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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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Society

CEO apologizes over deadly fire as risk of collapse slows probe

The head of Anjun Industry, the auto parts maker at the center of a deadly factory blaze in Daejeon, apologized to the victims and their families Sunday. Accompanied by about 30 company executives and employees, CEO Sohn Ju-hwan arrived at a joint memorial altar installed in the lobby of Daejeon City Hall and paid respects to 14 workers who died in Friday’s fire, the cause of which is under investigation. A day prior, Sohn issued a written apology on the company’s website, offering his “deepest condolences and heartfelt apologies” to the injured and the bereaved families. He said his company would “take full responsibility” by providing support and compensation. The fire broke out at around 1:17 p.m. at the company’s Munpyeong-dong plant in Daedeok District, killing 14 people and injuring around 60 others. The police, fire authorities and other government agencies launched a forensic investigation, but officials say the on-site probe has been severely hampered by the risk of further collapse at the fire-damaged structure. Many sections of the factory have partially collapse

Mar 22, 2026By Jung Min-ho
CEO apologizes over deadly fire as risk of collapse slows probe
Society

Tripartite council puts AI at top of agenda as robot fears grow

The presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council has placed artificial intelligence (AI) at the center of its new work agenda, establishing a dedicated AI transition committee as part of a broader effort to revitalize tripartite social dialogue. The council under President Lee Jae Myung held its first plenary session Thursday at Cheong Wa Dae, unveiling a package of seven committees that collectively target what officials call Korea’s “compound transition crisis” of an AI revolution, demographic change and the green energy transition. Its committee on “labor-management coexistence in the AI transition” seeks to map how AI spreads through workplaces, how jobs and skills will change, and what cooperation models labor and management can build around that shift. Council Chair Kim Ji-hyung said AI has become one of the most pressing challenges for the nation’s economy and labor market and therefore needs to be handled as a dedicated social dialogue agenda, amid fears of job replacement as companies such as Hyundai Motor move to introduce humanoid robots like “Atlas.” Speaki

Mar 19, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Tripartite council puts AI at top of agenda as robot fears grow
Global Community

Korea moves to raise minimum salary for foreign workers to protect Korean wages

Korea is moving to introduce what would function as a higher minimum wage floor for many foreign workers, by writing “reasonable” wage requirements for migrants directly into visa and stay conditions. Responding to inquiries from The Korea Times about this new immigration policy, revealed earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice said the goal is to protect the wage levels of Koreans by pushing up wage levels for foreign workers in certain visa categories. “The purpose of setting wage requirements for foreign workers, as in countries such as the United States and Britain, is to prevent declines in Korean workers’ wages and guard against violations of their working conditions,” a ministry official said in a recent statement. Under the 2030 Immigration Policy Future Strategy, the ministry plans to embed these wage thresholds in immigration rules, so that employers will have to meet or exceed them if they want to hire or keep foreign workers on visas such as E-7-1 or E-7-3. This comes after President Lee Jae Myung publicly questioned whether a growth model built on low‑paid mi

Mar 18, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea moves to raise minimum salary for foreign workers to protect Korean wages
Society

Care workers press gov’t for direct bargaining under new law

Care workers nationwide have launched a coordinated push to bring government ministries they call their “real employers” to the bargaining table, citing a new labor law that expands the legal definition of an employer. They threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met. During a press conference at the office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a powerful umbrella organization with more than 1 million members, the KCTU and affiliate unions said they have recently demanded that 57 ministries and public agencies hold talks with them as principal employers under the so-called “yellow envelope law” that came into force last week. Union leaders said most care workers — including elder-care aides, child care staff, disability support workers and home-care helpers — are formally hired by outsourced private facilities but effectively governed by state-set fees and guidelines, and that more than 2 million workers nationwide fall under this category, according to KCTU estimates. The government bodies they seek direct bargaining with include the Ministry of Hea

Mar 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Care workers press gov’t for direct bargaining under new law
  • 80,000 subcontracted workers seek bargaining rights on 1st day of ‘yellow envelope law’
  • Unions threaten strikes as ‘yellow envelope law’ comes into force
Society

Everything Seoul lined up for BTS fans

Seoul is transforming itself into an extended concert venue ahead of BTS' comeback show Saturday, with the city government rolling out a month of landmark light displays, themed festivals and guided tours designed to give the hundreds of thousands of fans — collectively known as ARMY — more than a single night out, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday. Starting Friday, the day the highly anticipated album "Arirang" drops, 15 city landmarks, including Sebitseom and Cheonggye Stream, will be lit in red — the color associated with the new album — to mark their return, turning the skyline into a dynamic nighttime stage. City officials say the lighting is designed to make Seoul feel like a giant open-air performance space. To demonstrate the city’s welcome, greeting banners will be hung along Sejong-daero near the Gwanghwamun concert venue and welcome messages will be displayed on 10 media facades across the city. Major tourist spots and traditional marketplaces will also show welcome phrases in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Korean. On S

Mar 17, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Everything Seoul lined up for BTS fans
Society

Lawmaker targets English cram lessons for toddlers after level test ban

A lawmaker who led this week’s ban on English level tests for preschoolers is now vowing to push a far more sweeping proposal that would sharply curb academic lessons for children at so-called “English kindergartens” and other private institutes in Korea. On Thursday, the National Assembly approved an amendment to the Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons Act in order to ban level tests used by private institutes to screen or rank preschool students for their programs. This law will come into force six months after passage. Only low‑pressure diagnostic checks will be allowed after a child is enrolled, and only with prior parental consent, using observation‑style activities intended to support learning rather than rank children. Detailed standards for these diagnostics will be set later by enforcement ordinances. A senior aide in the office of Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who led the legislation effort, welcomed the passage but stressed that it represents only “half” of the lawmaker’s early-childhood agenda. “The oth

Mar 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Lawmaker targets English cram lessons for toddlers after level test ban
  • EXPLAINER What’s in Korea’s ‘English kindergarten ban law?’
  • Bill to ban English kindergartens gains traction with bipartisan support
Society

Police to deploy maximum security for BTS comeback show amid terror concerns

Police said Friday that they will deploy maximum security measures for K-pop group BTS’ concert at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, citing the possibility of a terror attack amid intensifying tensions in the Middle East and worsening global security conditions. In a press release, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will mobilize all resources to counter terrorism risks in and around the venue near City Hall in central Seoul, with over 200,000 fans expected to crowd the area for the concert. It also pledged a tough response to hoax threats. “If a bomb threat is reported on the day of the event, it could cause major disruptions,” the police said. “Anyone who causes delays or wastes police resources by making bomb threats will be subject to arrest and a full investigation until they are apprehended.” Police buses and water-filled barricades will be placed on surrounding roads to block access to the venue as part of the safety measures. Metal detectors will also be set up at 30 entrance points. Police asked visitors to pack light, saying that screening procedures could cau

Mar 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Police to deploy maximum security for BTS comeback show amid terror concerns
  • Ultimate BTS pilgrimage guide: Every landmark worth visiting before, after Gwanghwamun concert
  • Seoul launches crackdown on lodging violations ahead of BTS concert
  • BTS' animated teaser traces global journey of 'Arirang'
Law & Crime

EXPLAINER New law lets president pick 22 of 26 Supreme Court justices by 2030

Korea’s judiciary has experienced its biggest upheaval in nearly four decades as a trio of judicial reform laws took effect Thursday, expanding the Supreme Court, creating a new constitutional appeals channel and criminalizing “distortion” of the law by judges and prosecutors. One of the key components of the reform is a revision of the Court Organization Act, which will boost the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26 by 2030. This change would give President Lee Jae Myung sweeping influence over its future composition: By the end of his term in June 2030, he is expected to appoint 22 of the 26 justices. Beginning in March 2028, the court will add four new justices a year for three consecutive years, gradually building up to 26 seats while Lee fills each new vacancy as it opens. The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) say the expansion is necessary to cope with a growing caseload, given that each justice currently handles an average of 3,478 cases a year. With more justices available, they argue, the Supreme Court can share the workload m

Mar 12, 2026By Jung Min-ho
[EXPLAINER] New law lets president pick 22 of 26 Supreme Court justices by 2030
Society

80,000 subcontracted workers seek bargaining rights on 1st day of ‘yellow envelope law’

The first day after Korea’s revised Trade Union Act — the so-called “yellow envelope law” — took effect saw more than 80,000 subcontracted workers at 221 parent companies and public institutions seek bargaining with what they consider their primary employers. Officials at the Ministry of Employment and Labor told reporters Wednesday that, as of 8 p.m. the previous day, a total of 407 subcontractor unions and branches, representing about 81,600 workers, had filed bargaining requests with 143 private firms and 78 public entities. Among the companies facing new union requests for talks are major employers such as Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, GM Korea, Yonsei University, CJ Logistics, POSCO, Coupang CLS, Korea Railroad Corp. and Incheon International Airport Corp. Only five of them — Hanwha Ocean, POSCO, Coupang CLS, Hwaseong city government and Busan Transportation Corp. — have posted notices acknowledging the bargaining demands and begun the legal process to handle them, including deciding whether to unify bar

Mar 11, 2026By Jung Min-ho
80,000 subcontracted workers seek bargaining rights on 1st day of ‘yellow envelope law’
  • Unions threaten strikes as ‘yellow envelope law’ comes into force
Global Community

Over half of skilled visa holders earn more than $2,000 per month

More than half of foreign workers on so-called “professional” visas in Korea — holders of E-1 to E-7 work permits — now earn over 3 million won ($2,000) a month, according to new data released Tuesday. A survey published by the Ministry of Data and Statistics shows that among professional workers — including professors (E‑1), foreign language teachers (E‑2), researchers (E‑3), tech experts (E-4), licensed professionals (E‑5), artists and performers (E‑6) and specific‑activity workers (E‑7) — more than half reported a monthly income of at least 3 million won. Across all foreign employees in the country, 50.2 percent earned between 2 million and 3 million won a month, while 36.9 percent took home more than 3 million won. However, among “non-professional” workers such as E-9 visa holders, 68.9 percent were concentrated in the 2 million to under 3 million won range. The survey also examined working hours. Among foreign workers overall, 58.1 percent said they worked between 40 and 50 hours per week. Another 17.8 percent worked between 50 and 60 hours, and 8.7 per

Mar 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Over half of skilled visa holders earn more than $2,000 per month
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