my timesThe Korea Times
mj6c2

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Global Community

Korean-Filipino graduate finds engineering future through Korea Polytechnics program

Park Jong-bae was 14 when he arrived in Korea from the Philippines — the country where he was born to a Korean father and a Filipino mother. Despite his Korean heritage, he struggled with a new language, a new culture and a school system that moved faster than he could follow. After middle school, he entered a general high school but quickly fell behind because of his limited Korean language skills and eventually left the conventional academic track. His turning point came at Korea Polytechnics Dasom High School, an alternative school for students from multicultural background. There, Park received tailored Korean-language support and hands-on technical classes that opened his eyes to the world of engineering. Yet after graduating, Park struggled to find a stable career, moving from one short-term job to another. Hoping to find a professional path aligned with his interests, he enrolled in a vocational training program run by Korea Polytechnics, a public college system under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, for job seekers with multicultural backgrounds like him, specializing in

Apr 2, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korean-Filipino graduate finds engineering future through Korea Polytechnics program
Foreign Affairs

US public diplomacy official raises concerns over 'fake news' law in Seoul talks

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers held talks with Korean Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Lim Sang-woo Wednesday in Seoul, after criticizing Korea’s controversial “fake news” law. A day before the meeting, Rogers wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that she would “discuss shipbuilding, the Network Act, K-POP diplomacy and more” in Korea, signaling that the law was on her agenda alongside broader alliance issues. According to the ministry, the two sides exchanged “broad and in-depth views” on a wide range of issues, including bilateral cooperation, joint outreach in the Indo-Pacific region and preparations to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, as well as “digital-based communication” — wording that appears to tiptoe around explicit mention of the law. “Both sides shared the view that public diplomacy is not only a means to deepen mutual understanding and trust between the peoples of the two nations, but also a key policy tool for advancing the main tasks of the Korea-U.S. alliance. In particular, they a

Apr 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho
US public diplomacy official raises concerns over 'fake news' law in Seoul talks
  • Bill targeting 'fake news' sparks backlash over press freedom
  • UNESCO raises censorship concerns over Korea’s ‘anti-fake news’ law
Travel & Food

World’s tallest sea bridge observatory set to open in Incheon

The world’s tallest observatory on a sea bridge will open in the port city of Incheon in April, offering sweeping views of Korea’s West Sea from nearly 200 meters above the water. The Sky 184 observatory is built into the top of the main tower of Cheongna Sky Bridge, which connects Yeongjong Island with the mainland at Cheongna International City. Rising 184.2 meters above sea level, it has been certified by Guinness World Records as the highest public bridge observatory on the sea, beating the 128-meter Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory in the U.S. state of Maine. According to Incheon city officials, the two-story facility has a total floor area of 339 square meters. The first level is an indoor observatory equipped with telescopes, while the second level is an open-air deck featuring an “edge walk,” where visitors wearing safety gear can circle the outside of the platform. On clear days, the skyline stretches from Yeongjong and Cheongna across Incheon to Seoul landmarks such as N Seoul Tower and Lotte World Tower, officials said. After additional safety checks, the observato

Apr 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho
World’s tallest sea bridge observatory set to open in Incheon
Business

Global crowd from 75 countries packs Korea Business Expo Gangseo

Clusters of overseas buyers and Korean exporters packed the aisles of Coex Magok on Tuesday, as Gangseo District used the 2026 Korea Business Expo Gangseo to pitch itself as a rising international business hub. Under banners reading “Gangseo Innovation Pavilion” and “Seoul Pavilion,” rows of booths buzzed with simultaneous meetings in Korean, English and other languages while company representatives flipped through catalogs and demonstrated products on tablet screens. The expo, staged in collaboration with the 27th World-OKTA Leaders Convention, organized by the largest global business network for the Korean diaspora, brings together roughly 300 Korean companies and about 1,200 overseas buyers from 75 countries. The program is built around export consultations and on-site deals, with district officials and World-OKTA saying that the event is designed to generate concrete contracts rather than just business card exchanges. Speaking to reporters, Jin Gyo-hoon, district chief, said the expo is part of a broader plan to remake Gangseo into a new “future economic” hub in Seoul tha

Mar 31, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Global crowd from 75 countries packs Korea Business Expo Gangseo
Environment & Animals

Korea delays shutdown of coal-powered plants amid energy crisis

Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-powered power plants as the government scrambles to secure electricity supplies amid an escalating energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. Speaking to The Korea Times on Monday, a senior official at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said the ministry will extend the operations of three coal-fired power stations that had been scheduled to close this year. “The timetable for closing them is being rescheduled,” the official said. Asked how long the shutdown would be delayed, another senior official said the details are still under discussion and that a final decision is expected to be made in the coming days. This comes after President Lee Jae Myung instructed Minister Kim Sung-hwan to reconsider the shutdown plan, citing the need for “emergency measures” to prevent power shortages in the wake of U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran. The move marks a major disruption to Korea’s policy to rid itself of all coal-powered power plants by 2040. After changing the name of the Ministry of Environment to the curr

Mar 30, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea delays shutdown of coal-powered plants amid energy crisis
Global Community

Korea overhauls anti-trafficking policy to protect foreign workers more effectively

Korea has announced a major overhaul of its anti-trafficking policy, unveiling new measures to promptly identify and protect victims — especially foreign seasonal and maritime workers. The plan, revealed Friday by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, comes after years of criticism over the slow detection and recognition of such abuse cases, particularly in low-wage migrant labor. Rights activists have long argued that official victim numbers vastly understate the real scale of abuse in Korea. Between 2023 and March 2026, the government formally recognized only 70 people as “victims of trafficking,” 58 of whom are foreign nationals. A strict legal definition of trafficking is the reason that most officially confirmed victims are noncitizens — that the crime requires elements such as “movement of the person,” including cross-border movement. Under the reforms, police, labor and other ministries will tighten cooperation and share relevant information. When frontline officials encounter possible victims during inspections or investigations, they should immediately link the

Mar 27, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea overhauls anti-trafficking policy to protect foreign workers more effectively
Banking & Finance

Prediction markets doubt fast recovery in Hormuz shipping

Prediction markets are skeptical that tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal in the coming weeks, despite talk of possible Washington-Tehran diplomacy. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, traders assigned a 39 percent chance that ship traffic in the Strait will “return to normal” by the end of April in a forum on Polymarket, a prediction market. This probability is down sharply from 77 percent on March 10, reflecting increasing doubts that the waterway will reopen quickly. Meanwhile on Kalshi, another prediction market platform, traders were a bit more positive about that possibility — but still short of a sure bet. Only 46 percent saw traffic returning to normal before May 1, rising to just over half by May 15 and about two‑thirds by June 1. The Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20 percent of global crude oil transit and carries about 70 percent of Korea’s crude imports from the Middle East, has become a major vulnerability for energy security in Korea and around the world. Since the start of the war on Feb. 28, Iran has severely disrupted trade between the Persi

Mar 25, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Prediction markets doubt fast recovery in Hormuz shipping
Society

Experts warn of 'bubble' population targets in noncapital regions

Korea’s local governments have collectively overestimated their future populations by more than 6 million people, creating what researchers call “bubble” population targets that drive wasteful infrastructure spending. Ahead of the June 3 local elections, experts gathered Wednesday for a seminar on the country’s demographic crisis and called on politicians and policymakers to abandon “inflated growth assumptions” and redesign their policies around realistic population data. During the event, think tank Korean Peninsula Population Institute for Future unveiled a nationwide analysis of population figures embedded in municipalities’ plans. The research found that 119 of them — 96 percent of the sample — had overestimated their future population. The average gap between planned and actual figures was 21.9 percent, it found. While the actual resident registration count stood at 39.7 million, the combined planned population reached 46.16 million, leaving roughly 6.46 million “extra” people on paper. “That’s because those population figures serve as a baseline for plann

Mar 25, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Experts warn of 'bubble' population targets in noncapital regions
Society

Korea’s 'salary-blind' culture meets transparency push

Korea’s long‑standing pay‑secrecy culture is facing fresh pressure for transparency, as President Lee Jae Myung backed mandatory salary disclosure in job ads while the labor ministry warned that a rigid rule could shrink hiring. At a policy forum on March 19, Lee publicly sided with young job seekers frustrated by job postings that list pay only as “according to company rules” or “to be discussed following interview,” saying applicants deserve to know exactly how much their wages will be before they apply. He then instructed Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon to address the issue. When asked whether the Ministry of Employment and Labor has started drafting a legislation bill to make it mandatory, a senior official said it is proceeding cautiously. “One of our biggest worries is that a strict mandate could end up shrinking opportunities for job seekers. Companies need to hire people, but if this becomes a burden, they respond by cutting back on job postings. That would be a big problem,” the official told The Korea Times, adding that it is looking for ways to “reflect the

Mar 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea’s 'salary-blind' culture meets transparency push
Global Community

Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal

A Syrian man facing deportation filed Korea's first-ever constitutional complaint against a court ruling minutes after a landmark legal reform took effect on March 12 — and his lawyer says the case is a rare opportunity to put basic rights and non-refoulement, or not deporting an applicant to unsafe conditions, at the center of judicial practice in asylum cases. The reform allows a person to ask the Constitutional Court to overturn a court ruling that conflicts with existing Constitutional Court decisions or was reached without following required procedures. If the court finds a violation, the ruling is cancelled and the case is sent back for retrial. Lee Il, a lawyer at APIL, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) providing legal services to vulnerable migrants, said the case will show whether the new mechanism becomes a meaningful safety net for foreigners facing life-threatening removals or merely adds another procedural layer to an already strained process. Lee filed the complaint — confirmed by the Constitutional Court as the first under the new system — arguing tha

Mar 24, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Syrian deportation case becomes 1st test of Korea’s new constitutional appeal
previous page
1011121314
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.