Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
American promotes Korean culture
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Mark Brazeal
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
Mark Brazeal, 24, a native of California, has a unique position in CJ, the biggest culture and entertainment firm in Korea.
As a creating shared value (CSV) planning analyst, he promotes CJ’s cultural events related to Korea here and overseas, and raises funds to help the underprivileged.
“I introduce Korean culture and help that segment of Korean and global society through the events using the firm’s big network in more than 20 countries,” Brazeal said.
He joined CJ in December 2011 as an intern, and landed a full-time job in the HR Department where he trained and hired employees from different nationalities.
He said the first step in promoting cultural content is to get people interested in Korea through dramas and K-pop.
“This is the best place to bridge culture,” he said. “I was looking for a job to help people, and this is just what I looked for.”
He came to Korea at the age of 17 in 2007 and entered Yonsei University. He chose Korea because he learned Korean as a second language in high school.
Driven by curiosity, he went to Japan and Hong Kong as an exchange student in 2009 and 2010, and even worked for a non-governmental organization in Mongolia in the summer of 2011.
“In Mongolia I saw many poor people. I helped orphans there. I decided to help as many people as I can,” he said.
He returned to Korea to finish his undergraduate thesis and entered CJ to work as a “culture specialist” helping people from different backgrounds understand each other.
“I don’t really think of myself as a foreigner. When people say ‘your Korean is good’ or ‘you're like a Korean,’ I feel I am a foreigner. Some of my colleagues even think I am a unicorn,” he said with a big smile. “I don’t care where I am. I want to realize my dream of starting a foundation in five years to help people and then run an NGO afterwards.”