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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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People & Events

Korean adoptee on journey into lost memories in birth country

Linn G. Assersen poses in front of the building of Holt Children's Services in Seoul, Nov. 8. Courtesy of AssersenNorwegian filmmaker in search of family and herself after 45 yearsBy Jung Min-hoThese photos taken in 1976 show Assersen during her adoption process. She was seven months old when she was adopted by a Norwegian couple. Courtesy of AssersenIt took more than 45 years for Linn G. Assersen to return to the land of her birth.For her whole life, whenever she was asked whether she wanted to visit Korea, she said no. Assersen always knew she was Norwegian and never felt a need to find her birth parents ― or so she thought.“But when I landed at Incheon International Airport, I was crying. I don't know where all the emotions came from,” Assersen, now 46, said in an interview in Seoul, Tuesday. “When you don't want to face something uncomfortable, you try to ignore it. Before I came here, I was thinking, 'Maybe I should not. Maybe two weeks are too long.' Now I wish I had more time.”Just days before her arrival, Assersen learned that her biological father and

Nov 16, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Korean adoptee on journey into lost memories in birth country
Defense

Experts say additional THAAD deployment unlikely - for now

President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday. UPI-YonhapYoon can't handle fallout due to low approval rating, but North Korea's nuclear test could change moodBy Jung Min-hoDespite North Korea's intensifying nuclear and missile threats, South Korea is unlikely to take steps for the installment of additional U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries in its territory unless North Korea conducts another nuclear weapons test, experts said Wednesday. Their assessment comes after China's President Xi Jinping showed little interest in resolving security issues regarding North Korea during Monday's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Bali. Speaking to reporters afterward, Biden said his administration would do what is necessary to protect itself and its allies even if that means being “more up in the face” of China.Two former White House security officials ― Dennis Wilder and Gary Samore ― said during an interview with Radio Free Asia that one of th

Nov 16, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Experts say additional THAAD deployment unlikely - for now
North Korea

US midterm results to sideline North Korea issue: experts

U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as he holds a trilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 13. Experts say the U.S. midterm election results will push Biden to focus on domestic affairs for the next two years. Reuters-Yonhap War in Ukraine, China's growing clout will likely dominate Biden's foreign policy agendaBy Jung Min-hoThe midterm election results will increase pressure on U.S. politicians, particularly President Joe Biden, to focus on issues that matter to voters. This means even less attention from Washington to North Korea's growing threats, let alone any serious diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation, according to experts. The final outcome is still unclear as votes continue to be counted. As of Monday (local time), the Democrats will retain their Senate majority, while Republicans (GOP) are on track to take back control of the House.“To be frank, anything Korea-

Nov 14, 2022By Jung Min-ho
US midterm results to sideline North Korea issue: experts
Environment & Animals

Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs

President Moon Jae-in interacts with two white Pungsan dogs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave to him as a gift, during an interview with BBC at the presidential office in Seoul, in this Oct. 12, 2018, file photo. Korea Times file'A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life'By Jung Min-hoAnimal rights activists are criticizing former President Moon Jae-in for his decision to return his dogs ― given by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift following their 2018 summit ― to a government facility, saying that he should not treat the dogs as if they are objects.“Mr. Moon should not abandon the dogs or be forced to abandon them. As their guardian, it is his responsibility and privilege to care for their physical and emotional needs,” Patti Kim, head of Jindo Love Rescue, an animal rights group, told The Korea Times. “A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life.”The statement came after Moon decided to give up a pair of white Pungsan dogs ― “Gomi” and “Songgang.” While they are currently und

Nov 10, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs
North Korea

INTERVIEW North Korea emboldened by Russia's defense at UN Security Council: expert

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin smile during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in this April 25, 2019, file photo. North Korea's next nuclear weapons test will likely be the first one to avoid a condemnation and additional sanctions from the United Nations Security Council because of Russia's right to veto them, according to an expert. Reuters-YonhapPyongyang's next nuclear test will likely be first to avoid united condemnation, sanctionsBy Jung Min-hoHyun Seung-soo, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National UnificationNorth Korea's next nuclear weapons test will likely be the first one to avoid a condemnation and additional sanctions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) because of a likely veto by Russia, one of its five permanent members, according to an expert. Intelligence reports of the United States and South Korea show that the North is on the brink of conducting its seventh nuclear test. The regime's decision to proceed would certainly draw international criticism. Yet, such voices will likely be less united

Nov 9, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[INTERVIEW] North Korea emboldened by Russia's defense at UN Security Council: expert
Politics

Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adjusts his glasses during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. YonhapDPK denies allegations that it helped organize anti-Yoon protestsBy Jung Min-hoOnly a few hours after the news broke last month about a deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Nam Young-hee, vice chief of the Institute for Democracy, a think tank of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), concluded that President Yoon Suk-yeol and his safety minister were to blame and demanded they step down immediately.The comment, which she made when police and emergency workers were still scrambling to gather the facts, was a grim sign of how the tragic incident, which killed 156 people and injured 197 others, could be used ― and exploited ― politically.Two days after the end of a national mourning period for the victims and their families, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DPK, called for the resignations of all relevant top officials, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.“The president, who is responsible for

Nov 7, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Opposition party points finger at president as root cause of Itaewon tragedy
Defense

Over 100 Korean War veterans, families from 15 countries to visit Seoul

People visit the new Wall of Remembrance during a special event at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, in this July 26 file photo. Veterans of the Korean War and their families will visit South Korea this week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Sunday. Reuters-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA total of 114 veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and their families will visit South Korea this week, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Sunday. At the invitation of the ministry, the visitors, including 27 veterans from the United States, Britain, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the Netherlands, Colombia and France, will attend events organized to recognize their sacrifices and honor the fallen heroes during the conflict for six days, starting from Monday.Thomas Tanaka, 95, who fought in the 1942 Second Battle of the Hook as a U.S. private first class, is the oldest visiting veteran, according to the ministry. Others include Claude Petit, 87, from Canada, Ronald Monkhouse, 91, from Australia, Talip Yigit, 91, from Turkey and Theodorus Hubertus Haver from the Netherla

Nov 6, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Over 100 Korean War veterans, families from 15 countries to visit Seoul
Defense

South Korea joins naval review in Japan despite flag controversy

South Korean Navy ship Soyang takes part in Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of JMSDF, at Sagami Bay off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Sunday. Reuters-YonhapYoon takes political risks amid growing security threats from PyongyangBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korea took part in Japan's international naval fleet review for the first time since 2015 in Sagami Bay off Tokyo, Sunday, in a symbolic gesture for rapprochement amid intensifying threats from North Korea.Soyang, a 10,000-ton logistics support ship of South Korea's Navy, was among the 18 vessels from 12 countries participating in the event to promote peace and commemorate the 70th founding anniversary of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).As the host, Japan showcased 20 vessels to celebrate the special day with the “rising sun” flags fluttering on them.Many Koreans view the flag as a symbol of the former colonial ruler's wartime aggression and displaying it was surely going to draw criticism here. Yet the Yoon Suk-yeol administ

Nov 6, 2022By Jung Min-ho
South Korea joins naval review in Japan despite flag controversy
North Korea

North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million

North Korean flags are carried during a celebration of its 73rd founding anniversary in Pyongyang, in this Sept. 9, 2021, file photo. AP-YonhapBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea may have spent as much as $75 million on the missiles fired in its record single-day test, according to a military expert.The North launched 25 missiles Wednesday, including one that landed near the South's waters, in protest of a series of combined military exercises between Seoul and Washington over the past several weeks.Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a California-based policy think tank, told Free Asia Broadcasting that the total cost of North Korea's missile launches, including of short-range ballistic and surface-to-air types, was between $50 million and $75 million.The amount far exceeds North Korea's September exports to China ― $14.2 million ― and is equivalent to the amount of money the North had spent on importing rice from China in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the North imported 10,000 tons of rice worth about $5.1 million, Chinese customs data showed.&l

Nov 3, 2022By Jung Min-ho
North Korea's record single-day missile launch flurry cost as much as $75 million
  • North Korea's ICBM launch ends in failure
  • North Korea fires 3 more short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea
Society

ANALYSIS Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help

Police officers talk to a man mourning for the victims of the deadly crowd crush in central Seoul's Itaewon, Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulPolice deserve criticism but must be seen within Korean context: expertsBy Jung Min-hoIn the wake of the deadly crowd crush that killed 156 people and injured 152 in central Seoul's Itaewon last weekend, politicians and the media, domestic and international, have been analyzing what went wrong ― and who to blame as the cause of the tragedy. So far, much of the criticism has focused on Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and the police under his authority. The police clearly deserve much criticism for having dismissed 12 emergency calls coming from Itaewon, as responding to the scene earlier could potentially have prevented or lessened the scale of the Oct. 29 tragedy.Yoon Hee-keun, head of the National Police Agency, admitted Tuesday there was a problem with the way the police handled the emergency calls from Itaewon and apologized. Later that day, Lee followed suit, apologizing as “a Cabinet member in a position to be infinitely re

Nov 2, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[ANALYSIS] Pinning all blame on police for Itaewon tragedy won't help
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