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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

Sex, lies and video threats: Beware of 'sextortion'

This could be the beginning of a long nightmare. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoIt was supposed to be just a short, fun game ― until it turned into a never-ending nightmare.A nice-looking woman online persuaded a man to take off his clothes and perform sexual acts in front of the webcam. So he did, only to realize in a few seconds that he had made a huge mistake.The woman then threatened to share the footage with his family and friends unless he sent her money. After he ignored her request, she sent the video to 20 of his friends through KakaoTalk, a mobile messenger.This is one of many stories shared on the online group “Victims of Body Cam Phishing.”Body cam phishing, or “sextortion,” is a form of blackmail in which criminals using fake identities trick people into performing sexual acts online and then threaten to release the videos or photos unless the victims pay.According to the National Police Agency, there has been an increase in these crimes over the past few years. In 2018, 1,406 cases were reported, up from 1,193 in 2016. Police believe the real numbe

Jan 15, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Sex, lies and video threats: Beware of 'sextortion'
North Korea

Cambodia shuts down North Korean businesses to comply with UN sanctions

A North Korean restaurant at Siem Reap in Cambodia in December 2018. Cambodia's government said it has shut down all businesses run by North Koreans in the country. Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoThe Cambodian government has shut down all businesses operated by North Koreans in the country to comply with United Nations sanctions.The Khmer Times, a newspaper based in Phnom Penh, reported Wednesday that authorities closed four restaurants in the capital and two in Siem Reap.The government also closed Angkor Panorama Museum near the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap. The museum, built and paid for by North Korea as a sign of friendship between the two states, was run by North Koreans since opening in 2015.On Dec. 22, 2017, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued sanctions that require member states to repatriate North Korean nationals earning income abroad within 24 months over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.To comply with the sanctions, Cambodia's Tourism Ministry spokesman Top Sopheak said all North Korean restaurants were closed by Dec. 22, 2019.“The ministry ha

Jan 9, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Cambodia shuts down North Korean businesses to comply with UN sanctions
Health

Chinese woman quarantined as suspected case of mystery pneumonia

An ambulance is parked at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. A woman is being held in isolation there. YonhapPeople go through temperature screening at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, Wednesday. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA Chinese woman who recently visited the Chinese city of Wuhan has been isolated in Korea as a suspected case of a mysterious viral pneumonia that has infected dozens of people in central China and put the rest of the world on alert.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Wednesday, the woman, 36, who visited Wuhan between Dec. 13 and 17, has been isolated at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam after showing symptoms of the illness.The woman entered Korea on Dec. 17 and has been here since, except for four days for a business trip to Xiamen in China (Dec. 26-30).So far, 59 cases have been reported in Wuhan. On Sunday, the city's health commission said all patients have been treated in isolation and seven are in critical condition.The cause has not yet been identified. The Wor

Jan 9, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Chinese woman quarantined as suspected case of mystery pneumonia
  • China believes new virus behind mystery pneumonia outbreak
Society

Jeju authorities under fire over 'irresponsible' balloon-flying event

People fly balloons to celebrate the New Year on Jeju Island on Jan. 1. Courtesy of Korean Animal Rights AdvocatesBy Jung Min-hoEnvironmental and animal rights activists have criticized Jeju authorities over a balloon-flying event, which they say is environmentally damaging and dangerous for wildlife.“Balloon-flying events threaten the lives of animals, including birds and marine life,” the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) said in a statement Monday. “After the events, balloons do not just disappear; they remain as plastic waste.”The criticism comes after organizers on the island released hundreds of balloons to celebrate the New Year.“Where do you think the waste from the event will go? I wonder whether you thought about repercussions,” a petitioner, surnamed Lee, wrote on the Jeju Provincial Government's website on Jan. 2. “Jeju is a beautiful island that should be protected. Protect Jeju and its animals.”According to experts, balloons over land or in the sea can be mistaken for food and eaten by animals. Sea turtle

Jan 7, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Jeju authorities under fire over 'irresponsible' balloon-flying event
Society

Two minke whales found dead on same day

A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast GuardBy Jung Min-hoA 5.68-meter minke whale was found off Yeongdeok, Sunday, only a few hours after another minke whale was found dead in a neighboring county.According to the Korea Coast Guard Monday, a fisherman found the whale around 10:30 a.m. in a fixed net 15 kilometers east of Changdae Port in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province.After inspecting the carcass, police said they found no signs the whale had been hunted. It was later auctioned for 71.3 million won ($61,000).A dead minke whale is lifted after a fisherman found it off Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Coast GuardAbout five hours ago, a 5.2-meter minke whale was found dead in a fixed net 15 kilometers southeast of Jukbyeon Port in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province.Police concluded that the whale was not intentionally killed. It was auctioned for 33 million won.Commercial whaling is banned in Korea, but retrieving dead whales is allowed.

Jan 7, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Two minke whales found dead on same day
Society

For first time, more people are living inside Seoul capital area than outside

Seoul. / GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe Seoul capital area is more crowded than ever, with more people living inside Gyeonggi region than outside out it.Data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) show that 50.001 percent of the country's population lives in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.The number of Seoul residents has gradually fallen in recent years to 9.72 million in 2019. But meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province's population increased to nearly 13.24 million; Incheon's was 2.95 million.According to KOSIS, overpopulation in the capital area has become increasingly serious. In 1970, 28.7 percent of the country's population lived there, but this rose to 42.8 percent in 1990 and to 49.2 percent in 2010.Following the release of the data, civic groups criticized the government for not doing enough about the situation.“It is a major crisis that 11.8 percent of the country's land area accounts for more than half its population,” they said in a statement Sunday. “All the resources are concentrated in the capital area … It is getting ever more s

Jan 7, 2020By Jung Min-ho
For first time, more people are living inside Seoul capital area than outside
Economy

Korea on track to becoming world's 10th largest economy in 2027: report

Korea is expected to become the world's 10th largest economy in 2027, a think tank report says. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoKorea is expected to become the world's 10th largest economy in 2027, according to a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, a British think tank. It currently ranks 12th.The World Economic League Table 2020, which was published last week, also forecasts that China will become the world's largest economy in 2033 and that India will overtake Germany to become the fourth largest in 2026.The report says the economic slowdown in China has “badly hit” the Korean economy, which otherwise would grow faster.“The data available so far for 2019 suggests that there was a slight decline in the rate of GDP growth, with the economy set to have expanded by 2 percent this year,” the report says. “This compares to 2.7 percent in 2018.“Indeed, Korea's exports fell by 14.3 percent year-on-year in November, which was the sixth straight month of double-digit annual decline.”A weak rate of population growth has limited over

Jan 2, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Korea on track to becoming world's 10th largest economy in 2027: report
Law & Crime

Wanted: Police reveal list of 20 high-risk fugitives

By Jung Min-hoA wanted list including alleged murderers, rapists and robbers in Korea has been revealed.On the first day of 2020, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency issued a list of 20 high-risk fugitives, including Cho Kyu-seok, 60, a murder suspect.Cho, who is 170 centimeters tall and speaks in Jeolla dialect, is suspected of kidnapping and killing a businessman, 56, with two accomplices at Gwangju in May.His body was found at a parking lot near the Yangju City Hall on May 21. There were bruises all over his body and many bones were broken, police said.The other two were later arrested and sentenced to 12 and five years in prison, respectively, last month.Rewards will be offered to those who report critical information on the whereabouts of the fugitives.

Jan 2, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Wanted: Police reveal list of 20 high-risk fugitives
Companies

First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher

Korea's first foreign visitor for the year, fourth from right, smiles after receiving gifts from Korean Air at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. Courtesy of Korean AirBy Jung Min-hoThe first foreign visitor to Korea this year has been welcomed with flowers and other special gifts.The Chinese woman who arrived at Incheon International Airport at 1 a.m. from Beijing was greeted by Korean Air and airport staff with gifts, including a round-trip prestige-class ticket and a voucher for the Grand Hyatt Incheon.“I came here to celebrate the New Year and experience Korean culture through traveling and shopping,” she said. “What a great start. I have good feelings about my trip.”According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists surged more than 26 percent to 5.51 million in the first 11 months of 2019, compared with the previous year.

Jan 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho
First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher
Law & Crime

Korean tourists attacked in Seattle: reports

A man faces hate-crime charges after allegedly attacking Korean tourists in Seattle on Christmas Day. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoA man was charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking Korean tourists in Seattle last week, according to local media Wednesday (KST).Citing court documents, KOMO News reported that the suspect, 30, yelled, “I hate Chinese,” at a group of Korean men before assaulting two of them near the AMC movie theater at Pacific Place on Christmas Day.The visitors from California, Missouri and Korea told police that the man hit one of them in the face and punched another in the back.The suspect, who was convicted of felony assault in 2004 and 2016, has had 16 arrest warrants since 2016.“Visitors to Seattle deserve to feel safe in the heart of our city,” the nonprofit organization Downtown Seattle Association's spokesman was quoted as saying.“With a string of recent arrests, it's clear this individual isn't getting the help he needs. We need to fix a system that is failing both the community and the repeat offender.”

Jan 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Korean tourists attacked in Seattle: reports
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