my timesThe Korea Times
mj6c2

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.

Go to Email

Read more

North Korea

North Korea's arms exports to Russia likely to increase: analysts

This photo released Sunday by state media shows North Korean leader holding a rifle during an inspection of munitions factories at an undisclosed location in North Korea. YonhapPyongyang promotes 'defense business' as it reinforces military ties with Moscow By Jung Min-hoAs Seoul cements its position as one of the world's fastest-growing arms exporters, Pyongyang may also be aiming to emulate the South's success.After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected key weapons factories from Thursday to Saturday, its state media honed in on “defense business” ― a term it has never before used.Speaking to reporters on Monday, Koo Byoung-sam, the spokesman for the Unification Ministry, said that recent signs indicate that North Korea might be seeking to export arms to Russia, a country in need due to its invasion of Ukraine. “If that really is what it (North Korea) aims for, it is deeply regrettable as it is tantamount to admitting that it will violate the U.N. resolutions,” Koo said.For some experts, the ministry's analysis is a bit too conservative. They believe tha

Aug 7, 2023By Jung Min-ho
North Korea's arms exports to Russia likely to increase: analysts
Foreign Affairs

Gov't scrambles to keep World Scout Jamboree going

British Scouts leave the venue of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla Province, Sunday, cutting short their stay due to extreme heat. YonhapTourism programs being arranged for participants amid heat waveBy Jung Min-hoThe Korean authorities are scrambling to arrange indoor and tourism programs for the remaining participants at the World Scout Jamboree instead of scheduled outdoor activities as they vow to plow ahead with the event despite criticism of sloppy planning and calls to cut it short.The central and provincial governments were busy coordinating efforts, Sunday, to revitalize the Jamboree, which was put in jeopardy after the British Scouts decided on Friday to leave the campsite at Saemangeum in Buan, North Jeolla Province, citing extreme temperatures. The Americans and Singaporeans decided to follow suit the next morning.Their decisions and a request by the world scouting body to shorten the Jamboree, scheduled to run from Aug. 1 to 12, immediately thrust the fate of the event into question, prompting President Yoon Suk Yeol the next day to call for all-out efforts

Aug 6, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Gov't scrambles to keep World Scout Jamboree going
  • Inside Saemangeum's World Scout Jamboree fiasco
  • Lack of control tower leads to Jamboree debacle
  • Korean firms scrambling to shore up heat-plagued jamboree
  • Situation improving at World Scout Jamboree campground
North Korea

What is life like for disabled people in North Korea?

Maeng Hyo-shim, fourth from right, and Kim Myeong-hee, third from right, pose with other North Korean refugees and the co-founders of Freedom Speakers International, Casey Lartigue Jr. and Lee Eun-koo, during their visit to the State Department in Washington, D.C., July 20. Courtesy of Freedom Speakers InternationalA group of refugees discuss human rights abuses at US State DepartmentBy Jung Min-hoLife is harsh for everyone in North Korea. But for disabled people, it's even worse.People with serious disabilities are almost invisible. Even in Pyongyang, support systems for the disabled are virtually nonexistent. There are no wheelchairs or automatic doors. With few available means of movement, they are usually stuck at home.Maeng Hyo-shim, a daughter of a North Korean woman who is unable to walk, said the only thing her mother had were crutches.“Without my father's devotion and care, my mother would not survive,” she told The Korea Times in a recent interview. “After arriving here after our escape, she described this country as a 'heaven-like' one where she can have

Aug 2, 2023By Jung Min-ho
What is life like for disabled people in North Korea?
Foreign Affairs

Ukrainian Embassy apologizes for diplomat assaulting bar worker, police officer

gettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul apologized over a case of alleged assault involving one of its diplomats.According to government sources on Friday, the embassy will send its first secretary back to Ukraine soon. The official was questioned by police on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a bar employee and a police officer in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul.Police said they released the official soon afterward due to his diplomatic immunity.“The embassy would like to express its sincere apology to the Korean public and anyone involved for any distress or inconvenience caused by the incident,” the embassy said in a statement issued on Thursday night. “As a responsible member of the diplomatic community in Seoul, the Embassy of Ukraine and its staff respect and strictly abide by the laws and regulations of the Republic of Korea.”The incident comes at a sensitive time for Ukraine, which has been making the utmost efforts to garner international support for its military forces in the war against Russian invaders.Just two

Jul 28, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Ukrainian Embassy apologizes for diplomat assaulting bar worker, police officer
North Korea

Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions

Kim Yung-ho, right, new unification minister, poses with President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential office in Seoul, Friday, as he officially begins his term. The ministry said that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea. YonhapUnder new head, ministry plans to curtail inter-Korean exchangesBy Jung Min-hoUnder a new leader, the Ministry of Unification is poised to get tough on North Korea.The ministry said on Friday that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea as part of its reform effort to focus more on the North's poor human rights record in handling inter-Korean relations.At the same time, the ministry will significantly reduce its exchanges with Pyongyang. Four units responsible for inter-Korean talks, trade and other possible joint projects will be merged under a single body, with some 80 officials expected to be relocated to other divisions or ministries.The announcement comes a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the ministry not to operate like a &ldquo

Jul 28, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions
Defense

Yoon, delegates from 22 countries pay tribute at UN cemetery

President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Kun Hee pay their respects to fallen soldiers of the Korean War during a visit to the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap Resting place remains symbol of 'fight for freedom and peace,' minister saysBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk Yeol and delegates from 22 nations visited the United Nations (U.N.) Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Thursday, where they paid tribute to fallen heroes and marked the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.Yoon and other visitors, including war veterans, paid their respects to the sacrifices of those who died while fighting for South Korea under the same U.N. flag against communist forces, in front of the Wall of Remembrance, which carries the names of more than 40,000 United Nations casualties.The cemetery ― the only one officially recognized by the U.N. ― is the resting place for some 2,300 freedom fighters from 11 countries.A

Jul 27, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Yoon, delegates from 22 countries pay tribute at UN cemetery
  • Yoon lauds sacrifice of UN veterans of Korean War
Defense

Seoul may have 1.5 years to take advantage of NCG: ex-national security adviser

Former National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han / NewsisSecurity experts express concern about possibility of Trump's return to White HouseBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk Yeol surprised the world earlier this year by mentioning the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons in response to growing nuclear threats from the North.However, given the potentially destructive consequences to its economy and alliances, Seoul later came up with an alternative ― launching the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) with Washington to strengthen the U.S.' extended deterrence commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.Yet many of the more than 30 security and defense experts gathered at a seminar on the South Korea-U.S. alliance in eastern Seoul, Wednesday, expressed skepticism and concerns about the sustainability of the NCG, a policy agreement that could be overturned if Joe Biden loses the election next year.In a clear reference to Donald Trump, a Republican contender who has a significant, perhaps insurmountable, lead in po

Jul 26, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Seoul may have 1.5 years to take advantage of NCG: ex-national security adviser
Defense

Delegates from 22 countries gather in South Korea for war anniversary

Korean War veterans and their families from 21 countries wave hands during a welcome breakfast at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul in southern Seoul, Tuesday. The event, co-hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, the Korea Defense Veterans Association and Yoido Full Gospel Church, was held ahead of Thursday's ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement. Yonhap Veterans who fought for freedom under UN flag mark 70 years of armisticeBy Jung Min-hoDelegations from 22 countries that defended South Korea against communist forces during the 1950-53 Korean War gathered in Seoul on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. The 200 delegates, including 64 war veterans, were welcomed by South Korean officials at a hotel, where they reflected on the meaning of their blood, sweat and tears shed on the battlefields of the peninsula and the legacy of their sacrifices.Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor at Yoido Full Gospel Church, the host of a breakfast meeting there, honored both the living heroes and those fallen in the

Jul 25, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Delegates from 22 countries gather in South Korea for war anniversary
  • I would fight for South Korea again, says foreign veteran of Korean War
Foreign Affairs

Polish president to visit Korea next month

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands after their summit at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, July 13. Duda will visit Korea early next month. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Jung Min-hoPolish President Andrzej Duda will make a visit to Korea early next month, during which he may meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol.According to ruling party sources Monday, Duda will arrive in the country during the Aug. 1-12 World Scout Jamboree on reclaimed land in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province. The northern Polish city of Gdansk is the next host of the quadrennial event for Scouts around the world.It is still unclear whether the trip will include a presidential summit. But if so, it will be their second meeting in only a month after their first one on July 13 in Warsaw, during which they agreed to strengthen defense industry ties and support for Ukraine's reconstruction efforts among others. As part of the follow-up measures, Duda could visit the production facilities for the weapons his country is seeking to procure and meet with representatives

Jul 24, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Polish president to visit Korea next month
Politics

Opposition lawmakers draw flak for overseas trip amid flood crisis

Rep. Park Jeung of the Democratic Party of Korea speaks to reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport in China, in this June 15 file photo. A group of opposition party lawmakers have come under criticism for pushing ahead with their overseas trip during a flooding crisis. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoWhen President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise visit to Ukraine on July 15, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized him over the trip taken while a flooding crisis was unfolding at home. Now, the party is facing similar criticism over its own lawmakers traveling overseas.Rep. Park Jeung, chief of the National Assembly's committee responsible for oversight of the executive branch's flood response, was among the four lawmakers who pressed ahead with a five-day trip to Vietnam and Laos this week at a time when heavy rain was forecast to pound South Korea.Amid mounting criticism of hypocrisy and irresponsibility, Park and two others ― Reps. Yoon Joon-byeong and Choi Ki-sang ― said they would return earlier than originally planned. But Rep. Park Byeong-seug, former vice sp

Jul 24, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Opposition lawmakers draw flak for overseas trip amid flood crisis
previous page
8384858687
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.