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.
Foreign ministry official dismissed for displaying crumpled national flag
The national flags of Korea and Spain are on display for the meeting between Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Fernando Valenzuela at the ministry building in Seoul, April 4. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha talks with senior officials before a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, April 5. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed the official responsible for displaying a crumpled national flag at Korea-Spain bilateral talks last week.
According to the ministry Monday, the director-level official was removed from his post after putting up the taegeukgi for Thursday's meeting between Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Spanish counterpart Fernando Valenzuela at the ministry building in Seoul.
The move comes a few days after the ministry promised to take action.
In the past few months, the ministry led by Kang Kyung-wha has been criticized for a series of blunders. Most recently, it wrongly referred to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as countries in the Balkan region, instead of Baltic, which drew a protest from the Latvian Embassy in Seoul.