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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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Society

K-water turns to AI in setting up Asia-wide water cooperation platform

Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) is tapping the Asia Water Council, the region’s water cooperation platform, to accelerate the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for water management and pave the way for Korean firms to expand into regional markets. As the council’s chair organization, K-water strengthened Asian collaboration networks to create more partnership opportunities for Korean water companies during a board meeting held in the Philippines from Monday to Tuesday. Asia’s demand for innovative water management is rising rapidly amid population growth, urbanization, the climate crisis and the need to upgrade aging infrastructure. The council is the largest water cooperation body in the region, currently bringing together more than 180 member organizations from 27 countries. K-water used a corporate technology expo held Monday to showcase domestic firms’ water management technologies and real-world applications to officials from governments, public agencies and businesses. Among the participating companies were those offering AI- and big data-based leak

Apr 21, 2026By Jung Min-ho
K-water turns to AI in setting up Asia-wide water cooperation platform
Society

Korea's largest industrial union criticizes employers for shutting workers out of AI transition

In a logistics center attached to one of Korea's biggest auto plants, a robot quietly rolls across the floor, following a digital map to fetch parts that previously were hauled by a human worker. No one negotiated the shift from human labor to robots. That, says Park Sang-man, head of the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), is the problem — and it is happening everywhere. His position is simple: "No AI deployment should happen without workers at the table." Park, who started his three-year term as leader of the country's largest industrial union in January, warned that Korea's push into artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is fast becoming a one-way transition, with companies and the government deploying machines far faster than they are writing rules to protect the workers those machines replace. “If management unilaterally pushes robots and AI without any serious effort at negotiating with the union, I’m opposed to that,” Park said during an interview with The Korea Times last week. “If capital insists on pushing this through unilaterally, you may have to ask whether a

Apr 20, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korea's largest industrial union criticizes employers for shutting workers out of AI transition
Environment & Animals

World Island Exhibition Yeosu set for September, but readiness questioned

Organizers of the 2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu said preparations are on track, pushing back against a wave of public concern that the coastal expo could become a repeat of the disastrous 2023 World Scout Jamboree, and welcoming President Lee Jae Myung's attention to step up support. “We know people are worried about a 'second Jamboree,' but this is not a rushed, makeshift event,” an organizing committee official told The Korea Times Wednesday. “Now that the president said he will look after the expo, we will collaborate more with the central government to scrutinize any weak spots even more closely.” The anxiety was largely sparked by a viral video posted by YouTuber Kim Seon-tae — widely known as "Chungju Man," who formerly ran a popular YouTube channel for Chungju, North Chungcheong Province — showing the main venue in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province as a vast dirt lot and parts of nearby islands littered with abandoned fishing gear. The footage spread quickly, prompting critics to invoke the Jamboree debacle, referring to the 2023 World Scout event in Saemangeum, North

Apr 16, 2026By Jung Min-ho
World Island Exhibition Yeosu set for September, but readiness questioned
Society

Gwanghwamun Square monument to honor Korean War allies faces questions over timing, procedure

A row of white construction fences now cuts through the center of Gwanghwamun Square, covered with renderings of stone columns and the pledge, “We will not forget the sacrifice of 22 countries that fought for liberal democracy.” Behind the fences and “authorized personnel only” signs, workers are racing to finish a new monument that the Seoul Metropolitan Government says will honor the country’s Korean War allies — even as critics question whether the project has been pushed through heedlessly in one of the city’s most symbolic public spaces. The “Garden of Gratitude,” under construction near the statue of King Sejong, will feature a series of tall stone structures representing each of the 22 nations that dispatched combat troops or medical units under the U.N. flag during the 1950–53 conflict. City officials say the site, inspired by the ceremonial “present arms” rifle salute, is meant to become a signature landmark where Koreans and international visitors can pause to remember allied sacrifices and South Korea’s transformation from a war-torn nation to one of

Apr 14, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Gwanghwamun Square monument to honor Korean War allies faces questions over timing, procedure
Society

Labor adjudicator says 'yellow envelope law' is about dialogue, not direct hiring

Korea’s top labor adjudicator has clarified that the new “yellow envelope law” is designed to compel parent companies and subcontracted workers to engage in dialogue, not to automatically guarantee or require higher wages or direct employment. Park Su-ken, chairperson of the National Labor Relations Commission, made the clarification on Monday as fresh data show a rapid rise in disputes over whether large companies qualify as “employers” for workers formally hired by subcontractors. “It only grants them the status to sit down and talk. It does not mean they must raise wages or directly hire the workers,” Park told reporters. “Many companies seem to be refusing to engage because they worry, once employer status is recognized, they will be dragged into liability for illegal dispatch, demands for wage hikes or direct employment — but those fears are misplaced.” Data compiled by the commission and the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed that, as of Friday, subcontractor unions at 1,012 workplaces, representing about 147,000 workers, have demanded talks with 372 princ

Apr 13, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Labor adjudicator says 'yellow envelope law' is about dialogue, not direct hiring
Environment & Animals

AI-created photos hamper search for wolf in Daejeon

Fake and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photos of an escaped zoo wolf are hampering efforts to track it down in Daejeon, according to authorities, as the search for the animal entered its third day on Friday. Since Neukgu, a two-year-old male wolf, broke free by digging under the fence of its enclosure at around 9:18 a.m. Wednesday, police and fire officials have been inundated with calls and tip-offs from people who claim to have seen it. However, some have turned out to be doctored or AI-created images. One such photo was sent to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters on the first day of the search, which showed a wolf wandering down the middle of a city street. It was later found to be fake. Based on this report, officials expanded their search beyond the zoo, but no additional evidence backed it up, and nearby surveillance cameras showed no trace of the wolf. A closer review of the image also revealed discrepancies with the actual location, including a double stop line at a crosswalk where only a single line exists and road marking arrows that do not exactly match in position. Meanwhi

Apr 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho
AI-created photos hamper search for wolf in Daejeon
Foreign Affairs

‘Relief, but no escape yet’: Korean seafarers still trapped off Hormuz

Despite a Washington-Tehran ceasefire intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, Koreans stranded in the area say tension, fatigue and anxiety are still building as their ships remain stuck, according to a senior official of their labor union. “For now they pin their hopes on the (ceasefire) news,” an official at the Federation of Korean Seafarers’ Unions (FKSU) said. “But in the end, they say they will only really relax when the ships actually set sail. Things change so quickly that it is impossible to get a grip on the situation, and that leaves some people upset and frustrated.” There are 26 vessels linked to Korean companies and roughly 170 Korean and Korea‑linked crew members trapped on the inner side of the waterway, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which is monitoring conditions for reopening and consulting with other countries amid Iran’s control over traffic through the strait. For now, life looks much the same as it did before the ceasefire, according to the official. “From our AIS map, we se

Apr 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho
‘Relief, but no escape yet’: Korean seafarers still trapped off Hormuz
Society

How AI, animals can help young people out of social isolation

The Seoul local government is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and animals to help socially isolated young people take their first steps back into everyday life. The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled Tuesday a new plan that combines a 24-hour AI mental health chatbot with an animal-assisted program at city shelters, as part of a larger initiative to prevent youth from falling into prolonged social withdrawal. Over the next five years, the city government plans to invest 109 billion won ($74 million) to support these young people. A survey conducted last year found that among Seoul residents aged 19 to 39, an estimated 54,000, or 2 percent, are “withdrawn youth” cut off from society, while roughly 194,000 (7.1 percent) experience a strong sense of social isolation. At the center of its digital strategy is “Maeum-e,” an AI-based counseling chatbot launched in February. The service is available on the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center website even without logging in, and is designed to offer an anonymous, low‑barrier space where young people can talk about their feeling

Apr 10, 2026By Jung Min-ho
How AI, animals can help young people out of social isolation
Global Community

Undocumented Thai worker to receive state support after air gun assault

A Thai worker who suffered internal injuries after his employer allegedly fired a jet of high-pressure air into his body at a factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is expected to receive state protection and industrial accident compensation, in a case now testing Korea's treatment of undocumented laborers. According to government officials, the worker, in his 40s, was working bent over a table at a metal-plating factory on Feb. 20 when the employer approached him and allegedly pressed an air gun against his bottom area before pulling the trigger, causing his abdomen to swell rapidly and leaving him struggling to breathe. The man was first taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, before finally undergoing surgery at Osan Hankook Hospital the next day. During this period, the employer allegedly kept urging him to return to Thailand. He is still in recovery. The worker entered the country in 2011 under the Employment Permit System (E-9), but became undocumented after his visa expired in July 2020. The case triggered widespread public outrage ove

Apr 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Undocumented Thai worker to receive state support after air gun assault
Foreign Affairs

Korean lawmakers move to enforce long-stalled crime data-sharing pact with US

Korea’s ruling party lawmakers have introduced legislation to activate a long-dormant crime data-sharing pact with the United States, as Seoul seeks to safeguard its visa waiver status amid recent shifts in U.S. immigration and security policy. The bill, led by Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea, would create a detailed domestic legal framework to implement the 2008 “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America on Enhancing Cooperation to Prevent and Combat Crime.” Korea inked the accord in November that year as a condition for joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which would allow Korean citizens to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa. The National Assembly ratified it the following month, but it has remained largely dormant since. Asked why lawmakers are suddenly moving now, after the agreement sat idle for more than 15 years, Lee’s aide said the core obstacle was the difference between the two nations’ legal systems — and that the move also comes

Apr 8, 2026By Jung Min-ho
Korean lawmakers move to enforce long-stalled crime data-sharing pact with US
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