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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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Law & Crime

Expulsion of Olympic judo star confirmed after statutory rape charge

Wang Ki-chun / Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoThe Korea Judo Association (KJA) confirmed Wednesday that it had expelled Olympic star Wang Ki-chun over a statutory rape charge brought against him.According to the governing body of the sport, Wang, 31, who has been indicted on a charge of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, did not file an appeal against its decision to ban him for life from the KIA by the deadline to do so.The KIA's disciplinary committee unanimously decided on the penalty May 13 over his alleged conduct that undermined “the integrity and social standing of judo.” He had seven days to lodge an appeal.He has also been stripped of his black belt.Wang, who started judo in 1995, rose to stardom after winning a gold medal in the under-73kg division at the 2007 World Judo Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The next year ― despite a ribcage fracture ― he surprised the world by winning silver at the Beijing Olympics.

May 21, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Expulsion of Olympic judo star confirmed after statutory rape charge
People & Events

Ravi Zacharias, defender of Christian faith, dies at 74

In this March 30, 2016, photo, Christian apologist and author Ravi Zacharias talks with Associate Professor Lenny Luchetti during the Society of World Changers induction ceremony at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. Zacharias, who built an international ministry that strives to defend Christianity on intellectual grounds, has died at his home in Atlanta. APBy Jung Min-hoRavi Zacharias, a skeptic turned Christian evangelist who spent his life defending the faith on intellectual grounds, died Tuesday. He was 74.The cause was complications from a rare form of bone cancer called sarcoma, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), the evangelical organization he established in 1984, said.Zacharias was one of the most prominent and sought-after figures in apologetics ― a branch of theology that defends Christianity against objections ― who challenged various skeptics by using his razor-sharp logic and the voices of scientists, philosophers and even atheists.He also published and edited more than 25 books, which have inspired many Christians and non-Christians around the worl

May 20, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Ravi Zacharias, defender of Christian faith, dies at 74
Health

Coronavirus: Gov't reveals details of Vietnamese patient's movements as it traces 250 contacts in Bucheon

Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jeong Eun-kyeong. / Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoThe Bucheon city government is stepping up efforts to trace more than 250 people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 after finding out that a patient was with them at a nightclub earlier this month.According to the city government and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Monday, the man, an undocumented Vietnamese immigrant, 32, went to the “Merit Night Club” with friends on the night of May 9. After spending about an hour there, they visited a pub and a noraebang (karaoke club) nearby.Before testing positive for COVID-19 on May 16, the man, who works in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, also visited “Queen” club in Seoul's Itaewon on May 1.Infectious disease experts warn that clubs and noraebang facilities are highly risky because they are usually crowded and people do not wear masks there.The patient is being treated at the Gyeonggi Province Medical Center Anseong Hospital.“It has been difficult to communicate with him.

May 19, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Coronavirus: Gov't reveals details of Vietnamese patient's movements as it traces 250 contacts in Bucheon
  • Vietnamese visitor to Itaewon club 'Queen' tests positive for coronavirus
  • Cluster infections traced to dishonest instructor spreading in Incheon
  • Bars, clubs will not be allowed 'for foreseeable future': USFK
Law & Crime

'Nth room' creator faces indictment for sexual abuse of teens

Moon Hyung-wook speaks to reporters as he is taken to a police van near Andong Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe creator and operator of the notorious porn channels known as “the Nth rooms” is facing indictment on charges of sexually abusing dozens of women.The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency sent the Telegram sexual abuse case to the Daegu District Public Prosecutors' Office Monday, handing over Moon Hyung-wook, 24, who is suspected of sexually abusing at least 21 women, mostly teenagers, between February 2019 and this January.Yonhap“I regret it and I'm sorry,” Moon said as he was taken to a van parked near Andong Police Station. “I apologize to the victims and their families … I think I had wrong perceptions about sex.”Asked whether he knew Cho Ju-bin, another suspect arrested in a sweeping investigation of sexual abuse cases on the Telegram chat app, Moon said he did not.Moon is suspected of luring teenagers to send sexual photos and videos, which he allegedly used to blackmail them to get mor

May 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
'Nth room' creator faces indictment for sexual abuse of teens
Health

Coronavirus from relapse cases not infectious: authorities

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (red) infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), also known as novel coronavirus, isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH via ReutersBy Jung Min-hoPatients who tested positive for the new coronavirus after recovering from their first bout of the disease do not infect other people, health authorities said Monday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it will not apply 14-day self-quarantine rules to such patients after concluding that the virus detected from relapse cases does not make other people sick.“There have been no secondary infections from people who were in close contact with such patients,” Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official, told reporters. “Also, the results from culture tests back up the conclusion.”So far, officials have confirmed 447 relapse cases, about 4.5 percent of all infection cases.

May 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Coronavirus from relapse cases not infectious: authorities
  • 'There may never be a vaccine for COVID-19'
Health

Vietnamese visitor to Itaewon club 'Queen' tests positive for coronavirus

People wearing face masks walk in Itaewon, Seoul, May 12. Those in the photo are unrelated to the story. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Jung Min-hoA Vietnamese worker in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, has tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting the club “Queen” in Seoul's popular multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon on May 1.The man, 32, whose identity is being withheld, took a coronavirus test in Bucheon, where his friend lives, on May 15 after showing flu-like symptoms, the city government said Sunday.He is being treated at the Gyeonggi Province Medical Center Anseong Hospital.Health officials are tracing the people the man has since contacted. So far, one of his Korean colleagues in Gwangju has tested positive for COVID-19. Among 10 others the two had been in close contact with, four tested negative and six are waiting for results.After a 29-year-old Korean patient infected with the virus visited multiple clubs and bars in the area from the night of May 1 to the early hours of May 2, there was a resurgence in new cases, with the daily increase reaching

May 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Vietnamese visitor to Itaewon club 'Queen' tests positive for coronavirus
  • Coronavirus: Gov't reveals details of Vietnamese patient's movements as it traces 250 contacts in Bucheon
Sports

World Taekwondo chief calls for solidarity against COVID-19 at first online council meeting

World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won, center, attends the organization's first online council meeting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of World TaekwondoInternational Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks in a video message to the council. Courtesy of World TaekwondoBy Jung Min-hoWorld Taekwondo (WT) President Choue Chung-won has offered condolences for everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for global solidarity to beat the crisis.“This pandemic has really changed our lives,” he said during WT's first online extraordinary council meeting Wednesday. “I sincerely pray that we continue to be healthy and safe. Our thoughts are with all those who have been, and continue to be, affected.“I believe that every adversity brings opportunities. Videoconferencing has become the new norm for us and offers a sustainable and cost-effective way for us to remain connected long into the future. We have also been able to reach out to the grassroots more directly (by) engaging athletes to show their training sessions and organizing education course

May 13, 2020By Jung Min-ho
World Taekwondo chief calls for solidarity against COVID-19 at first online council meeting
  • Goyang to host 2022 Taekwondo Poomsae Championships: World Taekwondo
Health

Masks to be required for all Seoul subway passengers during rush hour

Health officials prepare to sanitize a subway station amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Seoul, March 11, 2020. ReutersBy Jung Min-hoStarting May 13, everyone will be required to wear face masks in Seoul subway trains during rush hour.According to the Seoul city government Monday, people who are not wearing masks may be denied boarding at ticket barriers when the trains are crowded.Those who are rejected can buy masks at vending machines or convenience stores at stations.The new rule applies when the rate of subway ridership is 150 percent ―150 passengers for a train with a capacity of 100 ― or higher. It is almost always the case for most trains in Seoul during rush hour (7-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m.).

May 11, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Masks to be required for all Seoul subway passengers during rush hour
Photo News

PHOTOS Yoido Full Gospel Church cautiously resumes on-site services

Christians wearing face masks attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Sunday, May 10, 2020. In a speech on the same day, President Moon Jae-in urged all citizens to "go back to normal" while staying cautious about the risks of coronavirus infections. APChristians wearing face masks pray during a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Sunday, May 10, 2020. APChristians wearing face masks attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church inChristians wearing face masks attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Sunday, May 10, 2020. APChristians wearing face masks attend a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Sunday, May 10, 2020. APChristians wearing face masks pray during a service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Sunday, May 10, 2020. AP

May 11, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Yoido Full Gospel Church cautiously resumes on-site services [PHOTOS]
Global Community

Foreigners to face heavier fines for violating quarantine rules

1Visitors wearing face masks walk at a park in Seoul, Monday, May 4, 2020. APBy Jung Min-hoForeigners in Korea will face heavier fines for violating coronavirus quarantine rules.The Ministry of Justice said Monday that it will revise enforcement regulations to raise fines to 3 million won ($2,500) from 500,000 won this month for first-time violators of mandatory 14-day quarantine. Second- and third-time violators will face fines of 5 million and 10 million won, respectively.“It is critical for everyone coming from overseas to follow the self-isolation rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the ministry said in a statement.The rules apply also for Koreans, who could face up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million won.In serious cases, foreigners could be deported immediately. In April, 18 were forced to leave Korea for breaking the rules, according to the ministry.On Monday, Korea reported 35 more COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day spike since April 9, bringing the country's total infections to 10,909.

May 11, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Foreigners to face heavier fines for violating quarantine rules
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