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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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Defense

President orders military to expedite launch of drone unit following failure against NK drones

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday criticized the military's response to North Korean drones that intruded across the inter-Korean border the previous day, saying the incident exposed some problems with South Korea's readiness.Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Yoon said the military should be better prepared for such intrusions by North Korean drones and vowed to create a military unit specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles as part of efforts to strengthen South Korea's air defense capabilities.“We have a plan to create a military drone unit tasked with monitoring key military facilities in North Korea. But we'll expedite the process of creating the drone unit after the incident yesterday,” he said. “We'll also introduce state-of-the art stealth drones to strengthen our surveillance capability.”Yoon also voiced regret over the National Assembly's decision to cut the military budget for anti-drone operations, saying the incident once again sh

Dec 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho
President orders military to expedite launch of drone unit following failure against NK drones
  • Yoon ordered sending of two to three drones across border if NK sends one: official
  • Defense minister apologizes over failure to shoot down N. Korean drones
Foreign Affairs

INTERVIEW China's covert police stations should alarm South Korea: Danish scholar

Workers wearing face masks wait to guide visitors at an exhibition highlighting China's President Xi Jinping and his achievements at the Beijing Exhibition Hall in in Beijing, Oct. 12. Following allegations of China's secret police stations overseas and "THAAD retaliation,” Seoul may need to reconsider its openness toward Beijing, according to a Danish scholar. AP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoLuke Patey, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International StudiesMedia reports accusing China of operating secret police stations overseas, including at least one in South Korea, have so far established considerable evidence for further inquiry, with over a dozen countries now investigating the allegations.This should prompt South Korean politicians to reassess their country's openness toward China, not just in trade but also in other areas, as Beijing repeatedly shows that any opportunities it offers could be turned suddenly into a threat or worse, according to Luke Patey, the author of “How China Loses: The Pushback Against Chinese Global Ambitions.”“Koreans and

Dec 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[INTERVIEW] China's covert police stations should alarm South Korea: Danish scholar
  • Restaurant under covert Chinese police station suspicion to make announcement this week
Global Community

Korea set to introduce anti-abuse rules to better protect asylum-seekers

This June 2021 file photo shows a Moroccan man with his wrists and ankles bound behind his back at a detention facility for foreign nationals in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Korea is set to introduce a set of new rules on March 6 to better protect inmates at government detention facilities for foreign nationals. Courtesy of Duroo Association for Public Interest LawMoroccan asylum-seeker files damage suit after 'torturous' treatmentBy Jung Min-hoKorea is set to introduce a set of new rules on March 6 to better protect asylum-seekers and others at government detention facilities for foreign nationals, a year after the country drew international criticism for the inhumane treatment of a detained Moroccan who sought asylum.In a statement sent to The Korea Times, the Ministry of Justice said it will improve the legal and administrative systems at such facilities nationwide to prevent human rights violations, such as the one criticized by many activists last year as torture-like treatment.What tools may be used to control defiant behavior will be codified more specifically under the revise

Dec 25, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Korea set to introduce anti-abuse rules to better protect asylum-seekers
Foreign Affairs

EXCLUSIVE Safeguard Defenders offers to help South Korea probe China's secret police station

A paramilitary police officer stands guard outside the Great Hall of the People ahead of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, in this March 4, 2021, file photo. A representative of the human rights group that released a bombshell report accusing China's government of operating more than 100 “secret police stations” around the world told The Korea Times that it is willing to work with the South Korean government to investigate the case. AFP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoSafeguard Defenders, the Madrid-based human rights group that released a bombshell report accusing China's government of operating more than 100 “secret police stations” around the world, has offered to help South Korean authorities find them in their territory.The offer comes two days after South Korean officials told reporters that an investigation had begun to confirm the allegations that the Chinese Communist Party is running at least one such police facility “at an unknown location” in the country.“Safeguard Defenders is availabl

Dec 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[EXCLUSIVE] Safeguard Defenders offers to help South Korea probe China's secret police station
Society

Korea to introduce human trafficking act to better protect victims

gettyimagesbank'A step forward to embrace international human rights standards'By Jung Min-hoA new law calling for a clearer definition of human trafficking and improved protection for victims will come into force on the first day of 2023.Under the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, the crime, also known as trafficking in persons, refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people by coercion, fraud or other means for the purpose of exploitation including prostitution.“By adopting the law, Korea is taking a step toward embracing the international standards in acknowledging what it is and how to deal with it,” Lee Jae-woong, project manager on the issue at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, told The Korea Times, Wednesday.Korea has long been criticized for lacking a specific or consistent definition of the crime, while the forms of human trafficking continue to evolve, making the jobs of police and researchers more difficult.The law also makes it clear that both foreign nationals in Korea and Korean citizens overseas are subject to

Dec 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Korea to introduce human trafficking act to better protect victims
Foreign Affairs

Korea launches probe into China's secret police station

Chinese paramilitary police wearing goggles and face masks march in formation at the Yanqing National Sliding Center during a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in this Oct. 25, 2021, file photo. Korea has launched an investigation to confirm the allegations that the Chinese government is operating a “secret police station” here, joining several other countries conducting similar investigations. AP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoKorea has launched an investigation into the allegations that the Chinese government is operating a “secret police station” here to monitor and terrorize Chinese nationals as part of Beijing's effort to keep them under its influence.The move comes as several other countries, including the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, are conducting similar investigations after a human rights organization in Spain issued a detailed report accusing the Chinese government of running more than 100 overseas police stations in 53 countries, including Korea.Government sources told reporters Tuesday that the investigation has begun to estab

Dec 20, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Korea launches probe into China's secret police station
North Korea

ANALYSIS Doubts raised over North Korea's spy satellite claims

This photo released Monday by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows a projectile fired at the Sohae satellite launching station in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. Yonhap Pyongyang appears to have fired Rodong missiles equipped with cameras: expertsBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea claimed Monday that it conducted a final-stage test for the development of its first spy satellite, vowing to complete preparations for the project by April 2023.Accompanying the report by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) were black-and-white, low-resolution images showing two South Korean cities ― Seoul and Incheon. North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration called the test results a “success” which it claimed verified the key technologies required for the launch of reconnaissance satellites, according to KCNA.Pyongyang made the announcement a day after firing two intermediate-range ballistic missiles from the Sohae satellite launching

Dec 19, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[ANALYSIS] Doubts raised over North Korea's spy satellite claims
  • NK leader's sister dismisses doubts about satellite, ICBM technologies
North Korea

ANALYSIS North Korea's latest weapons test aims to undermine kill chain system

This photo released Friday by the official Korean Central News Agency shows a high-thrust solid-fuel motor test to develop a new weapon at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, Thursday. YonhapHarder-to-detect solid-fuel ICBMs are threat to anti-missile system: expertsBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea has tested a high-thrust solid-fuel motor that analysts say could allow quicker and harder-to-detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with the apparent aim of undermining ― and ultimately incapacitating ― South Korea and the U.S.' anti-missile system.The missile engine test, which was conducted Thursday under the supervision of leader Kim Jong-un, provided a “scientific and technological guarantee for the development of another new type strategic weapon system,” the official Korean Central News Agency claimed Friday.Kim praised the success of the test, saying he expects a new strategic weapon to be built “in the shortest span of time,” the broadcaster reported.Experts believe he was likely referring to a solid-fuel ICBM

Dec 16, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[ANALYSIS] North Korea's latest weapons test aims to undermine kill chain system
  • N. Korea seems to be prepping military parade in Pyongyang: Seoul official
  • NK continues to develop military capabilities that pose threat to U.S. and allies: Kirby
North Korea

Consumerism emerges in North Korea as middle class grows

A woman tests cosmetics products at an exhibition of women's clothing in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released Thursday by the Choson Sinbo. YonhapThirst for better life gives rise to diverse cultural products as regime embraces change: studyBy Jung Min-hoAlthough many North Koreans still worry about how they will find their next meal, North Korea's growing middle class and their interest in consuming culture have given rise to more diverse goods and services in the country, as the regime embraces it as contributing to stability rather than as a threat, a recent study shows.A study led by Jeong Eun-mi at the Korea Institute for National Unification shows middle-class North Koreans are becoming increasingly selective about what they eat and wear as well as how they spend their leisure time. Over the past 10 years and under Kim Jong-un's watch, the rise of such consumerism has become more visible, even though the coronavirus pandemic slowed the trend, she said.“There are more varieties of rice at markets. Side dishes have become more diverse and middle-class North Korean

Dec 15, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Consumerism emerges in North Korea as middle class grows
Foreign Affairs

Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

China's Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming speaks at a press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties at the Press Center, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapKorean journalists attribute 'THAAD revenge' to growing anti-Beijing sentimentBy Jung Min-hoChinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming blamed the Korean media for creating anti-China sentiment among the Korean public, claiming that some media outlets are using China coverage as click bait.The Chinese envoy's remarks show that there is a striking gap between Korea and China in their perceptions of the reason behind the growing anti-China sentiment in Korea as Koreans believe Beijing's retaliatory measures following the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) has been at the center of Koreans' negative perceptions of China. At Wednesday's press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Xing voiced concerns that Koreans increasingly perceive his country negatively, saying the media's unfavorable coverage has been “one of the causes.”“I h

Dec 14, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing
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