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Anna J. Park

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.

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Foreign Affairs

Korea, Brazil to deepen rare earths cooperation under new strategic partnership

Korea and Brazil agreed to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals, including rare earth elements, the leaders of both countries announced following their summit in Seoul on Monday. President Lee Jae Myung and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also decided to elevate the bilateral ties to a strategic partnership. Speaking at a joint press conference following their summit, they said they adopted a four-year action plan. “We will expand bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, including critical minerals, the environment, the space industry, culture and small and medium-sized enterprises,” Lee said, explaining that the four-year plan would serve as a blueprint for advancing these efforts. Specifically, the two countries signed 10 memorandums of understanding to enhance cooperation in critical minerals, artificial intelligence, broader economic and industrial sectors, science, public health and public security. Lula underscored the importance of bilateral relations in these areas. “Brazil possesses the world’s largest reserves of freshwater and rare earth e

Feb 23, 2026By Anna J. Park
Korea, Brazil to deepen rare earths cooperation under new strategic partnership
Foreign Affairs

Korea lodges protest over Japan's renewed territorial assertions over Dokdo

Seoul lodged a strong protest against Tokyo on Sunday after a senior Japanese official attended Shimane prefecture’s controversial “Takeshima Day” event, widely viewed as asserting Tokyo’s territorial claims over Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost islets. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for the immediate abolition of the event, describing it as a reflection of Japan’s repeated and unjustified sovereignty claims over the islets. “Dokdo is clearly an integral part of our territory historically, geographically and under international law,” the foreign ministry said. “The Japanese government must immediately cease its unreasonable claims over Dokdo and face history with humility.” The ministry also summoned Hirotaka Matsuo, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to lodge a formal protest. Earlier Sunday, Shimane prefecture held its annual ceremony marking Takeshima Day. The Japanese government has sent a senior official to the event each year since 2013. This year, Naoki Furukawa, parliamentary vice minister at the Cabinet Office, attende

Feb 22, 2026By Anna J. Park
Korea lodges protest over Japan's renewed territorial assertions over Dokdo
South Korea

Presidential Security Service secures US patent for AI-based X-ray detection technology

The Presidential Security Service (PSS) obtained a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its self-developed artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray hazardous materials detection technology, the PSS announced Sunday. The PSS expects the U.S. patent to accelerate research and development efforts aimed at deploying the technology in the field. The PSS said it sought U.S. patent registration to secure international intellectual property rights for its X-ray method of detecting hazardous substances, including strong chemicals such as sulfuric acid and explosive devices, as well as for the AI algorithms and implementation technologies designed to automate the detection process. After about three years of rigorous review, the USPTO granted approval in December 2025, with final registration completed in January, the security agency said. The PSS has been working to develop a system in which an AI model automatically determines whether screened items contain dangerous substances when scanned by X-ray equipment. Pretrained on some 600,000 types of hazardous materi

Feb 22, 2026By Anna J. Park
Presidential Security Service secures US patent for AI-based X-ray detection technology
Politics

Megacity projects: reform for balanced development or political strategy?

Cities and provinces in Korea's non-capital areas are moving toward sweeping regional administrative integration in pursuit of "balanced national development." Creating more special megacities through the integration plan is part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s flagship national development agenda known as “5 mega-regions, 3 special provinces." The initiative seeks to move beyond the Seoul-centric development model through restructuring the country into five broad economic zones alongside three special autonomous provinces. The government announced earlier this year that it will provide up to 5 trillion won ($3.45 billion) a year for up to four years to each integrated city, adding that each city will be granted status equivalent to that of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and have more fiscal autonomy. The legislative process for the project has already started, with the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee approving three bills on Thursday for the integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, and Daegu a

Feb 13, 2026By Anna J. Park
Megacity projects: reform for balanced development or political strategy?
Politics

Planned meeting between president, party leaders canceled abruptly after opposition boycott

A scheduled luncheon between President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of the country's main parties was canceled Thursday, after main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok announced about an hour before the meeting that he would not attend. The abrupt cancellation of the meeting, which would have been the first of its kind among the three leaders in nearly five months, is likely to worsen bipartisan conflicts over contentious issues. Jang said he was boycotting the luncheon in protest of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) unilateral passage of two controversial judicial reform bills at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee the previous evening. The PPP has been a vocal opponent of the measures — one amending the Court Organization Act to expand the number of Supreme Court justices and the other revising the Constitutional Court Act to allow constitutional challenges to court rulings. Jang accused the ruling party of undermining the spirit of cooperation through what he described as a political ambush. “I intended to attend the lunch

Feb 12, 2026By Anna J. Park
Planned meeting between president, party leaders canceled abruptly after opposition boycott
Politics

Lee to host bipartisan luncheon with party leaders Thursday

President Lee Jae Myung will host the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties for a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae Thursday, seeking bipartisan cooperation to bolster economic recovery and maintain national stability ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday next week. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the plan at a briefing on Wednesday. “There will be a candid exchange of views on overall state affairs without restrictions on topics," Kang said. The invited attendees are Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and Jang Dong-hyeok, the head of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). It will mark the first in-person meeting between the president and the ruling and opposition party leaders in about five months. Kang said the president will call on both the ruling party and the main opposition to work together responsibly to produce results that resonate with the public. Kang said the meeting is also intended to serve as a starting point in the new year for renewed communication and collaboration, offering hope to the public. Asked whet

Feb 11, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee to host bipartisan luncheon with party leaders Thursday
Politics

President urges faster passage of bill on US investment as Trump steps up tariff pressure

President Lee Jae Myung urged the National Assembly on Tuesday to move faster on legislation, warning that its current pace leaves Korea dangerously exposed to rising global trade pressures. The appeal is aimed squarely at speeding up the passage of the bill related to Korea's investment in the U.S., which was introduced in the National Assembly last November. What Washington describes as a delay has begun to test the patience of the U.S. Donald Trump administration, which warned that inaction could prompt the return of 25 percent tariffs on Korean exports. In a Cabinet meeting, Lee said the country now faces fundamentally different conditions from the past, pointing to heightened global instability, intensifying competition among nations that is reshaping the international order, sweeping changes driven by artificial intelligence and shifts in the international system unfolding faster than forecasts can keep pace. “With the current pace of legislation, it is extremely difficult to respond proactively to these changes in the international community,” Lee said. “To support trade neg

Feb 10, 2026By Anna J. Park
President urges faster passage of bill on US investment as Trump steps up tariff pressure
Foreign Affairs

Takaichi's landslide win revives Japan's constitutional revision debate

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has signaled renewed momentum for revising the country’s pacifist constitution after securing a decisive victory in an early general election widely viewed as a confidence vote on her leadership. While experts say a constitutional revision is unlikely in the near term, they expect debate to intensify in the coming years. Analysts also predict that the foundations of Seoul-Tokyo relations are unlikely to be fundamentally shaken. In the election, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, surpassing the 310-seat threshold required to initiate a constitutional amendment. When combined with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, which secured 36 seats, the ruling bloc controls an overwhelming 352 seats. This marks the first time a single ruling party has exceeded the constitutional amendment threshold on its own. Takaichi said in an appearance on a local television network the day before that revising the constitution remains a core objective for the LDP. She said political par

Feb 9, 2026By Anna J. Park
Takaichi's landslide win revives Japan's constitutional revision debate
Politics

President rebukes business lobby group over 'fake' millionaire exodus report

A report by Korea’s top business lobby group linking inheritance taxes to an exodus of wealthy individuals has triggered a political backlash, drawing sharp criticism from President Lee Jae Myung and prompting a government audit. Lee on Saturday labeled the report “fake news” in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), accusing the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) of seeking to undermine government policy. “Producing and spreading fake news to pursue private gain and attack government policy deserves strong condemnation," Lee wrote. "It is hard to believe that an official organization such as the KCCI would engage in such conduct." The president stressed the need to “strictly hold those responsible and establish safeguards to prevent recurrence.” The controversy stems from a press release distributed by the KCCI on Wednesday, citing the research by Henley & Partners, a British consulting firm. The report stated that 2,400 millionaires left Korea last year, which is double the number from the previous year. It placed the country fourth worldwide in te

Feb 8, 2026By Anna J. Park
President rebukes business lobby group over 'fake' millionaire exodus report
  • Korea's inheritance taxes get blame for world's 4th-largest millionaire exodus
South Korea

Emart, Lotte Mart could soon launch early-morning delivery after ban lifted

Major retailers such as Emart and Lotte Mart could soon roll out early-morning delivery nationwide as part of efforts to revise laws that currently restrict large discount stores’ e-commerce operating hours. According to officials in the political and retail sectors, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the government and the presidential office held a policy coordination meeting Wednesday to discuss possible revisions to the Distribution Industry Development Act. As Coupang has come to dominate a large share of the market, a massive data breach at the company in November has prompted the government to look to other retailers to help handle early-morning delivery, part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on a single dominant platform. Under current law, large discount stores are barred from operating between midnight and 10 a.m. and are required to close on two designated days each month. As a result of these constraints, offline retailers have been forced to operate only limited delivery services within the bounds of the law. Emart has offered dawn delivery through its e-commerce a

Feb 5, 2026By Anna J. Park
Emart, Lotte Mart could soon launch early-morning delivery after ban lifted
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