avoided direct mention of the matter, only saying, “I thank you for helping me manage national administration, including the National Assembly’s approval of a 17.3 trillion won ($15.8 billion) sup

May 14, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Ahn starts to expand political force

By Jun Ji-hye Rep. Ahn Cheol-sooRep. Ahn Cheol-soo has started to gather talented people with an eye on by-elections scheduled for October. His moves are seen as preparatory steps toward setting up a new party, analysts said.“I will seek proper figures and make a challenge at the next by-elections. Looking for the right people is a more significant and urgent task than setting up a political party. So I will try hard to find and recruit them,” Ahn told reporters, Monday.It is the first time that the brand new politician has suggested a plan in detail since he returned home in March after his three-month residence in the United States.The independent lawmaker outlined the qualities he’s looking for in people, “They will have to lay emphasis on working for the nation, not for personal interest. They need to have the desire to play a big role in reforming the nation’s political structure.”He stressed that those who share critical thinking regarding difficulties the nation faces will have priority, rather than those who come to him after failing t

May 14, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
Ahn starts to expand political force
South Korea

Scandal to sway floor leader elections

By Jun Ji-hyeDismissed presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung’s alleged sexual assault is expected to influence the ruling and opposition parties’ floor leader elections slated for May 15.Last week’s incident has created a stir not only in Cheong Wa Dae, but in the entire political arena with growing claims of destroyed national prestige. Members of each party have raised calls for selecting a figure who can effectively control the critical situation.    The ruling Saenuri Party seemed to be more affected by the unprecedented event than the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) as the need for a figure who doesn't hesitate to be forthright with President Park Geun-hye gained momentum following the Yoon scandal.“Members of the ruling party as well as the opposition had opposed Yoon’s appointment as spokesman for the power transition team and Cheong Wa Dae. Yoon’s improper act might have created an atmosphere in which party members want a person who can honestly advise President Park and even sometimes criticize her,” said politi

May 13, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Park's aides suspected of covering up scandal

The seat for Lee Nam-ki, senior presidential secretary for public relations, remains vacant during President Park Geun-hye’s weekly meeting with her top aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Lee tendered his resignation last week when his recently-fired spokesman Yoon Chang-jung was accused of a sex assault. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeSome presidential aides are suspected of having attempted to cover up the alleged sexual case involving former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung by ordering him to flee to Korea, and delaying reporting it to President Park Geun-hye.Yoon was fired last week over allegations he sexually harassed a 21-year-old Korean-American intern hired to assist him during Park’s first official U.S. visit.Top-level officials of the presidential office were suspected of helping Yoon return to Korea, just an hour after his alleged abuse was reported to Washington police.“Yoon, who committed an improper action for a top ranking official, needed to be separated from the President’s entourage. We could neither take him to Los Angeles, Park’s next desti

May 13, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
  • Intern's supervisor resigns
South Korea

Internet flooded with parody of Yoon

A parody featuring a poster for the Hollywood blockbuster “Iron Man”  making fun of dismissed presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jungBy Jun Ji-hyeNetizens are producing a slew of parodies poking fun at former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, who was fired over alleged sexual harassment of a 21-year-old Korean-American female intern in Washington last week.The online derision gained further momentum after he held a press conference Saturday to deny all allegations, during which he attributed the incident to “cultural differences” and blamed the intern hired by the South Korean Embassy in Washington.One netizen posted a composite movie poster: “Gone With the Grab,” a parody of “Gone With the Wind,” along with photos of Yoon looking comical. The satire is on a report provided by Washington police that stated Yoon “grabbed her buttocks without her permission.”Another online commentator produced a parody poster of Hollywood blockbuster “Iron Man,” in which the face of main actor Robert Downey

May 12, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
Internet flooded with parody of Yoon
South Korea

DP demands Park apologize

By Jun Ji-hyeThe main opposition Democratic Party (DP) demanded President Park Geun-hye offer a public apology, Sunday, over the sexual harassment allegations against her former spokesman.The DP raised issue with what they call Park’s secretive personnel appointment style.The former spokesman, Yoon Chang-jung, was fired following allegations that he sexually abused a Korean-American female intern assigned to him in Washington, while accompanying Park on her visit to the United States.“President Park pushed through Yoon’s appointment although the whole nation opposed it. We urge Park to release a statement of apology to the public and take follow-up measures to unearth the truth,” said Rep. Lee Un-ju, a DP spokeswoman.Lee called Yoon’s press conference nothing short of blatant lies that shocked the nation.Park Yong-jin, a DP spokesman called on the president to immediately dismiss Lee Nam-ki, presidential senior secretary for public relations, who is accused of helping Yoon flee to Korea, an hour after his alleged abuse was reported to police in Washingto

May 12, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Scandal to pose huge burden on Park

A group of reporters wait for Yoon Chang-jung, former presidential spokesman, in front of his house in Hap-dong, Seoul. Yoon’s whereabouts have remained unknown since he arrived in Seoul, Thursday, after being accused of sexual assault by a female intern in the U.S. Korea Times photo by Kim Ju-youngPresident’s US visit suffers major setbackBy Jun Ji-hye Former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung’s alleged sexual harassment of a female aide not only dealt a huge blow to President Park Geun-hye but is expected to impose a big burden on her administration as a whole, analysts said.President Park’s unprecedented sacking of her spokesman during her visit to the United States is a reflection of the severity of the matter.“The case is a fly in the ointment of the president’s successful U.S. tour,” said Bae Jong-chan, director of the department of social research and a consultant at Research & Research.Bae said Yoon’s improper behavior tarnished the achievements of her U.S. trip, including a joint declaration commemorating the

May 10, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
  • Park's spokesman fired over sexual misconduct
People & Events

'Color makes everything in our lives'

Shin Hyang-sunBy Jun Ji-hyeThere are plenty of things to explore and challenge in the world and Shin Hyang-sun chose to delve into color after graduating from art school in the 1990s. At that time, there was not much information or awareness on the area.She now chairs the Color Clinic Institute (www.ccicolor.co.kr) and enjoys her work.“I liked to see, touch and feel color while studying Western painting at my university (Chugye University for the Arts). After graduation, I found there was a job related to color. So, I decided to enter postgraduate school (Hongik University) to do more research into color,” she said in an interview, Thursday.As the field of color was not well-known in the 1990s, she had to search and study on her own.“The significance of color came to the fore since the early 2000s, sparking interest in the area throughout society as color makes just about everything in our lives. It is linked to physics, chemistry, physiology, psychology, esthetics, et cetera,” Shin said.She said the Colorist National License and related courses in postgraduat

May 10, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
'Color makes everything in our lives'
South Korea

Chinese bank cuts off business with North Korea

By Jun Ji-hyeThe Bank of China said Tuesday it has cut off financial deals with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank, which the United States added to its own sanctions after the communist country conducted a third nuclear test on Feb. 12.One of Beijing's largest state-owned banks said, “We notified the North’s bank that its accounts had been closed,” in a statement. It declined to comment beyond that.The move drew keen attention from the international community as China, the North’s closest ally, has expressed a desire to implement United Nations sanctions, but distanced itself from Washington’s own sanctions so far.Washington previously accused Pyongyang’s primary foreign exchange bank of financially supporting development of the country’s missile and nuclear programs. The U.S. has been asking Asian countries to follow its own sanctions targeting the bank, and ban transactions with it.Immediately after the statement was announced, the Obama administration applauded the Chinese move describing it as an “important step” to conta

May 8, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea

Activist song stirs pre-May 18 ceremony controversy

By Jun Ji-hyeThe government’s move to replace a symbolic protest song with another song at a state event to commemorate the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement is drawing criticism from the opposition party and civic groups.Park Seong-choon, head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, said during his visit to Gwangju Thursday that the ministry plans to hold a public contest to decide an official song to be sung at the commemorative event. “Nimel Wihan Haengjingok” (March for Lover) has been used so far at the ceremony.“We cannot include the singing of March for Lover in the order of the ceremony as there are many dissenting opinions on the song. We will replace it with a new official song,” he said.The song, which was written in 1982, has the lyrics: “Our comrades are disappearing, but we will not be swayed until the new world comes. The living, follow me.”Participants in the event had sung the song after the presidents’ speech for about 30 years until the end of the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s government. But this sto

May 7, 2013By Jun Ji-hye
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