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.
People walk by the roses of Sharon (Mugunghwa) at the Seoul Mugunghwa Festival in the Seodaemun Independence Park, Seoul, Thursday. The Seoul city government said the event will continue until Aug. 15. YonhapYonhapYonhapYonhap
![Roses of Sharon (Mugunghwa) in full bloom [PHOTOS]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
This photo, captured from Russian website Sport 24, shows Sergio Busato, an assistant coach for the Russian national women's volleyball team, making a racist gesture after his team beat Korea at an Olympic qualifying tournament match in Kaliningrad, Russia, Aug. 4. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoThe Korea Volleyball Association (KVA) said Thursday it has filed complaints against a Russian women's team coach for his racist gesture following a recent match between the two countries.The national governing body for the sport said it filed complaints with FIVB, the international volleyball federation, and its Russian counterpart against Sergio Busato, an Italian-born assistant coach for Russia, who made a “slant-eye” gesture after Sunday's qualifying tournament game for the next Olympics.“We expressed regret at his racist gesture to FIVB and the Russian federation and demanded they take proper measures,” a KVA official told reporters.In the final Group E match at DS Yantarny in Kaliningrad, Russia, Korea lost to the host 3-2. The victory qualified Russia for next year's Tokyo
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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