my timesThe Korea Times
annajpark

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Politics

Lawmakers pass bill to create special insurrection tribunals

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a contentious bill to create specialized tribunals to handle insurrection-related cases, a step widely seen as aimed at managing legal proceedings tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration in late 2024. The measure was driven by the majority-holding Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), despite fierce opposition from the conservative People Power Party (PPP). The bill, known as the Special Act on Criminal Procedures for Insurrection, Foreign Aggression, and Rebellion, calls for the establishment of at least two dedicated judicial panels at both the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court. Each panel, composed of three judges, will hear only insurrection-related cases, including those connected to the martial law declaration. The bill cleared the plenary session in a revised form after lawmakers removed provisions that had raised constitutional concerns, most notably a clause establishing a judge recommendation committee. Under the updated law, judges’ councils at the two courts will first set standards for form

Dec 23, 2025By Anna J. Park
Lawmakers pass bill to create special insurrection tribunals
Politics

Lee to cluster key aides at Cheong Wa Dae to speed up decision-making

The Korean presidential office is returning to its historic seat at Cheong Wa Dae. The relocation, expected to be finalized by the end of the month, marks a symbolic homecoming to the wooded compound in central Seoul that served as the nation's center of power for decades. Cheong Wa Dae is composed of several key facilities, including the main building used by the president, the Yeomin Building complex that houses offices for presidential secretaries and staff, the State Guest House (Yeongbingwan) for official events and receptions, the Chunchugwan press center and the presidential residence. Under the new arrangement, President Lee Jae Myung will have offices in both the main building and the Yeomin Building complex. He is expected to spend the bulk of his working hours in the Yeomin Building, where his closest aides will also be based. An official in the presidential office said Monday that the offices of Lee’s three top aides — the chief of staff, policy chief and national security adviser — will also be housed in the Yeomin Building, placing them within a one-minute walk of th

Dec 22, 2025By Anna J. Park
Lee to cluster key aides at Cheong Wa Dae to speed up decision-making
  • Cheong Wa Dae set to be restored as presidential office, ending 3 years in Yongsan
  • President seeks to move presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae this year
North Korea

President gives unification ministry rein on NK policy

President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the role of the Ministry of Unification, rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in North Korea policy Friday, addressing the recent rift between the two ministries over Pyongyang-related policies. In response, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said his ministry will “strengthen the lead” as the primary player in the Korean Peninsula issue. During the two ministries’ policy briefing in Seoul, Lee stressed the need for patience and trust-building in inter-Korean relations. “South Korea must act with patience and do its utmost to reduce hostility between the two Koreas and allow even a small seed of trust to sprout,” Lee said. “That role, I believe, is one the Ministry of Unification must play.” His remarks followed a series of comments emphasizing engagement with Pyongyang and were seen as effectively endorsing the unification ministry’s position, reinforcing expectations that it will take the lead in shaping North Korea policy going forward. Lee repeatedly underscored the ministry’s significance, citing South Korea’s unique

Dec 19, 2025By Anna J. Park
President gives unification ministry rein on NK policy
Politics

President Lee pushes Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger to ease capital overcrowding

President Lee Jae Myung proposed integrating the administrative jurisdictions of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province in a comment during a luncheon meeting with ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers from the two regions on Thursday, calling the move a potential breakthrough in addressing excessive concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area. According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, President Lee emphasized that the population's overconcentration in the capital region is one of the nation’s most pressing challenges, describing a potential administrative merger between Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province as a necessary step toward solving the issue. “The president suggested that integration between Daejeon and the South Chungcheong region could help pave the way for easing overcrowding while advancing balanced regional growth,” Kang said. Kang said the president also called for an open and forward-looking approach to resolving issues such as the location and naming of administrative institutions, envisioning the integrated region as a central hub for Ko

Dec 18, 2025By Anna J. Park
President Lee pushes Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger to ease capital overcrowding
Environment & Animals

Korea to ban free disposable plastic cups

The Korean government plans to ban the free distribution of disposable plastic cups as part of a broader push to curb plastic waste, officials said Wednesday. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced during a presidential policy briefing earlier in the day that this measure will be included in a comprehensive plastic reduction road map, which is scheduled to be released early next year. Under the plan, cafes and other businesses will be required to charge customers for disposable plastic cups. Climate Minister Kim Sung-hwan said the government intends to allow individual businesses to set their own prices for disposable cups, while establishing a minimum price range of around 100 won ($0.07) to 200 won to reflect production costs and discourage excessive use. The announcement comes as the government continues to reassess the disposable cup deposit system, under which customers pay a refundable deposit of 300 won when receiving drinks in disposable cups and receive the money back upon returning them. The system was promoted under the previous Moon Jae-in administration and

Dec 17, 2025By Anna J. Park
Korea to ban free disposable plastic cups
Foreign Affairs

UNC opposes legislative move to allow S. Korean authority over DMZ access

The United Nations Command (UNC) has issued a rare press release stressing its authority over access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It comes amid growing debate in South Korea over proposed legislation that would allow the Korean government to approve nonmilitary access to the DMZ. According to the release posted on its website Tuesday, the UNC said that it, through the UNC Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC), has been the successful administrator of the DMZ, a role that has been essential in maintaining stability, especially amid periods of heightened inter-Korean tensions. Citing the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, the UNC emphasized that civil administration and relief activities in the DMZ south of the Military Demarcation Line fall under its authority. It further noted that the agreement grants the UNCMAC jurisdiction over all access to the DMZ. “No person, military or civilian, shall be permitted to enter the demilitarized zone except persons concerned with the conduct of civil administration and relief and persons specifically authorized to enter by the Military Armistice

Dec 17, 2025By Anna J. Park
UNC opposes legislative move to allow S. Korean authority over DMZ access
Politics

Opposition parties unite to demand special probe into Unification Church scandal

Conservative opposition parties, led by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and including the minor Reform Party, are uniting to push for a special counsel investigation into an alleged bribery scandal involving the Unification Church that has already implicated figures in the ruling party. The bloc has stepped up pressure on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to accept the opposition-proposed probe. The developments come as the DPK leadership moves to advance a second round of three special investigations, targeting former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition, bribery and corruption allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, and the death of a Marine corporal who drowned in a flood rescue operation under the Yoon administration. The PPP is seeking to use the Unification Church allegations to push back against what it calls the DPK’s effort to frame the political agenda around “rooting out insurrection supporters” linked to Yoon’s martial law declaration. Officials worry about being trapped in that narrative through next June’s local el

Dec 16, 2025By Anna J. Park
Opposition parties unite to demand special probe into Unification Church scandal
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Laos sign legal cooperation treaties, renew labor MOU after summit

Korea and Laos agreed Monday to elevate their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime, signing treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition. The agreements were reached during a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, who is on an official visit to Seoul. Thongloun’s visit to Korea comes about six years after the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit held in Korea in 2019. Speaking at an expanded summit meeting at the presidential office, Lee said the agreement marks a significant milestone as the two countries commemorate three decades of the resumption of diplomatic relations. “President Thongloun and I have agreed to upgrade our bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations,” Lee said. He noted that since restoring ties in 1995, Korea and Laos have achieved “remarkable progress in just one generation” across a wide range of areas, in

Dec 15, 2025By Anna J. Park
Korea, Laos sign legal cooperation treaties, renew labor MOU after summit
Politics

President Lee’s livestreamed ministry briefings heighten tensions across government

A series of annual policy briefings by government ministries to the president, beginning last Thursday and continuing this week, is heightening tension across the public sector as the proceedings are being livestreamed for the first time. The briefings are a routine end- or beginning-of-year exercise in which government ministries and public institutions report on their performance over the past year and outline plans for the year ahead. Under the administration of President Lee Jae Myung, the sessions running through Friday will involve 228 public institutions, including 19 ministries, five agencies, 18 administrations and seven commissions. Participants include ministers, vice ministers, senior civil servants and officials from affiliated public bodies. This year’s briefings have drawn particular attention because all sessions — excluding those related to national security — are being broadcast live for the first time, in line with the president’s stated commitment to greater transparency in state affairs. The unedited coverage has also captured instances in which Lee sharply

Dec 14, 2025By Anna J. Park
President Lee’s livestreamed ministry briefings heighten tensions across government
Politics

Unification Church bribery scandal rocks Lee gov’t

The Unification Church's alleged bribery of ruling bloc figures is hitting the Lee Jae Myung administration, with one minister resigning over his alleged money acceptance from the religious organization and several other top officials also under similar suspicion. It is feared that the scandal will further shake the administration if more ministers and officials fall under suspicion. It could also extend to influencing the ruling bloc’s strategies and nominations for next June’s local elections. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo submitted his resignation early Thursday, amid allegations that he received between 30 million won ($20,377) to 40 million won in cash and two luxury watches from an official of the Unification Church, which sought his influence in its project to build an undersea tunnel connecting Korea and Japan. Chun denied the allegations, and acknowledged concerns that his resignation might be misconstrued as an admission of guilt. He added that he was stepping down to demonstrate his resolve and take responsibility, while also wishing to avoid placing further

Dec 11, 2025By Anna J. Park
Unification Church bribery scandal rocks Lee gov’t
previous page
1415161718
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.