Society
PHOTOS Anseong factory blaze
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a paper box factory in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. The fire killed one firefighter and injured 10 other people. YonhapYonhapYonhapYonhap
Aug 6, 2019
![Anseong factory blaze [PHOTOS]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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
Sales of Japanese cars in Korea tumble amid boycott
Honda cars on display at the automaker's headquarters in Tokyo, July 31. APA woman walks past an advertisement featuring Japanese and Korean flags at a shop in Shin Okubo area in Tokyo, Aug. 2. Japan has removed Korea from a "whitelist" of countries with preferential trade status. APBy Jung Min-hoSales of Japanese cars in Korea suffered a sudden drop in July as a boycott of Japanese products started to bite, data showed Monday.According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), the number of newly registered Japanese vehicles stood at 2,674 in July, a 17.2 percent drop from the same period last year. Compared with June, the number plunged 32.2 percent.Feeling the pinch of the escalating boycott, triggered early last month by Japan's export restrictions, Toyota's vehicle sales plunged 31.9 percent to 865 from 1,270 a year ago. Sales of Honda and Nissan tumbled 33.5 percent to 468 from 704 and 35 percent to 228 from 351, respectively.Sales of Lexus, Korea's third most popular imported car brand after Mercedes and BMW, were down 25 percent to 98
Aug 5, 2019
Foreign Affairs
Korean man detained in Hong Kong over anti-gov't protest
Protesters light fires as they gather in the Causeway Bay MTR station in Hong Kong, Sunday. Riot police fired tear gas at protesters on Hong Kong island, the second consecutive night of unrest in a territory battered by weeks of anti-government rallies. AFPRiot police officers are engulfed in tear gas during an anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, Sunday. Hong Kong is in the midst of its ninth consecutive weekend of multiple anti-extradition demonstrations. EPABy Jung Min-hoA Korean man has been detained in Hong Kong for allegedly participating in a protest against a controversial extradition bill.According to the Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong Sunday, the man, 26, is being investigated for allegedly participating in a massive protest against the bill in Hong Kong at the shopping district of Mong Kok.The man, whose identity is being withheld, reportedly works at a local restaurant.“Hong Kong police are looking into whether he was actively participating in the protest,” an embassy official said. “We urged them to conduct a fair investigation.”In t
Aug 5, 2019
Foreign Affairs
PHOTOS Anti-Abe protests held in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul
Korean protesters hold up their cards during a rally against Japan in front of a building which houses Japanese embassy in Seoul, Korea, Friday. Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved the removal of Korea from a "whitelist" of countries with preferential trade status, a move sure to fuel antagonism already at a boiling point over recent export controls and the issue of compensation for wartime Korean laborers. APYonhapAPYonhap
Aug 2, 2019
Law & Crime
Vietnamese man arrested for stealing $30,000 of clothes
YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA Vietnamese man has been arrested on charges of stealing more than 900 pieces of clothing in Seoul, police said Thursday.According to the Jongno Police Station, the suspect, 32, who came to Korea on a tourist visa on June 15, stole 958 pieces of clothing worth 36 million won ($30,000) from seven shops between June 20 and 24.Police said he used a specially made bag to avoid anti-theft alarms.He told police he was going to send the clothes to an accomplice in Vietnam.
Aug 1, 2019
Health
Busan restaurant blamed for 64 hepatitis A cases
The restaurant's salted clams (jogae jeotgal) are suspected as the source of the infection. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoA Busan restaurant has been blamed for a surge in hepatitis A infections in the city.The Busan Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that 64 people who dined at the same restaurant between mid-June and early July were confirmed to have been infected with the virus. The restaurant's name and location have not been specified.Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease that can be transmitted through contaminated food or water, or from close contact with an infected person. Unlike hepatitis B and C, it does not cause chronic liver disease but can cause symptoms such as fatigue, sudden nausea and fulminant hepatitis (acute liver failure), which is often fatal.Health officials suspect the restaurant's salted clams (jogae jeotgal) as the source of infection. They are now examining the ingredients while conducting an epidemiological investigation to find out who else is at risk.
Aug 1, 2019
Law & Crime
Hungarian swimmer allowed to leave Korea despite sexual harassment charge
Hungary's Tamas Kenderesi competes in the men's 200m butterfly during the FINA World Championship at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju, Korea, July 23. ReutersBy Jung Min-hoHungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi, 22, has been given permission to leave Korea despite being charged with sexual harassment.The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday that the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medalist, who competed at the FINA World Championships in the city, was allowed to return home after agreeing to pay a deposit of 3 million won ($2,500) toward any fine.It is unclear whether Kenderesi has left Korea.He was detained Sunday for allegedly groping a Korean woman, 18, at a nightclub about 3 a.m. He was released that day but banned from leaving the country while police investigated.The prosecution concluded that the alleged crime is a summary offense and will deal with it administratively without a trial.
Aug 1, 2019
Companies
Over 200,000 people sign petition against sex doll imports
In this July 11, 2018, file photo, workers assemble sex dolls at the WMDOLL factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China. ReutersBy Jung Min-hoMore than 200,000 people have signed a petition against the import of life-size sex dolls into Korea.As of Wednesday, more than 210,000 people signed the petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, a month after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision to allow the import of such dolls.“They are not ordinary sex toys,” the petitioner wrote. “A life-size sex doll resembles a woman’s body in every detail. It can even be customized to fit an individual’s needs for hairstyle, facial structure, birthmarks or anything.“Nowadays, deepfake celebrity porn videos can easily be found online. There’s no guarantee that sex dolls won’t be used for such purposes. People may be shocked to find sex dolls that look just like them. If that happens, who will take responsibility for the damage?”A sex doll is a type of sex toy the size and shape of a human. Sex dolls exist in various forms, but are distingu
Jul 31, 2019
Law & Crime
Sexual harassment probe: Hungarian swimmer banned from leaving Korea
Tamas Kenderesi has been banned from leaving Korea over alleged sexual harassment at a Gwangju nightclub. AFPBy Jung Min-hoHungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi, 22, has been banned from leaving Korea after being detained for allegedly sexually harassing a Korean woman.The Rio Olympics bronze medalist, who is competing at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, was detained Sunday for allegedly groping a woman, 18, at a nightclub about 3 a.m.According to the Gwangju Seobu Police Station Monday, he was released Sunday but banned from leaving the country for the next 10 days while the investigation continues.Kenderesi expressed his wish to return home after depositing with the court a sum equivalent to an estimated fine for such a crime, police said.Hungary's swimming governing body confirmed his situation.“The Hungarian swim federation, in cooperation with staff at the Hungarian embassy in Korea, is doing its best to clarify the allegations against Tamas Kenderesi,” Hungary's swimming federation said.“During the investigation, the athlete is entitled to a presumption of
Jul 30, 2019
Law & Crime
Liberal activist under probe for threatening liberal lawmaker
A box containing a threatening letter, a dead bird and a knife has been sent to Rep. Youn So-ha. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoA liberal activist is being investigated for allegedly threatening a liberal lawmaker, police said Monday.According to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, police apprehended the accused, 35, surnamed Yoon, for allegedly sending a threatening letter with a dead bird and a knife to Rep. Youn So-ha, floor leader of the minor liberal Justice Party.Police said the suspect, a senior official at an activist group for liberal college students, made the incident look like a radical right-winger sent the box.In the letter, Yoon said, “You are a stooge of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea … Watch your back. You are in our target range.”The motive for the threat remains unclear.Party chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi and National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang denounced the incident, calling it a threat to all party members and Korean society.
Jul 29, 2019