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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

Seoul, Tokyo look to ‘new 60 years’ of partnership at Nara summit

NARA, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met for a summit in Nara prefecture Tuesday, reaffirming bilateral cooperation as the two countries mark 60 years since normalizing diplomatic relations in 1965. In his opening remarks, Lee acknowledged a shared history shaped by Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, which continues to affect relations between the two countries, while emphasizing the significance of more recent history and the importance of future cooperation. “While we share painful experiences from the past, it has now been 60 years since the normalization of Korea-Japan relations,” Lee said. “As we begin a new chapter toward the next 60 years, today’s meeting carries special meaning.” Takaichi echoed the sentiment, underscoring the two countries’ decadeslong cooperation and the need to elevate bilateral ties to a new level. “We would like to make this year, beginning with the president’s visit to Japan, a year in which Korea-Japan relations advance to a higher dimension,” Takaichi said. Both leaders stressed the imp

Jan 13, 2026By Anna J. Park
Seoul, Tokyo look to ‘new 60 years’ of partnership at Nara summit
  • Seoul, Tokyo stress S. Korea-US-Japan cooperation on NK denuclearization
Law & Crime

Who is judge handling Yoon's insurrection case?

A judge previously known for his methodical approach has been thrust into the center of a judicial standoff that could determine the fate of Korean democracy. Judge Jee Kui-youn, presiding over the insurrection trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, has become a pivotal figure in a trial that has captured significant media and public attention. The 51-year-old justice currently heads the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, widely regarded as the most influential trial court in the country. He passed Korea’s highly competitive bar examination in 1999 at the age of 25 after graduating from Seoul National University College of Law. Jee served as a military prosecutor while completing mandatory military duty before spending two decades navigating the Korean judiciary. His ascent was defined by a six-year tenure as a research judge at the Supreme Court — a role that requires exceptional legal acumen and rigor in legal reasoning. Since his appointment to the Seoul Central District Court in February 2023, the judge has presided over several high-profile cases. In F

Jan 12, 2026By Anna J. Park
Who is judge handling Yoon's insurrection case?
Politics

Opposition party seeks nationality disclosure for online commenters

Political parties are clashing over whether online platforms should be required to disclose the nationality of commenters, as the issue is emerging as a flashpoint ahead of the June 3 local elections. Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has called for the mandatory disclosure of commenters’ nationalities on online platforms, along with restrictions on foreign nationals’ voting rights in local elections, citing concerns over foreign interference in domestic politics. While similar arguments have previously been raised by individual lawmakers, this marks the first time the conservatives have formally advanced the issue at the party leadership level. “Public opinion is being distorted by comments from foreign nationals,” Jang wrote on social media on Saturday. “There was even a case in which an X account that posted more than 65,000 comments criticizing the PPP over the past seven years was found to have a login location in China.” Jang also argued that Korea’s sovereignty is being undermined by the expansion of voting rights for forei

Jan 11, 2026By Anna J. Park
Opposition party seeks nationality disclosure for online commenters
Foreign Affairs

Lee honors Korea's independence activists at historic site in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — Marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea’s Shanghai headquarters and the 150th birth anniversary of independence leader Kim Koo, President Lee Jae Myung visited the historic site on Wednesday afternoon as the final stop on his state visit to China. At the venue, Lee expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for its cooperation in preserving the site and underscored the significance of Korea’s independence movement. “The history of Korea’s independence movement cannot be told without China,” the president said. “Nearly half of Korea’s independence-related historical sites are located in China, which served as the main stage for our struggle," he added. Among them, the Korean president noted that Shanghai is especially symbolic. “This building housed the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1926 to 1932, after it was forced to relocate multiple times to evade harsh Japanese repression following its establishment in 1919,” he said. Lee emphasized that it was here that independe

Jan 7, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee honors Korea's independence activists at historic site in Shanghai
Foreign Affairs

China to remove West Sea structures, Korean president says

SHANGHAI — South Korea and China will seek to clearly divide maritime borders in disputed areas of the West Sea, as conflicts have emerged over large-scale installations there set up by China, President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday. China has expressed its intention to partially withdraw them, he said. Lee made the comments two days after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the West Sea structures were on the agenda. The conflict surrounds structures China deployed in 2022 within the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ), an area where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the two countries overlap in the West Sea, a shallow body of water between China and the Korean Peninsula. While China has claimed the facilities are for marine farming, South Korea has viewed them as infringements of its maritime rights and a part of China’s “gray zone” tactics. “China’s position is that the facilities are simply aquaculture farms. From our perspective, the issue is why such installations were set up unilaterally by China in the area where the two countries are supposed to joint

Jan 7, 2026By Anna J. Park
China to remove West Sea structures, Korean president says
Foreign Affairs

In Shanghai, Lee seeks ‘new stage’ in Korea-China ties, citing shared history

SHANGHAI — President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday as part of his four-day visit to China, which he said he hoped would propel bilateral relations into a “completely new stage.” Upon arrival, he met with Chen Jining, the city’s Communist Party secretary, underscoring the diplomatic significance of the trip. “Shanghai is a city I have long wanted to visit,” Lee said, noting its historical role as a major hub of exchange between the Korean Peninsula and the Chinese mainland. He also highlighted the city’s significance as a base for Korean independence activists during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial occupation of Korea, describing it as a place of special meaning where earlier generations fought for liberation. Lee noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kim Koo, a leading figure in Korea’s independence movement, as well as the centennial of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai. “I would like to express my gratitude, together with the people of the Republic of Korea, for the excellent care

Jan 6, 2026By Anna J. Park
In Shanghai, Lee seeks ‘new stage’ in Korea-China ties, citing shared history
Foreign Affairs

Lee meets with Chinese premier to shore up critical trade ties

BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung moved to shore up Korea’s most critical economic relationship on Tuesday, holding a third round of high-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang aimed at insulating bilateral trade from broader geopolitical volatility. By engaging Li, who manages the day-to-day machinery of the Chinese economy, the Korean leader, who is on a state visit to China, signaled a preference for functional cooperation over the ideological friction that has often defined regional diplomacy. During the session, Lee characterized the “strategic cooperative partnership” as an essential stabilizer for regional peace, explicitly linking diplomatic harmony to the domestic livelihoods of both nations. He underscored Li’s pivotal role as the architect of China’s economic policy and its primary envoy to the trilateral forum with Japan, framing the premier as a necessary partner in maintaining a predictable environment for Northeast Asian commerce. “Based on people’s livelihoods and peace, I expect the prime minister to continue playing a major role in advancing Korea-Ch

Jan 6, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee meets with Chinese premier to shore up critical trade ties
Foreign Affairs

Leaders of Korea, China agree to expand cultural exchanges, address West Sea structure issue

BEIJING — Korea and China agreed on Monday to gradually expand cooperation in cultural and creative sectors, focusing initially on areas acceptable to both sides, the Korean presidential office said. The agreements were reached during a summit in Beijing between President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of Lee’s state visit to the Chinese capital. The two leaders also shared the view that ensuring the stable, long-term development of bilateral ties requires transforming the West Sea into a “sea of peace and coexistence.” They pledged to continue holding constructive consultations on structures unilaterally deployed by China in the area, which have emerged as a source of friction, and agreed to work together to ensure that vice ministerial-level talks on maritime and ocean economy issues can be convened within the year. According to National Security Adviser Wi Sung‑lac, who briefed reporters in Beijing on Monday evening, the two leaders reached a shared understanding on the need to continue holding annual summits as part of efforts to fully restore Kore

Jan 5, 2026By Anna J. Park
Leaders of Korea, China agree to expand cultural exchanges, address West Sea structure issue
  • Lee highlights beauty, culture, AI as emerging fields in Korea-China trade
Foreign Affairs

Lee highlights beauty, culture, AI as emerging fields in Korea-China trade

BEIJING — Consumer goods including beauty products and cultural content, as well as artificial intelligence (AI), could become new pillars of business cooperation between Korea and China, President Lee Jae Myung said Monday. He stressed the expansion of the two countries' economic partnership at a Korea-China business forum that took place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, part of Lee’s four-day state visit to the country. It was the first business forum held between the two nations since 2017. At the forum, Lee called for “new engines of growth” to reinvigorate a bilateral trade relationship that has stalled at about $300 billion per year. He spoke before some 600 delegates, including 416 Korean business representatives and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees economic affairs. “Consumer goods including beauty products and food, as well as cultural content such as film, music, games and sports, can become new breakthroughs,” he said in his address. He added that future-oriented technologies, particularly AI, could elevate bilateral cooperation to a new l

Jan 5, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee highlights beauty, culture, AI as emerging fields in Korea-China trade
Foreign Affairs

Lee sees vast potential for Korea-China cooperation in emerging industries

BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung emphasized Sunday that there are “limitless areas for further industrial cooperation” between Korea and China, during a meeting with members of the Korean community living in Beijing. The gathering marked the first official engagement on his four-day state visit to China. “China is now competing with us in the global market, but I believe there remain boundless opportunities for future cooperation, such as renewable energy, biotechnology and the silver industry, based on the comparative advantages of both countries,” Lee said. The president noted that more than three decades have passed since Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic relations. Despite periods of strain, he said, the two nations have continued exchanges and cooperation, achieving remarkable growth in the process. “It is often said that even mountains and rivers change in 10 years, and China has indeed undergone sweeping transformations and reforms,” Lee said. “Fintech technologies such as Alipay have become part of everyday life, and the adoption of electric vehicles has

Jan 4, 2026By Anna J. Park
Lee sees vast potential for Korea-China cooperation in emerging industries
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