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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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Gov’t orders nationwide crackdown on labor exploitation of migrant workers

Korea is launching a nationwide crackdown on the exploitative trafficking of seasonal migrant workers, a move prompted by a high-profile case late last year in which Filipino farmworkers reported severe mistreatment. From Thursday through March 31, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Justice will carry out joint inspections with local governments, mainly targeting agricultural and fisheries workplaces that employ foreign seasonal workers, officials said Wednesday. This is the first time the two ministries have carried out a joint inspection specifically aimed at protecting foreign workers from abuses associated with human trafficking. This comes amid a jump in trafficking cases, many of them involving forced labor. According to a senior official at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the number of confirmed cases surged from just 3 in 2023 to 12 in 2024 and 42 in 2025. All victims were foreign nationals. Among all the cases, labor exploitation was the most common type of abuse with 43 victims, followed by 10 cases of sexual exploitation. In those exploitative

Jan 7, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Gov’t orders nationwide crackdown on labor exploitation of migrant workers
Society

Seoul approves Hyundai Motor’s revised headquarters plan

Seoul city officials have approved a redesign of Hyundai Motor’s planned headquarters in the southern part of the capital, reviving a project that had been mired in delays by setting a new 2031 completion target and replacing the original single-tower plan with three separate buildings. Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Tuesday that negotiations triggered by the company’s request to alter the original plan wrapped up on Dec. 30, clearing procedural hurdles that had kept the Global Business Complex (GBC) project in limbo. The development on the former Korea Electric Power Corporation site near COEX was originally envisioned as a single 105-story “super tall” tower that would house offices, a hotel and cultural facilities. But objections from the military over potential interference with operations, combined with changing market conditions, pushed Hyundai to abandon the plan in favor of slimmer and shorter office towers. The negotiations resulted in an agreement that allows for three buildings on the 79,341 square meter plot, each 49 stories and about 242 meters high, Kim

Jan 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul approves Hyundai Motor’s revised headquarters plan
Society

Seoul moves to broaden use of autonomous buses to fill late-night transit gaps

Seoul is expanding its self-driving bus network to bolster late-night public transportation and improve transit in underserved neighborhoods, as city officials move this year to transition semiautonomous services from pilot projects into a permanent part of the public transportation system. So far, the city’s autonomous bus operations have been limited to a small number of pilot routes, including services in specially designated zones such as Sangam-dong. Now, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is scaling up the number of both vehicles and routes, focusing on time periods and areas where conventional bus services are insufficient. One of the most visible changes will be the expansion of autonomous buses operating in the predawn hours. Currently, the A160 — which stands for Autonomous 160 — runs once a day ahead of the normal 160 bus, servicing early morning commuters. The A160 leaves Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center at 3:30 a.m. and travels to Yeongdeungpo Station, covering about 50 kilometers. What began as a single route is being expanded to four that will link key r

Jan 6, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Seoul moves to broaden use of autonomous buses to fill late-night transit gaps
Society

UN envoy signals scrutiny over 'fake news' law as lawyers condemn 'state censorship'

A United Nations free speech envoy has signaled scrutiny of Korea’s new “anti-false information” law, as Korean lawyers warn it could amount to state censorship and a threat to digital trade. In response to a Korea Times inquiry addressed to Irene Khan, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, her secretariat confirmed that the mandate is actively monitoring the situation following President Lee Jae Myung’s approval of the law earlier this week. The law will come into force in July. “The Special Rapporteur is following this matter very closely. We regret that it was not possible to take action before, due to numerous other commitments, but we will continue to work on this matter,” the secretariat said, indicating that further U.N. engagement is under consideration. The law targets the spread of “false” or “manipulated” information online, covering news outlets as well as major digital platforms. It allows courts to order punitive damages of up to five times the proven harm when media organizations or large online channels are found to have intentionally

Jan 2, 2026By Jung Min-ho
UN envoy signals scrutiny over 'fake news' law as lawyers condemn 'state censorship'
  • Korea in talks with US over 'anti-fake news' law
Foreign Affairs

Korea in talks with US over 'anti-fake news' law

Discussion is ongoing between Seoul and Washington over amendments to Korea's Information and Networks Communication Act, as the U.S. has expressed concern over the potential impact it may have on American businesses here, National Security Adviser Wi Sung‑lac said, Friday. He said Washington’s concerns were partly reflected in the final text but not to the extent it might have hoped. Speaking to reporters at Cheong Wa Dae, Wi said the U.S. was consulted while the revision was being drafted. “There have been exchanges of opinions on the Network Act between officials of Korea and the U.S. As far as I know, there are parts where those views have been reflected. Of course the U.S. side would say the reflected parts are not sufficient and they may raise concerns afterward, but we intend to continue talks on the issue,” he said. The law, amended on Dec 24, 2025, introduces criminal penalties for the distribution of "false" or "manipulated" information online. The government and lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea claim the overhaul was necessary to respond to “social h

Jan 2, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea in talks with US over 'anti-fake news' law
  • US claims Korea's new network law will negatively impact American tech giants' business
Health

Doctor shortage projections ignite fresh tensions with medical groups

A recent estimate showing Korea could face a severe doctor shortage by 2040 is reigniting tensions over medical school quotas, as medical groups move to discredit the projections. The Physician Workforce Projection Committee, an advisory body involving representatives of doctors, warned earlier this week that the country could face a shortage of up to 11,136 doctors by that year, even if artificial intelligence is deployed more widely in clinical practice. The projections put demand for physicians at between 144,688 and 149,273 by 2040, while the active workforce is expected to reach only 138,137 to 138,984, leaving a gap of 5,704 to 11,136 doctors. The new numbers are significantly lower than the “15,000 doctors short by 2035” projection presented during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which used that number to justify expanding the nationwide medical school quota by 2,000 extra students. This plan of increasing the annual intake from 3,058 to 5,058 students was eventually reversed following a fierce backlash from trainee physicians, who demanded an objective basis for

Jan 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Doctor shortage projections ignite fresh tensions with medical groups
Society

From AI child protection to visa reform: What social policies are changing in 2026

Korea is ushering in 2026 with several policy changes affecting families, workers, foreigner nationals and even animals, as the government moves to expand childcare support, strengthen labor protections, attract global workers and phase out long-controversial practices. AI system to fight online child sexual exploitation Authorities will roll out an artificial intelligence (AI)–based early response system that can detect and block online sexual exploitation of children and teenagers in real time. The platform, set to begin operation in April, is designed to automatically scan images, videos and text across digital environments based on learned patterns. After risk assessment, the system flags suspected abusive content and alerts human monitors who can refer high risk cases directly to the police and other reporting channels, replacing the older model that primarily relied on manual monitoring. Bear farming ban takes effect After decades of controversy over bile extraction, a ban on breeding bears for gallbladder harvesting and related commercial uses comes into force on New Year’s Da

Jan 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho
From AI child protection to visa reform: What social policies are changing in 2026
  • From state pension to foreign workers, K-food: How policies will change in 2026
Global Community

NEW YEAR POLL Foreign residents say Korea feels like ‘temporary home’

Many foreign residents here do not see Korea as a place where they can realistically build a long-term life, a poll showed, highlighting deep uncertainties over whether they can secure permanent status, stable jobs or a genuine sense of belonging. In an online poll of 258 foreign residents and naturalized Koreans conducted by Hankook Research for The Korea Times from Dec. 18 to 24, respondents across different age and visa brackets reported struggling to obtain stable careers and long-term status in spite of years spent studying or working here. Many said Korea still treats them more as temporary guests than as members of society. They call for more inclusive immigration rules, easier paths to permanent residency and citizenship, as well as formal channels for foreign residents to have their views reflected in policy. Experts say that without such reforms, foreign residents will remain stuck in a holding pattern ― useful to the economy, but never fully accepted as part of Korean society. When it comes to people’s general attitudes toward cultural diversity, however, the picture is m

Jan 1, 2026By Jung Min-ho
[NEW YEAR POLL] Foreign residents say Korea feels like ‘temporary home’
Society

Tripartite declaration sets goal to reduce Korea’s working hours to OECD average

Labor, business and government representatives have agreed on a landmark plan to reduce Korea’s annual working hours to about the OECD average by 2030, casting shorter hours as a national strategy for sustainable growth and tackling the low birthrate. At a public briefing held Tuesday on the “Road Map Task Force for Reducing Actual Working Hours,” representatives announced a joint declaration and policy blueprint committing all three sides to bringing the country’s average annual working hours down to about 1,700 hours, roughly in line with the average for members of the OECD, a group of mostly advanced economies. This marks the first time the three sides have formally defined reducing working time as a joint mission, presenting it as a necessary step toward achieving “work-life balance.” Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon and senior representatives of labor and business all pledged to shift the country away from its long-hours work culture toward “qualitative labor,” where efficiency and fair rewards replace reliance on overtime. “Labor, management and government share the

Dec 30, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Tripartite declaration sets goal to reduce Korea’s working hours to OECD average
Society

Over 4,000 schools shut down nationwide as student numbers plunge

More than 4,000 elementary, middle and high schools across Korea have shut their doors as the country’s student population shrinks, new data shows. According to the Ministry of Education’s latest figures, revealed on Sunday by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, since 1980, 4,008 schools under 17 regional education offices nationwide have closed as of March this year. During the period, the number of enrolled students decreased from 9.9 million to 5.07 million. Elementary schools account for the majority of closures, with 3,674 shut down permanently, compared with 264 middle schools and 70 high schools. Over the past five years alone, 158 schools have closed, and an additional 107 schools are projected to shut down over the next five years. Korea’s birthrate ― the lowest in the world with the total fertility rate remaining below 0.8 ― is the chief reason behind this contraction. The pace of closures also suggests that enrollment decline is expected to accelerate in provincial regions rather than in the capital area. The largest number of closures are in No

Dec 28, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Over 4,000 schools shut down nationwide as student numbers plunge
  • Facing enrollment crisis, Seoul boosts funding, support for small schools
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