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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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South Korea

Big businesses pledge up to $206 bil. in regional investments over 5 years

Korea’s major conglomerates have pledged up to 300 trillion won ($206 billion) in new regional investments over the next five years, responding to President Lee Jae Myung’s call to expand corporate spending beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. The commitment was announced by Ryu Jin, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, at a meeting Wednesday with Lee and the leaders of the country’s 10 largest conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. The meeting, focused on youth employment and regional development, also drew top executives from SK, POSCO, Hanwha, HD Hyundai, GS and Hanjin, along with business association representatives. “FKI Chairman Ryu Jin said during the meeting that the 10 major groups plan to invest a combined 270 trillion won in regional areas over the next five years, while other large companies are expected to contribute an additional 30 trillion won over the same period,” Lee Kyu-youn, senior presidentia

Feb 4, 2026By Anna J. Park
Big businesses pledge up to $206 bil. in regional investments over 5 years
South Korea

Veteran science bureaucrat to lead Korea’s space agency

The Lee Jae Myung administration appointed Oh Tae-seok, president of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation (KISTEP), as the new head of the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA). Announcing the appointment on Monday, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung highlighted Oh’s three decades of experience as an administrator, noting that he has worked across key areas of national science and technology policy. Oh is widely regarded as possessing deep expertise not only in aerospace technology and industry but also in the organizational structure and operations of the space agency. He was particularly commended for his leadership as first vice minister of science and ICT, when he served as chair of the launch management committee for the Nuri space rocket and successfully oversaw its launch in 2023. “Based on his strong expertise in science and technology policy, Oh Tae-seok will lead the Republic of Korea toward becoming a global aerospace power,” Kang said. Born in 1968 in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province, Oh earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from S

Feb 2, 2026By Anna J. Park
Veteran science bureaucrat to lead Korea’s space agency
Defense

Canada aims for auto partnership with Korea in submarine procurement talks

As Canada approaches the selection of a final contractor for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, valued at up to 60 trillion won (about $45 billion), its defense procurement chief visiting Korea called for expanded bilateral cooperation in the automotive sector as part of offset agreements linked to the deal. Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defense procurement, made the remarks Monday during a visit to Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang Province, touring the facilities with a delegation of about 30 Canadian government and shipbuilding industry officials. The delegation also included representatives from major Canadian shipyards, including Ontario Shipyards, Irving Shipbuilding, Davie and Seaspan Shipyard, highlighting deepening bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding and maritime defense sectors. Fuhr boarded the ROKS Jang Yeong-sil, a 3,600-ton-class Jangbogo-III Batch-II submarine currently undergoing sea trials, to assess the vessel’s capabilities firsthand. Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul, along with senior Korean government officials such as

Feb 2, 2026By Anna J. Park
Canada aims for auto partnership with Korea in submarine procurement talks
Politics

Transparency or unrefined messages? President's social media use stirs debate

President Lee Jae Myung, long known for his prolific use of social media, has recently stepped up his online activity, signaling a renewed push to share policy ideas with citizens and engage public debate directly through digital platforms. As of 3 p.m. Friday, Lee already uploaded three posts on X (formerly Twitter) that day alone. He posted twice Thursday and eight times on Wednesday. The topics of the posts vary — the expansion of subsidized menstrual products, interest rates on local government treasury funds, a possible introduction of a sugar levy, warnings against Cambodian criminal syndicates, the delisting of underperforming firms from the stock exchange and the effectiveness of balanced regional development policies. The president’s recent posting patterns mark a clear change from his early days in office last June. After assuming the presidency, Lee initially used social media primarily to share updates on diplomatic efforts, including phone calls and meetings with world leaders. He later turned to longer, reflective posts about Cabinet meetings, overseas trips, and town

Jan 30, 2026By Anna J. Park
Transparency or unrefined messages? President's social media use stirs debate
Foreign Affairs

Experts urge swift response to Trump’s tariff threat on Korean goods

Korean trade experts warn that a legislative stalemate in the National Assembly is fueling American protectionism, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to raise tariffs on Korean goods to 25 percent. Analysts say delays in passing promised legislation on U.S. investments have tested Washington’s patience — a view echoed by the presidential office earlier this week. With a landmark $350 billion investment framework now hanging in the balance, observers caution that continued political deadlock could turn a procedural holdup into a costly trade conflict, unraveling the fragile economic truce between the two allies. Kang In-soo, a trade expert and economics professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, noted that while Trump publicly referred to a 25 percent tariff rate, the U.S. Federal Register still lists the rate at 15 percent, leaving room for further negotiation. Although Kang acknowledged that Trump’s tariff hike remarks may have been shaped by domestic political considerations, he stressed that Korea has limited leverage to push back and should instead focus on removing an

Jan 29, 2026By Anna J. Park
Experts urge swift response to Trump’s tariff threat on Korean goods
  • Seoul cites legislative process, FX concerns in delayed rollout of US investment plan
Foreign Affairs

Seoul cites legislative process, FX concerns in delayed rollout of US investment plan

Korea will need more time to begin implementing its commitment to invest $200 billion in the United States, a senior official at the presidential office said Wednesday, citing the slowness of the legislative process and concerns about the potential effects of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on the investment amount. Kim Yong-beom, presidential policy chief, told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent announcement to raise tariffs on Korean goods from 15 percent to 25 percent appears to stem largely from frustration over the slowness of the National Assembly’s approval of related legislation. “U.S. dissatisfaction is entirely rooted in legislative delays and that is also how the U.S. side explains it,” Kim said. He said Washington understood that a Korea-U.S. investment fund — a joint vehicle intended to channel Korean capital into U.S. projects — could not be launched until Seoul completes the required legislative steps, including the passage of special laws governing overseas investments. Kim added that the government had repeatedly told U.S. officials throu

Jan 28, 2026By Anna J. Park
Seoul cites legislative process, FX concerns in delayed rollout of US investment plan
Foreign Affairs

Lee seeks to calm foreign investors as trade tensions with US mount

President Lee Jae Myung urged foreign investors Wednesday to trust the Korean government and the country’s economic fundamentals, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving conditions for foreign capital. He made the remarks at a meeting with executives from foreign-invested companies at Cheong Wa Dae, as Korea faces tariff pressure from the United States and fallout from an investigation into a massive personal data breach at Coupang, which is headquartered in the United States. The event was intended to give the president an opportunity to hear directly from foreign investors operating in the country. Foreign-invested companies in Korea are defined under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act as firms in which foreign investors hold shares above a designated threshold. Representatives from seven foreign chambers of commerce in Korea attending the meeting, including James Kim, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and Philippe Van Hoof, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, as well as senior executives from 31 foreign-invested companie

Jan 28, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee seeks to calm foreign investors as trade tensions with US mount
Society

Ex-Constitutional Court justice joins KAIST to research law in age of AI

Moon Hyung-bae, former acting chief justice of the Constitutional Court, has begun a new chapter in academia after joining KAIST as a distinguished visiting professor, where he plans to delve into legal issues arising in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Moon disclosed his new career earlier this week while speaking as a lecturer at a book presentation at Gwangju District Court. He said he was officially appointed on Jan. 9 as a distinguished visiting professor at KAIST’s Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy and had already started commuting to campus. “I decided to take on this role because, as a legal professional, I believe I may be able to offer guidance on how KAIST can proactively respond to the AI era," Moon said. Moon identified personal data rights as the central legal challenge posed by artificial intelligence. “The biggest issue with AI is the right to informational self-determination,” he explained. “AI operates by collecting and processing personal data, which inevitably leads to conflicts with individuals’ rights to control their own information.

Jan 28, 2026By Anna J. Park
Ex-Constitutional Court justice joins KAIST to research law in age of AI
Foreign Affairs

Questions arise over Korea’s two-week inaction after US letter

Questions are mounting over Seoul’s two-week silence after the United States sent a formal letter urging Korea to implement follow-up measures to a bilateral trade agreement, a move now seen as a possible warning ahead of President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on Korean goods. Government officials said Tuesday that the letter urged both countries to honor commitments outlined in a joint fact sheet issued after last year’s Korea-U.S. summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, including a pledge not to subject U.S. tech companies to different treatment from their Korean counterparts. The letter was sent on Jan. 13 by James Heller, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Seoul, to Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, with Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Fair Trade Commission Chairman Ju Biung-ghi listed as reference recipients. An official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said it had confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to elaborate, saying, “Details of diplomatic correspondence between the two go

Jan 27, 2026By Anna J. Park
Questions arise over Korea’s two-week inaction after US letter
Society

New campaign for Seoul residents calls for cutting 1 trash bag per person annually

The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a citizen-led campaign Monday, encouraging residents to reduce household waste by one trash bag per person each year, with the goal of cutting 40,000 tons of waste over the next two years. Under the campaign, each resident is asked to cut waste by the equivalent of one standard 10-liter city-issued garbage bags. Currently, the average Seoul resident uses about 48 such bags annually. If all 10 million residents participate, the city estimates the effort will reduce waste by about 60 tons per day, which is roughly half the daily household waste generated by a single district in the city, which averages 120 tons. Achieving the target would result in a reduction of about 44,000 tons of household waste over two years. The campaign follows a ban on direct landfilling of household waste in the Seoul metropolitan area that took effect Jan. 1. Since then, Seoul has been forced to ship some of its waste to regions outside the capital area because of limited treatment capacity within the city. As of this month, 0.9 percent of household waste generated in

Jan 26, 2026By Anna J. Park
New campaign for Seoul residents calls for cutting 1 trash bag per person annually
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