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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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EXCLUSIVE Over 41,000 undocumented immigrants leaving Korea under amnesty program

In this March 6, 2020, file photo, undocumented immigrants stand in line to fill out departure cards at the Korea Immigration Service's office in western Seoul. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoMore than 41,000 undocumented foreign nationals living in Korea have left the country ― or have promised to do so in the near future ― over the past six months under a special amnesty program.Korea Immigration Service (KIS) Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun told The Korea Times in a recent interview that 41,176 foreign nationals staying here illegally ― more than 10 percent of the estimated 390,000 ― had left or expressed a willingness to leave between Dec. 11 and June 21.So far, about 30,000 of them have actually departed due to international travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Under the program, which ran from Dec. 11 to June 30, those who voluntarily return to their home countries will be allowed to reenter Korea.According to the KIS, more than half of all undocumented immigrants came from countries whose nationals do not need to get visas in advance before coming to Korea, and th

Jul 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho
[EXCLUSIVE] Over 41,000 undocumented immigrants leaving Korea under amnesty program
  • INTERVIEW 'Korea's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable'
Law & Crime

Three taekwondo athletes jailed for beating man to death

YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThree taekwondo athletes have been convicted of killing a man who was trying to protect his girlfriend from them at a Seoul nightclub.The Seoul Eastern District Court on Thursday sentenced each of the three ― all 21-year-olds majoring in taekwondo at college ― to nine years in prison for murdering the victim on Jan. 1 after he took issue with them for taking his girlfriend by the wrist at a dance club in Seoul's Gwangjin district.“The accused, who had long been trained in taekwondo, brutally beat the victim who did not resist,” a panel of judges said in the ruling. “They kicked the victim's head when he was lying unconscious on the floor. Their violence was very severe.“The victim, who was only 23 years old, died in pain as a result … His family demanded harsh punishment.”The court rejected the lawyers' claim that the three did not intend to kill him. It said, though they had not planned the murder, they knew the risk that their violence could result in his death.

Jun 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Three taekwondo athletes jailed for beating man to death
  • Nightclub homicide: Suspects deny intent to kill
Photo News

PHOTOS Red Cross photos offer glimpse of life during Korean War

A soldier stands in a crowd as refugees try to get on a train at Daegu Station on Dec. 29, 1950. ICRC via YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has revealed previously unreleased photos of the Korean War (1950-53), offering a glimpse into the devastation, plight and hope in the face of hopelessness during the conflict.Most of the photos feature soldiers, prisoners and refugees in South Korea. One shows a grinning boy shaking hands with an ICRC official at a prison camp in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. Others show prisoners enjoying sports and recreational activities.A crowd of refugees ride on trains at Daegu Station on Dec. 29, 1950. ICRC via YonhapPeople prepare food at a prisoner of war camp in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, June 5, 1951. ICRC via YonhapPeople gather to see a ssireum match at a prisoner of war camp in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, in June 1951. ICRC via YonhapTwo men dance on a stage at a prisoner of war camp in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, in June 1951. ICRC via YonhapA boy shakes hands with an ICRC official at a

Jun 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Red Cross photos offer glimpse of life during Korean War [PHOTOS]
  • Moon strives to revive peace talks with North Korea
Trends

Childbirths drop 10.4% in April as population decline looms

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe number of babies born in Korea dropped 10.4 percent in April from a year earlier, in the latest sign underscoring a looming population decline.According to Statistics Korea Wednesday, 23,420 babies were born in April, compared with 26,151 in April 2019.It marks the lowest number of newborns for any April since the state agency started keeping records in 1981.Meanwhile, the number of people who died increased 3.3 percent to 24,628.All this indicates that the country is evidently on track this year to reporting its first natural population decline.After deaths outnumbered births for the first time in November, the trend has accelerated. A total of 97,470 babies were born in the first four months of this year, down 10.9 percent from the same period last year.The falling number of marriages ― to 15,670 in April from 20,026 a year earlier ― also bodes ill for a government that is struggling to boost birthrates.Korea's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― was 0.92 last year, down from 0.98 a year earlier, far

Jun 25, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Childbirths drop 10.4% in April as population decline looms
  • Korea to report population decline for first time this year: vice finance minister
  • Korea's population to halve in 80 years: study
Photo News

PHOTOS South Korea conducts military drills amid rising tensions with North

South Korean military forces conduct self-propelled artillery drills in Paju, South Korea, near the North Korean border, Monday. Tensions are rising in border areas after North Korea destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex last week in anger after South Korean civic groups sent anti-regime leaflets into the North. YonhapYonhapYonhapYonhapYonhap

Jun 22, 2020By Jung Min-ho
South Korea conducts military drills amid rising tensions with North [PHOTOS]
Health

Korea to restrict visas for visitors from Pakistan, Bangladesh

People wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus walk in a park in Seoul, Saturday, June 20, 2020. APBy Jung Min-hoThe government will strengthen visa and entry restrictions for visitors from Pakistan and Bangladesh after reporting a surge in new COVID-19 cases imported from the two Asian countries.Under the precautionary measures, set to come into force Tuesday, authorities will not issue new visas to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis except for diplomatic and urgent business purposes. Authorities will also suspend flights from the countries.Health Minister Park Neung-hoo made the announcement Sunday, two days after 31 people were confirmed here to have contracted the coronavirus overseas. Pakistan accounts for 16 cases, followed by Bangladesh (7).“A rise in imported cases increases the burden on quarantine and treatment capacities here,” Park told reporters. “We will continue to keep an eye on the situations in other countries to control the spread of the virus effectively.”The government will also thoroughly check whether E-9 visa holders ha

Jun 22, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Korea to restrict visas for visitors from Pakistan, Bangladesh
Sports

World Taekwondo chief celebrates World Refugee Day with dreamers in refugee camp

World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won smiles during a video call ― from his office in Seoul ― with young athletes at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, June 19. Courtesy of World TaekwondoBy Jung Min-hoWorld Taekwondo (WT) President Choue Chung-won celebrated World Refugee Day (June 20) with young refugee athletes, whom he called “an inspiration” to everyone who loves the sport.During a video call on June 19, Choue said he would support Syrian refugees at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan and their dreams of competing in the Olympics one day, according to the global governing body of the sport.“Even in these most difficult of circumstances they have continued to train and stay positive and it is my hope that they will be able to reach an Olympic Games one day,” he said. “I was very inspired by their cheerfulness and passion for taekwondo.“It is easy to see just how much joy and hope taekwondo brings them. World Refugee Day is important in raising awareness of the plight of refugees around the world. By providing them with access to support, we ca

Jun 22, 2020By Jung Min-ho
World Taekwondo chief celebrates World Refugee Day with dreamers in refugee camp
Photo News

PHOTOS Rice and masks for people of North Korea

Members of a North Korean defector-run group in South Korea prepare to send rice and masks to North Korea by sea at a park in southern Seoul, Thursday, two days after North Korea destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. The South Korean government, which is trying to improve ties with the North, has asked police to investigate the group, among others, for allegedly violating the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act by sending anti-regime leaflets into the North. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukKorea Times photo by Choi Won-sukKorea Times photo by Choi Won-sukKorea Times photo by Choi Won-sukKorea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Jun 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Rice and masks for people of North Korea [PHOTOS]
  • South Korea-US working group's role in question amid growing inter-Korean tensions
Sports

World taekwondo body improves position in ASOIF's governance report

World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won / Courtesy of World TaekwondoBy Jung Min-hoWorld Taekwondo (WT), the sport's global governing body, has significantly improved its position in the latest governance review of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).According to the review published Tuesday, WT moved up two notches in the overall score to rank with World Athletics, World Sailing, the International Table Tennis Federation, the International Fencing Federation and three others in the second tier, “A2,” from the bottom “C” only three years ago.The review shows that WT improved in all five evaluation sections ― transparency, integrity, democracy, development and control mechanisms. This comes after WT addressed many of the areas for improvement that were identified by ASOIF's 2018 review.WT President Choue Chung-won congratulated all members for the accomplishment, a result of the organization's comprehensive reform efforts over the past four years.“World Taekwondo is committed to implementing the highest standards of good

Jun 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
World taekwondo body improves position in ASOIF's governance report
Photo News

PHOTOS A day after destruction of inter-Korean liaison office

North Korean soldiers standing guard are seen from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Wednesday. After destroying an inter-Korean liaison office at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex Tuesday, North Korea's military said Wednesday that it will reinstall guard posts and resume military exercises at front-line areas, nullifying the tension-reducing deals reached with South Korea two years ago. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulTwo South Korean soldiers walk along the barbed-wire fence near the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA South Korean soldier in a protective mask stands guard at the Tongil Bridge in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulTwo men stare into the distance beyond the border at the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Jun 17, 2020By Jung Min-ho
A day after destruction of inter-Korean liaison office [PHOTOS]
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