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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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North Korea

Ex-NSO chief denies allegation he 'fled' to US

In this Feb. 1, 2021, file photo, then National Security Adviser Suh Hoon attends a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Suh has been accused of having played a role in pressuring the Ministry of Defense to change its official position on the killing of a South Korean official by the North Korean military in North Korean waters two years ago. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-sukFamily of official killed by North Korea demands disclosure of classified documents, threatens legal action against MoonBy Jung Min-hoSuh Hoon, the former chief of the National Security Office (NSO) accused of having pressured the Ministry of Defense to obfuscate the facts behind the killing of a fisheries official in North Korea's waters two years ago, said Monday that he will cooperate with investigators if necessary.In a statement he sent to Yonhap News Agency, Suh said that he had no intention of avoiding an investigation to find out the truth behind the case, claiming he had followed government principles in handling it. “At the time of the incident, I did everything to take necessary measures in accorda

Jun 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Ex-NSO chief denies allegation he 'fled' to US
North Korea

Ex-NSC members accused of burying truth behind killing of fisheries official

Lee Rae-jin, right, the elder brother of the South Korean fisheries official shot dead by North Korea armed forces two years ago, speaks during a press conference with ruling People Power Party leaders at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. NewsisFamily of official shot dead by North Korea to meet UN rights expertBy Jung Min-hoThe National Security Council (NSC) under the previous government is accused of having told the Ministry of National Defense to change its official position on the death of a South Korean official two years ago so as to obfuscate the facts behind the incident with North Korea. The ministry's documents, which were obtained by Rep. Ha Tae-keung, head of the ruling People Power Party's special committee on the issue, show that it shifted its position from “(North Korea's) brutality of burning the body confirmed” to “a joint probe needed for what is speculated as the burning of the body” after the presidential advisory body's request to review it on Sept. 27, 2020.Only three days ago, the ministry said it confirmed ― via military surveil

Jun 26, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Ex-NSC members accused of burying truth behind killing of fisheries official
Law & Crime

Joint probe team launched to target voice phishing scams

Acting Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok speaks to reporters as he enters the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Thursday. Newsis By Jung Min-hoA small business owner in his 40s was found dead in Busan on Feb. 25. It was later found that he had been swindled out of more than 160 million won ($123,000) by a telephone scammer before committing suicide.To prevent such tragedies and respond more effectively to voice phishing (or vishing) scams, which have become more sophisticated in recent years, the government will launch a joint investigation team with experts from all relevant agencies.“We need special measures to counter such crimes, which take not only the victims' money but also, in some cases, their lives … We have found that some voice phishing operations are organized, with gang members involved in them,” the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said in a statement Thursday.Earlier that day, acting Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok told reporters that he will s

Jun 23, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Joint probe team launched to target voice phishing scams
North Korea

Family of slain public official seeks help from UN, US politicians

Lee Rae-jin, left, the elder brother of the government official shot dead by North Korea's military in September 2020, stands next to his lawyer as he reads a statement to reporters at the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Wednesday. NewsisComplaint filed against 3 former officials of Moon over obstruction of justiceBy Jung Min-hoThe family of a South Korean government official shot dead by North Korea's military two years ago is seeking help from the United Nations Human Rights Office and rights-conscious politicians overseas to find the facts behind the killing. Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the deceased official, told The Korea Times Tuesday that he is asking U.N. rights officials and U.S. lawmakers for support in his desperate bid to get to the bottom of the case, which he thinks was mismanaged intentionally by the previous Moon Jae-in administration to avoid provoking the North.“At the invitation of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I'm going to visit the United States in September to talk with members about the issue,” Lee said

Jun 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Family of slain public official seeks help from UN, US politicians
North Korea

INTERVIEW North Korean girl's story of searching for mother, freedom and herself

Han Song-mi, a North Korean defector and the co-author of "Greenlight to Freedom," and Casey Lartigue, the other co-author, pose with their new book at Freedom Speakers International's office in Seoul, June 16. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho'Greenlight to Freedom,' Han-Lartigue yearlong book project, comes to fruitionBy Jung Min-hoLife is pain. It was particularly so for Han Song-mi, a North Korean girl. Her earliest memory was her father beating her mother. Her younger sister suddenly died without a clear cause. After her parents' divorce, she and her mother endured years of hunger, eating grass. At the age of nine, she thought about killing herself and was told that her mother had already tried it once with poison.Yet Han, now 28, has not only survived but thrived with resilience and a strong determination to live. After escaping the North in search of her mother and freedom, she settled down in South Korea, where she discovered her “second life” and became an inspiration to many.“Greenlight to Freedom,” her book, co-authored with Casey Lartigue, co-presid

Jun 22, 2022By Jung Min-ho
[INTERVIEW] North Korean girl's story of searching for mother, freedom and herself
North Korea

Minister confirms establishment of North Korean human rights foundation

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se speaks during a press conference at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, Tuesday. NewsisBy Jung Min-hoEstablishing a foundation for human rights in North Korea will be one of the three key projects in 2022 after six years of delay, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se confirmed Tuesday.The statement comes as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is moving away from the stance of the previous Moon Jae-in government, which was extremely cautious about touching on issues that could anger the North.“I will personally ask lawmakers from both the right and the left for the foundation launch,” Kwon said during a press conference at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul. “As soon as it opens, under the North Korean Human Rights Act, our ministry will step up efforts to improve the lives of ordinary North Koreans through research and new policies.”The law was enacted in March 2016, but has since remained in name only, after then President Park Geun-hye was impeached and ousted from office in 2017 following a major sca

Jun 21, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Minister confirms establishment of North Korean human rights foundation
Politics

Corruption probes: Yoon dismisses accusations of political vendetta

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to reporters as he enters his office in Seoul, Friday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol reaffirmed his commitment to cracking down on corruption and dismissed accusations that the investigations targeting opposition heavyweights and former government officials are politically motivated.Asked about investigations into high-profile politicians of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Yoon told reporters Friday that they are nothing more than the normal operation of the country's justice system and stressed that it is improper to politicize the issue.“After a change of government, there have been investigations into allegations brought up in the past, because what will happen cannot be the subject of investigation,” Yoon said in comments aimed at those claiming that the ongoing probes are a form of political retaliation. “Wasn't it the same case during the previous DPK administration?”Baek Woon-gyu, who served as the minister of trade, industry and energy under the Moon Jae-in administration, is being inves

Jun 17, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Corruption probes: Yoon dismisses accusations of political vendetta
Defense

Pulling US troops out of Korea was Trump's second-term priority, Esper's memoir reveals

In this July 23, 2019, file photo, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, left, delivers remarks in front of President Donald Trump, shortly after being sworn in at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. EPA-YonhapEx-Pentagon chief says evacuation announcement for Americans amid NK tensions canceled at last momentBy Jung Min-hoFormer U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to pull U.S. troops completely out of South Korea was serious and he kept the plan alive as his second-term priority, according to former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's memoir, published last month.In the book, “A Sacred Oath,” Esper said Trump repeatedly pushed to withdraw the U.S. forces from South Korea, which, in his view, was not paying its fair share of the associated costs.Esper, 58, Republican former secretary of the Army (November 2017 to July 2019) and former secretary of defense (July 2019 to November 2020) under the Trump administration, became uneasy whenever the commander-in-chief talked about the need for American withdrawal.“I was able to make my best case against an

Jun 15, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Pulling US troops out of Korea was Trump's second-term priority, Esper's memoir reveals
North Korea

South Korea seeks to establish North Korean human rights foundation

In this Sept. 7, 2018 file photo, kids sing at a kindergarten for employees' children at a silk factory during a government-organized visit for foreign reporters ahead of the 70th anniversary of North Korea's foundation in Pyongyang, North Korea. Reuters-YonhapMove signals Seoul's policy shift on North Korean human rights issuesBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korea is pushing to establish a North Korean human rights foundation in an apparent bid to implement the North Korean Human Rights Act, a law that has remained in name only over the past six years.The move signals the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's intention to press North Korea to improve its human rights situation, in contrast with the previous Moon Jae-in administration, which opted not to challenge the North.“Setting up the foundation is one of the key projects we are working on this year,” an official at the Ministry of Unification told The Korea Times Tuesday.The confirmation comes a day after a ministry official, who works at a division dedicated to human rights issues in North Korea, said he had been seeking the cooperat

Jun 14, 2022By Jung Min-ho
South Korea seeks to establish North Korean human rights foundation
Foreign Affairs

Moving past old grudges: Yoon faces tall task of restoring relations with Japan

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee leave a theater in eastern Seoul, Sunday, after watching "Broker," a film written and directed by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. YonhapPresident praises Japanese film director in another sign of rapprochementBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee made headlines on Sunday for going to the theater for the first time since taking office a month ago, to watch the Korean film “Broker.”What drew less attention was the person who made it. Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda explores what makes a family, through teamwork with Korean actors including Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won and Lee Ji-eun, better known as singer IU.In a message to the director and cast, Yoon congratulated them for winning the Best Actor Award and the Ecumenical Jury Award for Best Film at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. “I give my respect for the hard work director Hirokazu Kore-eda, the cast and crew put into the film,” he said.It remains uncertain whether Yoon's praise of the Japanese filmmaker was intended to be

Jun 13, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Moving past old grudges: Yoon faces tall task of restoring relations with Japan
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