Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.
World welcomes 2019
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A man watches the fireworks exploding over Copacabana Beach during the New Year's celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
By Choi Won-suk
A woman holds a sparkler during New Year celebrations in the Kibera slum in Nairobi on January 1, 2019. AFP
A handout photo made available by Riotur of fireworks exploding over Copacabana Beach in front of Cristo Redentor monument during New Year's celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 01 January 2019. EPA
A woman holds a flying lantern during New Year's Eve celebrations on Ao Nang Beach in Krabi, Thailand, 31 December 2018. EPA
Buddhist light candles during New Year celebrations at Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
A free range, grass-fed pig roams the Songjo Farm in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province, in early Monday morning. 2019 is the Year of the Golden Pig. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
A view of the last sunset for the year 2018 on New Year's Eve, in Karachi, Pakistan, 31 December 2018. EPA
A Palestinian horseman rides on the beach at sunset a few hours prior to the new year's celebrations, west of in Gaza city on December 31, 2018. AFP
Fireworks illuminate the sky around Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year's 2019 celebrations in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 01 January 2019. EPA
Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbor during New Year's Eve to celebrate the start of year 2019 in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate shortly after midnight in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
Revelers celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., December 31, 2018. Reuters
Joey and Claudia Flores, of California, kiss as confetti falls during a celebration of the new year in New York's Times Square, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
Confetti drops over the crowd as the clock strikes midnight during the New Year's celebration in Times Square as seen from the Marriott Marquis in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
Revellers watch as a fireworks display marks the arrival of the new year following a countdown event on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on January 1, 2019. AFP
People attend New Year celebrations in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP
South Korean people gather to watch sunrise on the first day of the New Year at Jeongdongjin beach in Gangneung, Gangwon, South Korea, 01 January 2019. EPA