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.
PHOTOS Summer festivals around the world
A participant plays in a mud pool during the Boryeong Mud Festival near a beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, July 25. AP-Yonhap
By Choi Won-suk
Chito Baro of the U.S. plays with a ball during the Boryeong Mud Festival near a beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, July 25. AP-Yonhap
Devotees are dressed as Lord Krishna during Rath Yatra or Chariot Journey Festival in Kolkata, India, July 16. Ratha Yatra, one of the oldest and largest Hindu chariot festivals, commemorates the annual journey of the deity Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra from their main temple in Puri to the Gundicha Temple. EPA-Yonhap
A festival-goer wears an illuminated outfit during the show of German DJ and producer of electronic music Paul Kalkbrenner on the opening night of B My Lake techno festival in Velence, Hungary, July 16. EPA-Yonhap
An artist performs with a horse at the opening ceremony of the 36th Naadam festival in Xilin Gol League in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 18. Naadam, usually held in mid-summer and sometimes in winter in pastoral areas of Inner Mongolia, means "games" in the Mongolian language. It often comprises wrestling, archery and horse racing, also known as the "Three Games of Men." Xinhua-Yonhap
People take part in a torch festival at a terraced field in Yangpo Village, Yuexi County of southwest China's Sichuan province, Aug. 4. The event featured torch carnival nights, folk cultural competitions, dancing and singing contests.
The torch festival is a traditional celebration of the Yi ethnic group, usually held around the 24th day of the sixth month on the Chinese lunar calendar each year. Xinhua-Yonhap
Members of the Behourd Sport Carcassonne club compete against each other in a "buhurt" medieval full-contact combat during a historical festival in Mirepoix, France. July 18. AFP-Yonhap
People attend the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, Belgium, July 17. AFP-Yonhap
South Korea's Choi Byung-hwa dives during a high diving competition at the Two Rivers festival of water sports in Moscow, July 19. AP-Yonhap
A high-wire artist traverses a cable suspended above the Hinnom Valley during a dress rehearsal ahead of the opening of the 65th Israel Festival, set along the seam between east and west Jerusalem, July 27. AFP-Yonhap
Two festivalgoers cool off in mist during the 49th Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, July 24 July. EPA-Yonhap
Eco-friendly lanterns float on the lake at Britzer Garten during the Water Lantern Festival in Berlin, Germany, July 24. EPA-Yonhap
A Tezutsu-shu, a traditional Japanese arm-held firework performer, is showered with sparks from tezutsu hanabi, hand-crafted bamboo tubes packed with gunpowder that erupt in a towering column of spark and flame, during the Tatebayashi Arm-Held Fireworks Festival in Tatebayashi, Gunma prefecture, July 25. AFP-Yonhap
Shiite Muslim worshippers gather inside the holy shrine of Imam Abbas ahead of the Arbaeen festival in Karbala, Iraq, Aug. 2. The holiday marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson in the seventh century. AP-Yonhap
People festively reenact the Viking invasions that took place a thousand years ago in Catoria, Spain, Aug. 2. EPA-Yonhap
A woman lights candles during the International Cantoya Festival in Patzcuaro, Michoacan State, Mexico, Aug. 2. AFP-Yonhap
An artist dressed as Hindu goddess Mahakali performs during a procession marking Bonalu, a month-long Hindu folk festival celebrated in Hyderabad's Telangana region in India, Aug. 3. AP-Yonhap
People watch a fireworks display marking the end of the annual Mainfest festival in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Aug. 3. EPA-Yonhap
Drones light up the night sky during the K-Drone Festival at a park in Incheon, July 15. AP-Yonhap