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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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Global Community

EXCLUSIVE Fewer than 50 foreigners applied to nanny program: source

Fewer than 50 applications have been submitted for Korea’s new foreign nanny program for Seoul residents, amid worries that a lack of applicants could derail the project before it even begins, according to a source who has direct knowledge of the matter. Speaking to The Korea Times on Thursday, the source said the number so far was much lower than expected. EasyTask, a platform service company partnered with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the scheme, began accepting applications on March 24. Under the experimental program initiated by the city government and the Ministry of Justice, holders of one of the following visas — D-2, D-10-1, F-3 and F-1-5 — can apply for permission to work as domestic workers, babysitters or both, with the nation's minimum wage system not being applied. More than 82,000 foreign residents here are eligible to apply, according to the ministry. But apparently, a lack of enthusiasm raises questions about the program’s feasibility. “If enough applications are not collected, there should be a discussion between the justice ministry and the city gover

Apr 3, 2025By Jung Min-ho
[EXCLUSIVE] Fewer than 50 foreigners applied to nanny program: source
  • Activists condemn new foreign nanny program as ‘abusive, discriminatory’
Global Community

Activists condemn new foreign nanny program as ‘abusive, discriminatory’

Human rights groups are condemning a new foreign nanny program launched last week by the central government and Seoul, urging officials to scrap what they call an “abusive” and “discriminatory” policy toward foreign workers. Speaking to journalists near Seoul City Hall on Wednesday, representatives from 32 organizations argued that the program's primary goal is to create a supply of cheap labor, thereby exploiting domestic workers. They also warned that the policy could drive down wages for Korean workers over time by lowering overall working conditions. This comes after the announcement by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that holders of one of the four visas ― D-2, D-10-1, F-3 and F-1-5 ― can apply for permission via outsourcing service firm EasyTask to be employed as domestic workers, babysitters or both. For service users, it will be a more affordable version of a similar government-run program through which parents living in the city could hire Filipino caregivers. However, unlike the Filipinos, workers participating in the new project will not be subject to the Labor

Apr 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Activists condemn new foreign nanny program as ‘abusive, discriminatory’
  • More affordable foreign nanny program launched in Seoul
Global Community

Immigrants in Korea less happy, more worried than native-born residents: report

Immigrants in Korea are less happy and more worried about their future than native-born residents, according to a recent study. A report from the Korea Institute of Public Administration, a government-sponsored research institute, showed that only 55.7 percent of immigrants reported being happy, compared to 82.6 percent of native-born residents. It is unclear whether these sentiments indicate a deterioration or improvement, as this is the institute's first survey of its kind. Asked whether they were worried about their future, 39.5 percent of immigrants said they were, while 23.9 percent of native-born residents gave the same response. This study was conducted for two months beginning Aug. 1, 2024, to estimate how immigrants of four subgroups ― naturalized citizens, permanent residents (F-5 visa), migrant spouses (F-6) and Korean descent visa holders (F-4) ― view their lives here in terms of social integration. The rate of dissatisfaction and anxiety was especially high among migrant spouses, it showed. According to the report, 38.4 percent of immigrants perceive their financial situat

Apr 2, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Immigrants in Korea less happy, more worried than native-born residents: report
Environment & Animals

Bill drafted to toughen penalties for causing wildfires

Lawmakers proposed a bill on Monday to strengthen penalties for individuals who cause wildfires, after out-of-control blazes scorched more than 48,000 hectares of woodland and killed dozens of people in the worst wildfire disaster in the country’s history. Rep. Suh Cheon-ho and 11 other lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party drafted a bill to increase the minimum prison sentence for individuals responsible for starting a fire in privately owned forests, raising it from five years to seven. The bill also aims to raise the minimum prison sentence for those who accidentally start a fire in someone else’s forest or jeopardize public safety by causing a fire on their own land, increasing the sentence from three years to five. This comes after a wildfire disaster that resulted in 30 deaths, 45 injuries and widespread damage to thousands of properties, including around 3,300 houses, in North Gyeongsang Province. Investigators are looking into several suspects connected to the incidents that happened in multiple locations. One of them is a 56-year-old man suspected of starting a fire i

Mar 31, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Bill drafted to toughen penalties for causing wildfires
North Korea

Rights commission urges North Korea to release 6 detainees

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has urged North Korea to release six South Korean citizens held against their will by the regime, it said on Friday. According to the commission, its representative, Lee Han-byeol, attended the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting held Thursday in Geneva, where she called on the North to release Christian missionaries ― Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil ― as well as three North Korean defectors. “At the UPR meeting, we emphasized the need for the immediate repatriation of six of our citizens detained in North Korea, the need to inform North Korean defectors in South Korea of the whereabouts of their families in the North, the need for the immediate repatriation of prisoners of war and the need to hold a reunification event for separated families,” the commission said. North Korea has long been a merciless land for Christian missionaries over the decades. But for South Korean believers, it has been even more so. In 2013, Kim Jung-wook was arrested there and sentenced to hard labor for life on charg

Mar 28, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Rights commission urges North Korea to release 6 detainees
Society

AI can be boon for Korean workers, experts say

A Korean car parts maker that supplies electric vehicle components to companies such as Tesla had hired 12 employees for its factory. However, after adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve production efficiency in areas such as inspections, the firm was able to boost productivity by 50 percent, recently reducing its workforce to six. Buoyed by the sales increase, it is now planning to build a similar plant. As technology develops and more companies adopt it, such a trend is only expected to accelerate. For many workers in manufacturing industries, AI is emerging as a new threat to their job stability. Their concern about the great AI replacement — that many laborers will be replaced by technology and their jobs will disappear — is a legitimate one, experts said at a discussion on Friday. Yet, they highlighted that if Korea proves its competitiveness in the international AI race, there will be many opportunities created in new, AI-driven fields. At the event organized by the presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council, tech experts said job losses in manufactu

Mar 28, 2025By Jung Min-ho
AI can be boon for Korean workers, experts say
Law & Crime

Spy agency warns of terrorist threats targeting APEC summit in Gyeongju

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has warned of possible terrorist attacks targeting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to be held in South Korea this year. In its terrorism report published Wednesday, the spy agency urged the government to take precautions against the possible risk of terrorism ahead of the November event, where world leaders will gather for talks on trade and future technologies. “With a large number of world leaders expected to attend the APEC Summit, the world will be watching closely. This raises the possibility of terrorism. In particular, threats of attacks by international terrorist groups targeting Asia-Pacific leaders, North Korea’s hacking attempts and sabotage attempts by other organizations are expected to be the most significant risks,” the NIS said. The forum will take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, where representatives from the 21 APEC members, including U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as business leaders from around the world, are expected to attend. To ensure the safety of all participants, the g

Mar 27, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Spy agency warns of terrorist threats targeting APEC summit in Gyeongju
Global Community

Education superintendents to propose new work visa for foreign grads of Korean vocational schools

Education authorities nationwide plan to urge the government to introduce a new work visa system for foreign nationals who graduate from Korean vocational high schools, amid a decline in the number of students and workers in regions outside of Seoul. Speaking to The Korea Times on Wednesday, an official at the National Council of Governors of Education, an organization that represents the superintendents of 17 education offices in Korea, said the issue will be at the top of the agenda for their meeting set for Thursday in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. “The policy goal would be to revitalize struggling vocational schools in many regions and train the students as future workers eventually,” the official said. “Many superintendents share concerns about the shrinking student population.” The E-7 work visa is currently granted only to foreigners with an associate degree or higher. This does not help local governments in attracting more foreign students to vocational schools or sustaining labor-intensive industries like manufacturing, which are in need of more workers in many

Mar 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Education superintendents to propose new work visa for foreign grads of Korean vocational schools
Global Community

Less than 1% of foreign residents use mobile ID cards two months after launch

Two months after Korea introduced a mobile ID card for foreign residents, only about 4,500 people, or 0.23 percent, have so far obtained one, according to the Ministry of Justice. In its recent response to The Korea Times' inquiries, the ministry stated that 4,560 foreign residents had obtained the mobile cards as of March 19. The new system, launched on Jan. 10, is part of the government's efforts to make personal ID verification more convenient for everyone living here, both citizens and noncitizens alike. The number of long-term foreign residents in Korea surpassed 2 million in 2024, up from 1.88 million in 2023 and 1.69 million in 2022. “The mobile residence card offers various benefits. It eliminates the inconvenience of carrying a physical ID card at all times and makes it more convenient for foreign residents to use ID-required services such as for financial transactions among others,” the ministry told The Korea Times. “As more people get to know more about the benefits, we expect the number of users to surge.” This is part of a broader government effort to adopt modern t

Mar 25, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Less than 1% of foreign residents use mobile ID cards two months after launch
Global Community

More affordable foreign nanny program launched in Seoul

Korea launched a more affordable foreign nanny program for residents in Seoul on Monday as part of its efforts to ease the child-rearing burden on parents and help address the nation's low birthrate. Under a trial scheme initiated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, noncitizens holding one of four visas — D-2, D-10-1, F-3 and F-1-5 — can register their job-related information on a site managed by outsourcing service firm EasyTask. If selected, they will undergo weeks of required training before being permitted to work as domestic workers, babysitters or both. For service users, it will be a more affordable version of a similar state-run program, through which parents in the city could hire Filipino caregivers. But unlike the Filipinos, workers who participate in the new project will not be subject to the Labor Standards Act — and can therefore be paid less than the minimum wage — because they would work under private contracts, according to the city government. Article 11 of the law says, “This Act shall neither apply to any business or workplace in which only the employer

Mar 24, 2025By Jung Min-ho
More affordable foreign nanny program launched in Seoul
  • Korea to extend visas for Filipino caregivers
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