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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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Companies

SolGent to export COVID-19 detection kits to US

President Moon Jae-in speaks with representatives of Korean COVID-19 detection kit makers, including SolGent's co-CEO You Jae-hyung, left, at Seegen's office in southern Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoSolGent, a subsidiary of Korean genome sequencing company EDGC, will export its COVID-19 detection kits to the United States, where cases have been soaring over the past few weeks.SolGent told The Korea Times Thursday that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with several U.S. states, including New York, California and Nevada, to sell its kits (DiaPlexQ) for 1 million tests.This comes two days after U.S. President Donald Trump asked Korean President Moon Jae-in during a phone conversation for supplies to help combat the disease. Trump then said he would help expedite the process of receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration for supply providers.The next day, Moon met representatives of five detection kit makers, including SolGent's co-CEO You Jae-hyung, to thank them for their R&D efforts, saying he was “grateful and proud” of them.SolGent's corona

Mar 26, 2020By Jung Min-ho
SolGent to export COVID-19 detection kits to US
Health

Teen confirmed to have COVID-19 after traveling around Jeju for five days

Airplanes are parked at Jeju International Airport on Jeju Island, March 24. A woman, 19, a Seoul resident, was confirmed to have COVID-19 after traveling around the island for five days. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA woman, 19, was confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 after traveling around Jeju Island for five days, authorities said Wednesday.According to the Jeju government, the woman and three other people, including her mother, arrived on Jeju March 20 and ― despite her coronavirus symptoms ― traveled around the island before being confirmed to have the disease at a Seoul health center on March 24.As a result, 38 people, who had been in close contact with her, are now under quarantine in their homes. Most of them are residents of Jeju, an island with a population of 670,000.Their movement information, which is available on the Jeju government website, shows they stayed at Hanwha Resort Jeju for the first two nights and at Haevichi Hotel and Resort Jeju for the other two. All places they visited have been disinfected.The patient, a college student in the United States, returned

Mar 26, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Teen confirmed to have COVID-19 after traveling around Jeju for five days
Trends

Deaths outnumber births in January

Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoKorea reported more deaths than births for the third consecutive month in January.According to Statistics Korea Wednesday, 28,471 people died last month, up 4 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of newborns decreased 11.6 percent to 26,818.The trend of more deaths than births started in November, with the government running out of policy ideas and ― now with the COVID-19 pandemic ― resources to boost the falling birth rate.Korea's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― hit a record low of 0.92 in 2019, a further drop from 0.98 a year before. The level is the lowest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and far below the replacement level of 2.1, which the country needs to keep its population stable at 51 million.The trend is only expected to accelerate, with fewer couples tying the knot. Data shows that 239,200 couples married in 2019, down 7.1 percent from a year earlier.The agency said the number of deaths is expected to exceed that of births for all of t

Mar 26, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Deaths outnumber births in January
Law & Crime

College official suspended for flirting with 40 Chinese students after stealing phone numbers

YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA Korea University official has been suspended for flirting with 40 international students after allegedly stealing their phone numbers from a database.According to police and Korea University, the man is being investigated for allegedly violating the personal information protection law after sending KakaoTalk messages like “I had a crush on you” to 40 Chinese students for several days from March 16 ― the day he started working there.After receiving the messages, some students complained to the school, which reported the matter to police on March 20.A Korea University representative reportedly said the man has been suspended and will be fired eventually.

Mar 23, 2020By Jung Min-ho
College official suspended for flirting with 40 Chinese students after stealing phone numbers
Health

A 93-year-old woman recovers from COVID-19

Red Cross workers in Seoul prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities, such as instant food, for impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. APBy Jung Min-hoA 93-year-old woman has recovered from COVID-19 ― the oldest person to do so in Korea.According to the Gyeongsan city government Sunday, the woman was released from a Seoul medical facility Saturday after fully recovering from the coronavirus.The woman tested positive for COVID-19 on March 7 and was sent to the facility, where she received intensive care for 13 days. She is now home in Gyeongsan.Except for minor dementia symptoms, she was healthy before contracting the virus, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As of Monday morning, the virus has infected more than 8,900 people in Korea and killed 111.

Mar 23, 2020By Jung Min-ho
A 93-year-old woman recovers from COVID-19
Companies

SolGent exports COVID-19 detection kits to Europe

SolGent's coronavirus detection kit DiaPlexQ. / Courtesy of EDGCBy Jung Min-hoSolGent, a subsidiary of Korean genome sequencing company EDGC, will export its COVID-19 detection kits (DiaPlexQ) to Europe after signing a deal with Synlab, an international medical diagnostics provider based in Germany.SolGent told The Korea Times Monday that it has signed a purchase contract with Synlab for 30,000 tests this week after attaining CE marking, a certification that demonstrates conformity with health and safety standards for products sold in Europe.“The amount of purchase by Synlab is expected to increase next week, given the situation in Europe,” a company official said. “We have been in talks with potential buyers in more than 20 countries.”Since emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the new coronavirus has spread around the world ― and it is getting worse. In Italy, one of the worst-hit countries, the virus has infected nearly 60,000 people and killed more than 5,400 in the past few weeks.Korea initially struggled with a surge in new cases but ha

Mar 23, 2020By Jung Min-ho
SolGent exports COVID-19 detection kits to Europe
Health

'It was very painful': Teen survivor of COVID-19 shares her story

A view of the quarantine facility Kim used in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of KimBy Jung Min-hoA teenager who has recovered from COVID-19 said she suffered “enormous pain” until all symptoms suddenly disappeared after 10 days.In a letter to the Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, the woman, 18, surnamed Kim, who lives in Daegu, explains how she contracted the coronavirus and survived it.Kim said it started after speaking with a follower of Shincheonji, a shadowy religious sect responsible for much of the virus spread in Korea, near a subway station on Feb. 20.The Shincheonji member tried to make conversation with Kim, who briefly responded after taking off her mask. It later turned out that the person had been infected with the virus. On March 4, Kim tested positive for COVID-19.“I did not know it would spread that quickly,” she said.Kim started showing COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, on March 5. She had quarantined herself at home until March 9 due to a lack of beds in quarantine facilities.Until then, she isolated herself in a roo

Mar 19, 2020By Jung Min-ho
'It was very painful': Teen survivor of COVID-19 shares her story
Global Community

Expats caught ignoring anti-coronavirus directions to face deportation

Workers prepare to disinfect as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a local market in Seoul, Wednesday. APBy Jung Min-hoThe government said Thursday it will deport foreigners who do not comply with COVID-19 measures despite being suspected or confirmed of having the coronavirus.The Ministry of Justice has unveiled stronger measures against foreigners who do not follow health authorities' requests to be tested, treated or quarantined.“If they refuse to comply with requests by health officials, we will immediately enforce the new rules, including deportation and entry ban,” the ministry said.If any foreigners cause financial damage by violating the health measures, the ministry said it will continue to seek compensation from them.The ministry said it made the decision after a foreigner, who had been confirmed to have the virus, refused to follow the self-quarantine guideline and visited shops and restaurants. The ministry did not reveal details of the incident.In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a level-1 travel advisory for all countrie

Mar 19, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Expats caught ignoring anti-coronavirus directions to face deportation
Foreign Affairs

Korean man attacked in Canada; motive still under investigation

People in face masks walk past an Apple store in Brossard, on the south shore of Montreal, Canada, March 15. The people in the photo are unrelated to the story. EPABy Jung Min-hoThe Korean Consulate General in Montreal has warned citizens in Canada after a Korean man was attacked for no reason in the city.The victim, 44, was stabbed in the upper body by a stranger while walking on Decarie Blvd. Sunday (local time), according to the Korean Consulate General Tuesday.The man was taken to a nearby hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening.“The motive for the attack is still under investigation,” the Korean Consulate General said. “We urge all members of the Korean community to be cautious and report any incidents to us.”The warning comes as many East Asians around the world have reported incidents of racism and discrimination since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Chinese city of Wuhan.A Korean woman who knows the victim told The Korea Times that she thinks the attack was racially motivated following a series of attacks aimed at Asians in recent weeks.Accordi

Mar 19, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Korean man attacked in Canada; motive still under investigation
Foreign Affairs

Philippines lifts deadline for foreigners to leave Luzon

Departing passengers wearing face masks wait outside Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Wednesday. EPAPolice check the documents of people attempting to cross a checkpoint on the border of the City of San Pedro and the City of Muntinlupa in metro Manila on Tuesday. EPABy Jung Min-hoThe Philippine government has lifted a 72-hour deadline for foreigners to leave the country's main northern island ― a measure that troubled 50,000 Korean residents there.Previously, the government asked foreign residents and travelers to leave Luzon, where the capital Manila is located, within 72 hours from Tuesday (local time) before suspending flights over coronavirus fears.“We don't want to give them pressure because it'll be more difficult for them, so we opened up,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles reportedly said.President Rodrigo Duterte declared an “enhanced community quarantine” on Luzon that requires millions of people to stay in their homes and restricts land, air and sea travel to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.The decision is a big relief for many Korean resi

Mar 18, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Philippines lifts deadline for foreigners to leave Luzon
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