Category: Journalistic Skills

Lawmakers’ Zelenskyy snub stains South Korea’s image
2022.04.12.
The opinion piece written on behalf of The Korea Herald’s National Desk heavily criticizes the National Assembly and lawmakers for giving no attention to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even though Korea has a similar history of war and pain in its growth to become one of the largest economies in the world. The article centered on offered the kind of half-hearted applause from lawmakers associated with mandatory attendance, underscoring the importance of gesture and attitude in diplomacy.

How did the Democratic Party lose power after just five years?
2022.03.17.
I wrote an opinion piece on behalf of The Korea Herald’s National Desk to criticize the Democratic Party of Korea and the progressive camp for losing control of the government in just five years, describing in detail the political history of Korea, representative cases that the liberal faction could adhere to, and what Koreans can expect from the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the conservative camp for the next five years.

Korea risks fumbling latest Miracle on the Han
2020.03.30.
By highlighting the PR mistake of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over a weekend during the COVID-19 outbreak, the opinion piece emphasized the importance of staying true to actual proceedings instead of overly emphasizing and potentially lying to the public for the sake of fame and approval ratings. I heavily criticized the Moon Jae-in administration for creating a havoc and causing turmoil among investors during the time of crisis.

Remdesivir to the rescue?
Not so fast, as approvals for the treatment may take time
2020.04.12.
The article introduced how new drug candidates are processed in Korea’s regulatory sphere to hint how the approval for then-highly expected COVID-19 treatment candidate, remdesivir, would take time and reach consumers later than hoped, showcasing how fast approvals may or may not be needed in the times of emergency.

If you like the others, consider Maserati
2019.11.18.
After test driving all of the vehicles for sale by Maserati in Korea, I wrote a 1,200-word review of Maserati’s offerings to Korean consumers. The review came with an angle that consumers looking for “others” could consider a Maserati as opposed to an ordinary sports car, freeing themselves from the convention.

Hyundai Motor Benjamin Buttons the Grandeur
2019.11.24.
Through a test drive of Hyundai Motor’s 2019 face-lift model of its long-standing sedan ‘Grandeur,’ I wrote an honest review of Hyundai Motor’s attempt for innovation in design and brand image, successfully predicting the astounding success of the bold take by the automaker to overhaul its traditionally strong-selling model.

In Genesis versus the pandemic, Genesis wins with G80 luxury sedan
2020.04.12.
The article introduced the history of Genesis and its sales fluctuations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to how G80 luxury sedan’s rollout served as a major turning point for the company to recover its standing in the global market and truly promote itself as the one and only luxury automaker in Korea.

Could the virus outbreak heal the medical sector?
2020.03.09.
In the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic, when everyone is uncertain about the aftermath, I reported and wrote a full-page article for the Korea JoongAng Daily that covers interviews with numerous domestic experts and analyzes of related cases to see what changes the virus epidemic could bring to the domestic biopharmaceutical industry.

The whiter the better: Korea’s racist hierarchy
2021.09.28.
For the feature series for The Korea Herald covering the wide range of discrimination apparent in Korea, I wrote an in-depth article on the pyramid of racial discrimination among Koreans, reporting on the reality of racial disparity among Koreans based on skin color. The article was the most popular one within the series, drawing tens of thousands of views in just a matter of days.

Stuck between the past and the future
2020.01.02.
I wrote the first in-depth feature article of 2021 for the Korea JoongAng Daily by closely covering the R&D and product launch plans of domestic automakers in a situation where it was unclear which company’s products will lead the sales for the year and what types of automobiles and engines will drive the sector’s growth and innovation.

Healthy pastime or debilitating addiction?
2019.05.07.
I wrote an in-depth article involving interviews with various industry officials and research papers, covering the ongoing discussions among experts on the controversy of the possible classification of game addiction as a disease, generating a huge number of views from readers immediately upon publication.

Debriefing: Science of a scandal
2019.05.20.
I wrote the first in-depth analysis piece among media outlets focusing on Kolon Life Science’s “Invossa Scandal,” which caused a huge controversy from the beginning regarding the safety and efficacy of the supposedly groundbreaking arthritis treatment. The article covers in-depth what scientific issues were and what damages are expected to patients and their caregivers.

 

 

With a degree in journalism from Northwestern University, Jun Tae has spent years working for the Korea JoongAng Daily and The Korea Herald covering diverse areas within politics and business, reporting and writing hundreds of feature articles, interview stories, and opinion pieces in English.

• Korea JoongAng Daily: Biopharmaceutical & automobile industries
• The Korea Herald: National Assembly & political parties