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Jung Min-ho

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.

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Environment & Animals

Shark sightings draw crowds at Busan's North Port

Repeated shark sightings at a waterfront park in Busan’s North Port have drawn crowds of curious visitors, prompting city authorities to step up safety measures while monitoring the sea creature’s return to open waters. A shark estimated to be at least 3 meters long was first spotted at around 8:57 a.m. on Friday in a waterway at the port’s Waterfront Park, according to city officials. Another shark sighting was reported at around 1:05 p.m. the following day. The creature was believed to be a basking shark, a species found in subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, including waters off the Korean Peninsula. Although the species is not known to be aggressive, city officials said it could still pose a danger if provoked or approached too closely. The Korea Coast Guard initially tried to guide the shark out of the narrow waterway. But it suspended the effort after the National Institute of Fisheries Science advised that forcing the animal away could trigger defensive or aggressive behavior. Instead of deterring visitors, the unusual sight quickly turned the park

19h agoBy Jung Min-ho
Shark sightings draw crowds at Busan's North Port
Education

PHOTOS 2026 Korea Times Global Conference

Korea Times Vice Chairman Seung Ji-soo, front row seventh from right, applauds with dignitaries and speakers during a VIP session ahead of the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Front row from right are British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks, Seoul National University of Science and Technology President Kim Dong-hwan, Jeonbuk National University President Yang O-bong, Sungkyunkwan University President Yoo Ji-beom, Ewha Womans University President Lee Hyang-sook, Sangmyung University President Kim Chong-hee, Seung, National Assembly's Education Committee Chairperson Rep. Kim Hee-jung, Sookmyung Women's University President Moon Si-yeun, Korea University President Kim Dong-one, Chonnam National University President Lee Keun-bae and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Sep 15, 2026By Jung Min-ho
[PHOTOS] 2026 Korea Times Global Conference
Education

CONFERENCE 'Untutored AI will be disaster,' KCL president says

Universities must ensure that people work with artificial intelligence (AI) and not for it, King’s College London Vice-Chancellor and President Shitij Kapur said, calling for a fundamental rethink of learning, employment preparation and the public purpose of higher education in the age of AI. Delivering a keynote speech at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference, titled “Beyond AI: Building human-centered leadership for next era,” Kapur said universities face a defining task: shaping how AI affects education, work, research and society as a whole, rather than simply adapting to the technology’s commercial imperatives. “The slogan for universities, and dare I say, for humanity has to be that we will work with AI and not for AI,” he said in his online address from London on Tuesday. He argued that AI will not produce a single universal future, as countries will develop and apply AI according to their own needs and ambitions. Still, he said, universities everywhere have five central responsibilities: redefining the essence of learning, preparing graduates for a changing labor ma

Sep 15, 2026By Jung Min-ho
[CONFERENCE] 'Untutored AI will be disaster,' KCL president says
Books

Plan for literary translation graduate school delayed over regional development policy

A plan by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) to establish an independent graduate school dedicated to Korean literary translation in Seoul has been delayed as it went against the government's initiative for "balanced regional development." The institution is now reviewing an interim master's program with a national university outside Seoul while continuing to pursue the longer-term goal of a standalone facility. The state-run institute under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has long operated a translation academy that has nurtured translators who bring Korean literature to wider international audiences. Its key limitation, however, has been that the program falls outside the official degree education system. To address that, the institute planned to open an independent graduate school in Seoul in September 2027. Those plans have since been revised, according to government officials and other sources, and it is now in talks with regional universities to launch a master's degree program as an interim step instead. “As a transitional measure, we have rev

Sep 14, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Plan for literary translation graduate school delayed over regional development policy
  • LTI Korea chief bets on human translators despite rapid AI development
People & Events

Seoul Design International Forum to explore life-centered urban future

Seoul will bring together architects, designers, scientists and urban policy experts this week to explore how a life-centered approach to design can shape more vital cities. The 2026 Seoul Design International Forum will be held on Tuesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza under the theme, “Vital Cities: Designing New Possibilities for Life.” The free event will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be livestreamed through the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Korean- and English-language YouTube channels. The forum, now in its seventh year, comes as the capital seeks to broaden its approach from human-centered design to what city officials describe as life-centered design — an approach that considers people alongside plants, animals and other living things that coexist in urban spaces. “Human-centered design has long been important, but there is now growing discussion of life-centered design, a concept that emphasizes the coexistence of people with other living organisms in urban environments,” Choi In-kyu, director-general at the city’s design policy bureau, told The Korea Times. The

Sep 14, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul Design International Forum to explore life-centered urban future
Law & Crime

Digital sex crimes against minors in Korea rise nearly 30-fold in 7 years

The number of teenagers and younger children reporting digital sex crimes in Korea jumped nearly 30-fold in just seven years, underscoring the growing vulnerability of young people to sexual exploitation online. According to data from the state-run National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response, the number of victims aged 19 or younger who sought help from the center last year was 3,052, up from 111 in 2018 when the organization began collecting relevant data. It was the first time the annual figure of reported victims in that age group exceeded 3,000, reflecting a concerning pattern that digital sex crimes aided by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly affecting younger people. Minors and people in their 20s accounted for more than 77 percent of all victims. Younger people are among the most active users of social media and online services, which can increase their exposure to digital sex crime risks, according to the center. Meanwhile, the overall volume of assistance provided by the center also surged, rising from roughly 33,000 cases in 2018 t

Sep 11, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Digital sex crimes against minors in Korea rise nearly 30-fold in 7 years
  • Korea demands years of Google records over sex-crime victim data exposure
  • As deepfake sex crimes surge, Korea's response struggles to keep pace
Law & Crime

Korea demands years of Google records over sex-crime victim data exposure

The Korean government said Friday it is reviewing Google’s potential legal liability over the exposure of sensitive personal information submitted in digital sex-crime content removal requests, while demanding that the tech firm disclose whether similar cases occurred dating back to 2018. Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung said the ministry, along with the Korea Media and Communications Commission, is closely examining whether Google violated laws governing the punishment of sexual crimes, telecommunications services and information-and-communications networks. Separately on the same day, the Personal Information Protection Commission launched an investigation into the incident, requesting materials from Google to establish the facts about how the information was leaked and ended up on an external website. This comes after the ministry found on Aug. 25 that some information submitted to Google by victims of digital sex crimes and human rights organizations seeking the removal of illegal sexual content had been posted on a third-party website, whose name was not disclose

Sep 11, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea demands years of Google records over sex-crime victim data exposure
  • As deepfake sex crimes surge, Korea's response struggles to keep pace
Society

Seoul launches $65 bil. plan targeting global top 3 city status by 2030

Seoul will invest 86.1 trillion won ($65 billion) through June 2030 in 100 projects aimed at placing the Korean capital among the world’s top three cities, with a focus on enhancing the quality of residents’ daily lives. Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled the G3 Seoul Plan at Seoul City Hall on Thursday, presenting it as his administration’s overarching agenda for responding to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), demographic shifts and intensifying competition for global talent. Of the total, 53.7 trillion won will come from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, while the central government will cover 9.2 trillion won, while private companies and other sources will contribute 23.2 trillion won. Under the vision of “Global Top Seoul, a city of exceptional quality of life,” officials said they will measure global competitiveness not only through economic and industrial indicators, but also through changes residents can experience in their everyday lives, including housing, health care, safety, education and transportation. One of the key elements of the initiative is the city’s push

Sep 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul launches $65 bil. plan targeting global top 3 city status by 2030
Education

Social media bans alone won't protect children, Korea's youth agency chief says

As governments around the world move to restrict children’s access to social media and smartphones, the head of Korea’s leading youth affairs agency says blanket age-based bans should not be the centerpiece of youth protection in the digital and artificial intelligence (AI) era. Kim Jin-sang, who became president of the Korea Youth Work Agency (KYWA) last month, said stronger safeguards and greater platform accountability are essential. But he believes the more fundamental solution is helping young people manage risks and make responsible choices for themselves. “Restrictions alone cannot solve young people’s digital problems,” Kim told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “We must equip them with the ability to assess information and risks for themselves, manage their digital use, critically assess algorithms and online content and act responsibly.” His remarks come amid intensifying global debate over how to protect young children online. Last year, Australia became the first country to require major social media platforms to prevent users under 16 from creating or mai

Sep 9, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Social media bans alone won't protect children, Korea's youth agency chief says
Foreign Affairs

China-Taiwan dispute at Gwangju Biennale spills into Yeosu island fair

A naming dispute over the “Taiwan Pavilion” at this year’s Gwangju Biennale has spilled over into the World Island Fair Yeosu, with the Chinese city of Zhoushan pulling out of a planned two-month promotional exhibition and its international programs. Zhoushan, a coastal island city in China's Zhejiang province, had planned to run a promotional booth at the fair, which opened last week and runs through Nov. 4. The city had also planned to take part in “Island Friends Day,” a program designed to introduce participating overseas island regions. That plan has now been completely canceled, according to a Yeosu official at its international relations division. “Two members of the Chinese city’s booth operations team arrived at Gimhae International Airport for the fair, but they left Korea within just a day or two,” the official told The Korea Times on Tuesday. “Given the situation, we are now planning to redesign what was planned to be a Chinese booth and use it for other events.” The withdrawal follows China’s protest against the “Taiwan Pavilion” for an exhibition

Sep 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho
China-Taiwan dispute at Gwangju Biennale spills into Yeosu island fair
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