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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

Protest intensifies in Sejong against oceans ministry relocation plan

Opposition is mounting in Sejong and the wider Chungcheong region against President Lee Jae Myung’s proposal to relocate the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan, with Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho urging the president to reconsider, citing concerns over both the plan’s practicality and its fairness. Conservative mayors and governors in the Chungcheong provinces have presented a unified front, criticizing the liberal administration’s acceleration of the relocation process, which has highlighted tensions between central and regional interests. At a press conference in Sejong on Monday, the mayor argued that the relocation “contradicts the principle of administrative efficiency” and harms the local economy. He stressed the importance of keeping the ministry in Sejong for effective coordination on complex issues such as the development of Arctic shipping routes, which require cooperation among multiple ministries, including those responsible for oceans, foreign affairs, environment and trade. Choi emphasized that the president’s proximity to these ministries is essential for ti

Jul 9, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Protest intensifies in Sejong against oceans ministry relocation plan
North Korea

Activists call for 3rd-party scrutiny before repatriation of N. Koreans

Human rights activists are urging the South Korean government to seek independent confirmation from a third party before repatriating six North Koreans, citing concerns over the credibility of official claims regarding the individuals’ intentions. Their request follows the Ministry of Unification’s announced plan to return the six as early as this week. It stated that all had expressed a desire to return to North Korea after being found in waters of the South ― two in the West Sea on March 7 and four in the East Sea on May 27. But skepticism persists among rights advocates, especially in light of a 2019 incident during the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, in which two North Korean fishermen were repatriated obviously against their will due to suspicions they had committed murder. “Even though the six people expressed their own intentions, I think that direct verification under the presence of the U.N. Refugee Agency or other U.N. agencies in Seoul is necessary because of the past case,” Peter Jung, a human rights activist who runs Justice for North Korea, a Seoul-based NGO,

Jul 8, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Activists call for 3rd-party scrutiny before repatriation of N. Koreans
  • South Korea to repatriate 6 North Korean residents
Society

Back-to-back fire tragedies prompt gov't review of fire safety rules

The presidential office on Friday ordered a thorough review of practical fire safety measures in residential buildings after the deaths of two girls in a Busan apartment fire on Wednesday ― mirroring a similar tragedy just a week ago. “In relation to the tragic incidents in which children lost their lives due to a series of fires in Busan, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC) to take sincere follow-up measures,” Kang Yu-jung, spokeswoman for President Lee Jae Myung, said at the office’s press briefing room. High-level officials and staff were dispatched to Busan to comfort the bereaved family and to assess the “structural causes” behind the recurrence of such accidents, she added. The two sisters, aged 8 and 6, were found dead after a fire that broke out at 10:58 p.m. on the building’s sixth floor in Gijang, a district in northeastern Busan. The results of autopsies on Friday showed that their deaths were caused by inhalation of toxic gases. The fire happened just 20 minutes after their parents went o

Jul 4, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Back-to-back fire tragedies prompt gov't review of fire safety rules
North Korea

HRW voices concern over probe into 6 US citizens for trying to send rice to N. Korea

Human Rights Watch (HRW), the New York-based human rights organization, has expressed concern regarding the investigation of six U.S. citizens who attempted to send money, rice and Bibles to North Korea last week. Lina Yoon, a senior researcher on the Korean Peninsula at HRW, raised the alarm following the brief detention of the activists by South Korean police on June 27. They were accused of violating an administrative order that bans sending any materials across the inter-Korean border, a measure enacted due to safety concerns for local residents. “The South Korean authorities’ use of a disaster-safety law to stop any North Korea-related border activity could deter groups that are trying to safely provide useful information to ordinary North Koreans. The government should not be discouraging careful, quiet outreach that allows North Koreans one of their few links to the outside world,” Yoon told The Korea Times recently. Their attempt to send the materials to the North has come as the liberal Lee Jae Myung government has been seeking engagement with Pyongyang. The activists atte

Jul 4, 2025By Jung Min-ho
HRW voices concern over probe into 6 US citizens for trying to send rice to N. Korea
Politics

President reaffirms commitment to overhaul power of prosecutors

President Lee Jae Myung reaffirmed on Thursday his commitment to sweeping prosecutorial reforms, underscoring the need to separate the powers of investigation and indictment within the justice system. At a press conference marking his first month in office, Lee described the initiative as “a very important and practical task,” adding that his administration and party would press ahead to see it through. “There seems to be no disagreement that the same entity should not hold both investigative and indictment powers,” Lee said at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Lee criticized what he described as past practices in which prosecutors were allegedly pressured to build cases around predetermined indictments, saying, “Investigating for the sake of indictment, or manipulating cases to suit indictments, must not happen.” He added, “Unfortunately, bad examples of such practices have been observed, even during the period of political debate over that issue. There was significant opposition to separating investigative and prosecutorial powers during the former Moon Jae-in administration. Now,

Jul 3, 2025By Jung Min-ho
President reaffirms commitment to overhaul power of prosecutors
Law & Crime

Seoul introduces QR reporting system for taxi complaints

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a QR code-based reporting system aimed at protecting foreign tourists from price gouging and other unlawful taxi practices. According to city officials, Wednesday, tourists can quickly report incidents such as meter non-use or excessive fares in English, Chinese or Japanese under the new system, which will be particularly useful for those who do not have time to participate in in-person interviews. The system is linked to the city government’s commercial vehicle monitoring platform. Thus, officials can cross-check submitted complaints with taxi operation records and, if necessary, impose penalties such as fines and business suspensions, city officials said. Since June 19, business card-sized flyers have been distributed to foreign visitors at Incheon and Gimpo International Airports. If they want to make QR reports, they can simply do so by scanning a QR code on these cards, according to the city government. Over the past 10 years, the city government has also executed on-site enforcement as part of efforts to monitor and prevent unlawful

Jul 3, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Seoul introduces QR reporting system for taxi complaints
Society

Think tank predicts Korea's population to shrink to 7.5 million in 100 years

Korea’s population could decline to just 7.53 million — about 15 percent of its current size — over the next century, according to a new think tank report. Published Wednesday by the Korean Peninsula Population Institute for Future, the report shows that even under its most optimistic scenario, Korea’s population is projected to decline from 51.68 million today to 15.73 million by 2125 — less than one-third of its current size. The institute’s projections use the internationally recognized cohort-component method to estimate future population changes by analyzing the three main components of population dynamics ― fertility, mortality and migration. The report underscores the exceptionally rapid pace of Korea’s demographic decline. The scenario assumes Korea’s total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman is expected to have ― will follow Statistics Korea’s official forecast until 2072. After that, it is held constant at three possible levels: 0.82 (low), 1.08 (medium) and 1.34 (high). Last year, the nation’s total fertility rate was just 0.75, t

Jul 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Think tank predicts Korea's population to shrink to 7.5 million in 100 years
Society

New law targeting delinquent parents comes into force

A new law targeting delinquent parents took effect Tuesday, as the government pledged to pursue child support evaders directly on behalf of those affected. The new law marks a significant shift in the government’s approach to a long-standing social issue. By stepping in to provide immediate financial support, the state aims to shield vulnerable children from the economic fallout of parental neglect. The measure not only strengthens the safety net for single-parent families, but also grants the Child Support Agency expanded authority to pursue delinquent parents — signaling a more assertive stance on enforcement and accountability. Under the revised Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment, the state-run Child Support Agency will provide 200,000 won ($150) each month per child to parents who have not received legally mandated support from former partners, and will later seek to recover the overdue payments from the delinquent parent. Legal guardians of minor children become eligible for state support if they have gone without child support payments for three months or mo

Jul 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
New law targeting delinquent parents comes into force
Law & Crime

Ex-president given 5-day ultimatum to appear for sedition inquiry

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was given a five-day deadline on Tuesday to appear for questioning by 9 a.m. Saturday over sedition allegations tied to his declaration of martial law last year. The investigation team, led by independent counsel Cho Eun-suk, warned it will seek a court warrant to detain Yoon if he once again fails to comply. “If he fails to appear even on the fifth, then since all the (legal) requirements will have been met, I think the court will issue a warrant,” Park Ji-young, a deputy to the special counsel, said during a press briefing. “The fifth is our final notice to appear.” This ultimatum follows Yoon’s refusal to attend questioning on Tuesday, citing health issues, as well as a scheduled court hearing Thursday for his criminal trial on insurrection charges. Yoon, who was impeached and removed from office after declaring martial law in December 2024, had previously indicated through his lawyers that Saturday was the earliest possible date for his appearance. If he shows up, it will mark his second interrogation by the team, following an initial session

Jul 1, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Ex-president given 5-day ultimatum to appear for sedition inquiry
Global Community

Seoul emerges as world’s third-busiest conference hub

Seoul has risen to third in the Union of International Associations’ annual ranking of cities hosting international meetings, reinforcing its status as a leading global destination for conferences and events. According to the 66th edition of the International Meetings Statistics Report, released last week, Seoul moved up one spot in the 2024 rankings compared to the previous year. The Korean capital now sits just behind Brussels (388 meetings) and Vienna (239), having hosted 180 international meetings. Among Asian cities, Seoul leads the pack, outpacing Tokyo (148), Dubai (109), Kuala Lumpur (71) and Bangkok (65). Seoul Metropolitan Government officials attributed the city’s success to persistent efforts to position Seoul as an ideal host for global conferences, including financial and administrative support for event organizers. The city government said it tried to help facilities host 329 meetings in 2024 ― a notable increase from 299 in 2023. Looking ahead, city officials pledged to continue their support to enhance Seoul’s image as a premier destination for international eve

Jul 1, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Seoul emerges as world’s third-busiest conference hub
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