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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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Politics

Ruling party backs off Supreme Court expansion plan amid outcry

Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) opted, Thursday, to delay its controversial push for legislation that would dramatically expand the Supreme Court, proposing to increase the number of justices from 14 to 30. The move came amid escalating concerns over the potential impact on judicial independence. Referred to by critics as "court packing," the proposed bill, if enacted, is widely feared to swiftly recalibrate the ideological balance of the nation's highest judicial body. Opponents contend such an expansion would align the court's composition more closely with the political views of President Lee Jae-myung, who took office just this Wednesday. The Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jung Chung-rae, approved that bill on Wednesday amid opposition from the conservative People Power Party. DPK officials said it may try to pass the bill during Thursday's plenary session at the Assembly. Under the bill, 16 additional Supreme Court justices will be added over the next four years. All will be appointed by President Lee, who has just begun his five-yea

Jun 5, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Ruling party backs off Supreme Court expansion plan amid outcry
  • 30 on the bench? DPK eyes radical Supreme Court expansion plan
  • DPK pauses contentious court overhaul bid — for now
Politics

President nominates Rep. Kim Min-seok as prime minister

President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday nominated Kim Min-seok, an activist-turned-lawmaker who led his election win as co-chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) campaign committee, for Korea’s next prime minister. It was Lee’s first job announcement after his inauguration earlier in the day. “Rep. Kim Min-seok is the right candidate to lead the recovery of the economy with his rich parliamentary experience, political and policy acumen as well as good sense of international affairs,” Lee told reporters at the presidential briefing room in Seoul. Known as one of the key figures in the pro-Lee faction within the liberal party, Kim, 61, was elected to its Supreme Council in August 2024 before joining the presidential campaign. For the general elections held the same year, Kim was also a director of its campaign operations and helped lead the party to a landslide win. To formally assume office, Kim is required to receive the approval of the National Assembly ― a process unlikely to face significant hurdles, as the ruling party holds a majority. Once confirmed, he will beg

Jun 4, 2025By Jung Min-ho
President nominates Rep. Kim Min-seok as prime minister
Foreign Affairs

Diplomatic, security challenges lie ahead for new president

When Yoon Suk Yeol was sworn in as South Korea’s president three years ago, denuclearization of North Korea still appeared within reach, China had not yet introduced its DeepSeek artificial intelligence model and Donald Trump was not occupying the White House. With Lee Jae-myung’s election victory, he took office Wednesday amid a dramatically shifting global landscape — one defined by rising geopolitical tensions and mounting security challenges that will put his foreign policy instincts to the test. “The complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is no longer viable. And a nuclear-armed North Korea has become an irreversible reality for all South Koreans. Now the question for the new administration is how to live with that nuclear threat,” Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, told The Korea Times. What has also changed over the past three years is North Korea’s view of the South and the possibility of peaceful unification. In a declaration that completely reversed its decades-long stance on

Jun 4, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Diplomatic, security challenges lie ahead for new president
Politics

Bills target hate speech, fake news amid controversy over Lee Jae-myung's son

Amid controversy surrounding the son of leading presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, liberal lawmakers are pushing to criminalize the creation and spread of hate speech and disinformation. This legislative drive has ignited a fierce debate over free expression ahead of the pivotal Tuesday presidential election. One key proposal, recently introduced by Rep. Cho In-cheul and fellow Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) members, specifically aims to outlaw information deemed discriminatory against certain individuals or groups. This move signifies a potential shift in Korea's legal approach to public discourse, setting new boundaries in a society increasingly grappling with polarized narratives. “The goal is to contribute to the establishment of a healthy internet culture by criminalizing information that justifies, promotes or reinforces discrimination against a particular group or its members on the basis of race, nationality, ethnicity, region, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, occupation or disease,” the lawmakers said. Another bill, proposed by 13 DPK lawmakers, se

Jun 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Bills target hate speech, fake news amid controversy over Lee Jae-myung's son
Tech & Science

Korea’s environment ministry to test-use ChatGPT

Korea’s environment ministry will test-use ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by U.S. company OpenAI, for a month before formally adopting that technology to streamline and improve its operations later this year, officials said on Sunday. According to the ministry, its 100-member team will begin using various features of ChatGPT Plus — the paid version of ChatGPT — in their daily work starting Monday, including data analysis, preparing presentation materials, and translating documents into multiple languages. However, during the test period, the officials are not allowed to put in sensitive, information such as personal data, under the ministry’s internal security rules. After the test period, they plan to submit feedback to the ministry about whether the AI tool has been useful for their work and areas of concern. Their opinions will be used to comprehensively evaluate the ministry's plan to adopt AI technologies, potentially starting in September. This comes as government ministries and agencies seek ways to take advantage of ChatGPT and other

Jun 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Korea’s environment ministry to test-use ChatGPT
Law & Crime

Election watchdog chief apologizes over errors

The chief of the National Election Commission (NEC) has apologized for management mistakes during last week’s early voting for the presidential election, vowing to make every effort to minimize such errors on Election Day on Tuesday. “There were some management lapses,” Chairperson Roh Tae-ak told reporters at its office in eastern Seoul, Saturday. “I apologize for any confusion we may have caused voters.” This came after the revelation that some voters held ballots outside one of the voting stations in Seoul, Thursday, — a violation of the Public Official Election Act. In a separate case the same day, a contract official responsible for distributing ballots was detained after voting twice, using both her own and her husband’s identification cards. These unprecedented incidents occurred amid growing distrust in the commission’s competence and integrity as the national election watchdog — particularly among conservatives, some of whom have claimed instances of vote rigging in past elections. Following media reports about the incidents, members of the People’s Welfare C

Jun 1, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Election watchdog chief apologizes over errors
Politics

Nation's two leading candidates silent on human rights issues

A coalition of prominent human rights organizations, both within South Korea and internationally, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Human Rights Watch, sought to engage the nation's leading presidential contenders regarding fundamental rights. However, their questionnaires have reportedly been met with silence from the two front-runners. According to Human Rights Watch, Wednesday, Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, and his liberal rival, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, have notably declined to respond. The unanswered questions addressed key issues such as freedom of speech, environmental responsibility and the future of human rights policy toward North Korea, among others. Another questionnaire sent jointly by the FIDH and the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a Seoul-based group, was also met with silence, according to a TJWG official. “It is deeply disappointing that voters will have to cast their ballots without knowing where the two major candidates stand on key issues,” the o

May 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Nation's two leading candidates silent on human rights issues
Foreign Affairs

Presidential candidates differ on N. Korea, foreign policy

Presidential candidates from South Korea’s two major parties say they want peace on the Korean Peninsula and a stronger global role for their country. However, they differ sharply on how to achieve these goals. This significant divides in foreign and inter-Korean policy underscore the high stakes for South Korea, positioned at a critical geopolitical crossroads. The incoming president’s decisions could redefine Seoul’s alliances, economic trajectory and the delicate power balance in Northeast Asia. With less than a week remaining until the June 3 presidential election, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea present starkly contrasting approaches to crucial foreign policy issues — most notably in their strategies for dealing with North Korea’s authoritarian regime. Kim’s 219-page manifesto, unveiled Monday, ties his North Korea policy closely to his U.S. strategy and defense plans, with a strong emphasis on bolstering deterrence. As president, Kim said he would pursue the dedication of some U.S. nuclear weapons in Guam to dete

May 27, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Presidential candidates differ on N. Korea, foreign policy
North Korea

Immediate inter-Korean summit infeasible, Lee Jae-myung says

Holding an inter-Korean summit is necessary but it would be difficult in the near future, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, said Monday. Asked by reporters about his unification policy, Lee said he would push to resume talks with Pyongyang if he becomes president, hinting at reversing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s policy focused on deterrence against ― rather than negotiation with ― the North regime. “I don’t know if it would be possible. It is going to be very difficult, given the circumstances. But of course we should prepare and make it possible,” Lee said. Lee's stance is somewhat different from the usual stance of liberal administrations in the past, which used to set inter-Korean talks as a policy priority. This reflects the current inter-Korean relations which have been at their lowest in decades, with the North identifying the South as a separate and hostile nation and strengthening military ties with Russia in recent years. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants t

May 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Immediate inter-Korean summit infeasible, Lee Jae-myung says
Law & Crime

DPK pauses contentious court overhaul bid — for now

The liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has decided to withdraw a set of controversial legislative bills that sought sweeping changes to the justice system, following criticism that the proposals threatened judicial independence. The party announced its decision on Monday — the same day court representatives from across the country convened to address growing concerns over the judiciary’s independence and integrity. Of the 126 court representatives, 88 attended the meeting, where they discussed the fallout from the Supreme Court’s May 1 ruling, which overturned a lower court’s acquittal of DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating the election law. The verdict triggered a strong backlash from DPK lawmakers, raising concerns about political pressure on the courts. The DPK’s swift withdrawal of the bills, coming just before the rare gathering of judiciary representatives, appears aimed at easing immediate tensions. However, the judges' decision not to release a public statement underscores persistent anxieties within the legal community, suggesting th

May 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho
DPK pauses contentious court overhaul bid — for now
  • 30 on the bench? DPK eyes radical Supreme Court expansion plan
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