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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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South Korea

Ahn stumps for Moon in Busan

Moon Jae-in, presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party, raises fist as Ahn Cheol-soo, the former independent candidate who endorses him, looks on during a campaign stop at a department store in Busan, Friday.                                                                                                                               / Yonhap By Jung Min-hoMoon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo showed up together in the southeastern port city of Busan to court voters Friday, a day after the software millionaire promised to back the Democratic United Party’s (DUP) candidate.Cheering fans and supporters in the ruling Saenuri Party’s home turf gathered there to see the two, stirring speculation whether the united liberal front could turn the c

Dec 7, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Politics

Moon, Ahn seek turnaround

Moon Jae-in, presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party, waves to supporters during a campaign stop at the Dongmun Traditional Market on Jeju Island, Friday. YonhapLiberals expect synergy effect via allianceBy Jung Min-ho Galvanized by Ahn Cheol-soos pledge Thursday of his fullfledged support, Democratic United Party (DUP) presidential candidate Moon Jae-in was seeking fresh momentum Friday in the ruling Saenuri Partys longtime stronghold of Busan.Moon planned to canvass the city for votes after finishing his campaign schedule on Jeju Island by 3 p.m. and Ahn announced his plan to be in downtown Busan and Busan Station Square from 5 p.m. It is nonetheless uncertain if the two will meet.Now all the doubts and concerns have been banished and the peoples choice has become simple between choosing the unity of failed privileged and the unity of the people who will prosper, Moon camp spokesman Park Kwang-on said.We remember that our party received more than a 40 percent support from South Gyeongsang Province in the April parliamentary elections. We encourage the

Dec 7, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Moon, Ahn seek turnaround
South Korea

Naturalized voters ask candidates for special body

A group of foreign residents and the Migrant Voters Alliance officials discuss their demands to be conveyed to presidential candidates ahead of the election on Dec. 19, at Seoul YMCA, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho By Jung Min-hoRepresentatives of naturalized Korean voters resolved to make a collective demand Thursday for a special organization to deal with various immigration issues.These will be conveyed to presidential candidates Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in before the election on Dec. 19.“In a country where immigrants account for 3.5 percent of the total population, the need for an organization specialized in dealing with immigration matters is obvious and the request seems reasonable,” Asian Friends Chairman Kim Joon-sik said at the meeting in the Seoul YMCA. “Currently, the Ministry of Gender Equality, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labor handle the immigrants issues and predicaments separately depending on the nature of the problem. However, it makes both the service providers and receivers confused.”At the Migrant Voter

Dec 6, 2012By Jung Min-ho
South Korea

Overseas voting kicks off

By Jung Min-hoKoreans living in Auckland, New Zealand cast their votes Wednesday for the presidential election, participating in the first overseas absentee ballot in the nation’s history.According to the National Election Commission (NEC), 222,389 people in 110 nations are registered to vote at 164 polling stations. In all locations, voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will run between four and six days depending on the number of voters residing in each region until the final ballots are cast in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 10.However, an estimated 2.3 million eligible voters live overseas, meaning the total registered represent around only 10 percent participation in the presidential poll. A total of 19.4 percent of these are permanent residents in other countries, while 80.6 percent are without residency such as students and travelers.Korean nationals overseas were first allowed to take part in the National Assembly election in 2012. In that poll, 123,571 people registered but only 45.7 percent, or 56,456, of them actually voted.Although the extension of the franchise t

Dec 5, 2012By Jung Min-ho
South Korea

Lee's performance draws mixed responses

By Jung Min-ho Lee Jung-heeUPP presidential contenderLee Jung-hee’s biting criticism of Park Geun-hye during Tuesday’s televised debate instantly drew mixed reactions, making her name the hottest search of the night on the nation’s No. 1 search engine Naver.While many right-wing media companies criticized the Unified Progressive Party candidate for “lowering the debate’s quality,” a plethora of others supported Lee, saying that her acute criticism “exposed Park’s inept communication skills and her moral deformity.”“Lee completely ruined what was supposed to be an opportunity for the voters to measure and compare the candidates’ personality, ability and policies,” said Park Sun-kyu a spokesman of the ruling Saenuri Party’s election camp,. “She should have respected the other participants knowing that the public was watching the debate. But Lee was blatantly hostile and the other two were unable to fully show what they had prepared because of her.”The moderator failed to keep the situati

Dec 5, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Lee's performance draws mixed responses
South Korea

Also-ran steals show from 2 major players

By Jung Min-ho Lee Jung-hee, candidate of the minor leftist Unified Progressive Party, looks toward the ruling Saenuri Party's Park Geun=hye, unseen in this photo, during one of their sharp exchanges in Tuesday night's televised presidential debate. / YonhapThe Unified Progressive Party’s (UPP) presidential candidate Lee Jung-hee went on the offensive from the get-go, concentrating her attacks on Park Geun-hye and leaving Moon Jae-in out of the limelight in Tuesday’s three-way televised debate.In the first of three such meetings, the well-prepared Lee bombarded the ruling Saenuri Party candidate with criticism, saying Park and her surrogates were at the center of political corruption and lies.“Unlike the ruling Saenuri Party claim that they will regulate major supermarkets that kill small businesses, the party opposed passing such a law at the National Assembly,” Lee said. “Sometimes, enacting proper laws and regulations are seen as not important as people in power often dodge them anyway.”When the topic was changed from “political refor

Dec 4, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Also-ran steals show from 2 major players
  • Park gains, Moon loses and Lee smiles
South Korea

Lee poses 2-edged sword for Rep. Moon

By Jung Min-ho Lee Jung-heeThe Unified Progressive Party (UPP)’s presidential candidate Lee Jung-hee is likely to target her conservative counterpart Park Geun-hye during Tuesday’s three-way televised debate, but Park’s ideological counterattack could hurt both Lee and Moon Jae-in.A day before their crucial war of words is set to take place, the minor opposition contender made it clear that Park will be her main target but also said her part in the debate will not be to favor Moon, making it clear that the debate will consist of one-on-one exchanges not two against one attacks.The presence of the articulate former human rights lawyer is a significant threat, especially to the conservative candidate, but could also make the Democratic United Party (DUP) candidate vulnerable to any ideological counterattack from Park if she refers to them together as a pro-North Korean leftist force: a tactic favored by the political right during election campaigns.As Lee’s party recently commented controversially, “If North Korea’s upcoming rocket launch is a s

Dec 4, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Lee poses 2-edged sword for Rep. Moon
South Korea

TV endorsement speeches begin

By Jung Min-ho Sung Kim, U.S. Ambassador to Korea, arrives at the headquarters of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss countermeasures regarding North Korea’s planned rocket launch, Monday. / YonhapBackers of Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in began a televised series of endorsement speeches Sunday and Monday respectively in support of the respective presidential candidates ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election.To start, Park chose a middle school alumnus and Moon selected a factory worker he helped when working as human rights lawyer to highlight their humanity instead of focusing on the competitiveness of their policies.  Starting with an informal greeting, “Hi Geun-hye,” Park Bong-sun, the ruling Saenuri Party candidate’s friend from Sacred Heart Girls’ Middle School, described Park as a “genuine and down-to-earth” individual who is most suitable for the nation’s top job.In her personalized letter format speech, she said, “Going to the same school with you, I really didn’t feel that you were the pres

Dec 3, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Politics

Candidates fight TV commercial war

Park Geun-hye, left, presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, and Moon Jae-in, presidential contender of the main opposition Democratic United Party, appear in TV commercials. / YonhapBy Jung Min-ho Presidential contenders Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in released their first television campaign advertisements Tuesday as they compete to win the hearts and minds of voters ahead of the Dec. 19 polls.But commercials are one thing and television debates are another. Park, the conservative candidate from the ruling Saenuri Party, has repeatedly declined requests by the opposition challenger to engage in more presidential debates than the three required under the Election Law that will air on Dec. 4, 10 and 16.Park’s television advertisement is built around her slogan to “heal people’s wounded hearts.” Moon’s Democratic United Party (DUP) is aimed at highlighting its candidate’s down-to-earth image.In the 60-second video, the Saenuri Party attempted to stoke the emotions of Park’s supporters by reminding them when Park was slashed on t

Nov 28, 2012By Jung Min-ho
Candidates fight TV commercial war
Opinion

Park fails to impress voters at 'solo' debate

By Jung Min-hoThe ruling Saenuri party presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye failed to impress voters Monday night during a 70-minute talk show her campaign officials attempted to sell as a “debate.”During her television appearance, the conservative candidate squandered a valuable opportunity by taking advantage of panelists, the host and the format, which were selected and orchestrated by her party, offering abstract answers to questions that needed specific responses.It’s questionable as to why her party wanted to refer to the program as a debate in the first place. The word ``debate’’ is defined as:  “a discussion about a subject on which people have different views,” according to the Collins Cobuild Advanced Dictionary. Park’s appearance was more like a solo concert minus the music.Nevertheless, good questions were brought up covering important issues such as the rising unemployment rate, mounting household debt and ridiculously expensive college tuition fees, which have dominated political discourse for a number of years. But her

Nov 27, 2012By Jung Min-ho
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