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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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SUMMIT Lee presents blueprint for manufacturing revival with Washington

WASHINGTON D.C. — Fresh from his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Lee Jae Myung joined the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable on Monday, where he urged leading American executives to pursue strategies for shared industrial growth. At a hotel in downtown Washington, Lee said the alliance between the United States and Korea rests on trust, and that economic cooperation offers the strongest means of reinforcing it. He added that business leaders themselves embody the partnership’s 72-year legacy. “The United States has been an indispensable partner in Korea’s industrialization,” Lee said. “During the critical period when our industrial base was destroyed by war, Korea was able to rise as a manufacturing powerhouse with America’s help. Korea’s rapid economic development would have been impossible without the U.S.” He stressed that Korea is now ready to contribute to the revitalization of American manufacturing. “The core of President Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ [plan] is to rebuild U.S. manufacturing," he said. "Korea — with world-leading tech

Aug 26, 2025By Anna J. Park
[SUMMIT] Lee presents blueprint for manufacturing revival with Washington
Foreign Affairs

SUMMIT Lee, Trump agree to deepen industrial ties, highlighting shipbuilding, energy, defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to expand cooperation in both manufacturing and security during their first summit in Washington, Monday. During their meeting in the Oval Office, Trump highlighted the shipbuilding sector, signaling his intention to attract South Korean technology and investments to U.S.-based production. "Now we're going to be buying ships from South Korea. But we're also going to have them make ships here with our people, using our people. And we're going to go back into the shipbuilding business again," Trump said. His remarks echoed a shipbuilding investment initiative, dubbed “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” (MASGA) by South Korean officials, which is tied to the ongoing tariff and investment negotiations between the two countries. Lee welcomed the proposal, stressing that South Korea seeks to contribute not only to shipbuilding but also to the broader revival of American industry. “Making America Great Again is your dream. I believe America is indeed becoming greater — we can see it even in the recor

Aug 26, 2025By Anna J. Park
[SUMMIT] Lee, Trump agree to deepen industrial ties, highlighting shipbuilding, energy, defense
Foreign Affairs

SUMMIT Trump raises prospects of meeting Kim Jong-un at APEC Summit in S. Korea

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump indicated his willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the end of the year, raising the possibility of a meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea later this year. During his first summit with President Lee Jae Myung at the White House, Monday, Trump was asked by reporters whether he planned to meet the North Korean leader again. He responded that he hoped to do so, emphasizing that he "gets along great with him." "I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un in the appropriate future," the U.S. president said. Regarding the upcoming APEC Summit scheduled for the end of October in Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump said he'd love to come for the summit. When presented with the possibility of meeting both Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC event, Trump described the idea as "interesting," although he acknowledged it could be difficult to arrange. "That'd be interesting. We'll arrange a meeting between you and Kim Jong-un. Would you like that? I don't know. That's a very tough questi

Aug 26, 2025By Anna J. Park
[SUMMIT] Trump raises prospects of meeting Kim Jong-un at APEC Summit in S. Korea
Foreign Affairs

President expresses gratitude to Korean Americans for bolstering Korea-US alliance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Lee Jae Myung began a three-day visit to the United States on Sunday by meeting with Korean American community leaders, underscoring the shifting contours of the bilateral alliance and praising their role in sustaining ties between the two nations. After arriving from Tokyo at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday afternoon, Lee attended a dinner with community representatives at a Washington hotel, his first official engagement of the visit. At the meeting, the president emphasized that the U.S.-Korea relationship, which began as a military alliance, has grown into a "future-oriented, comprehensive strategic partnership" encompassing not only economic ties but also technological cooperation. He also expressed his gratitude for diasporic contributions and efforts. “I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my respect and gratitude to all the members of the Korean diaspora who have passionately contributed, through tireless effort and dedication, to enhancing the status of Koreans and strengthening a prosperous and peaceful U.S.-Korea alliance,

Aug 25, 2025By Anna J. Park
President expresses gratitude to Korean Americans for bolstering Korea-US alliance
Foreign Affairs

President reaffirms responsibility not to disappoint Koreans at Trump summit result

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Lee Jae Myung said that “maximizing and safeguarding Korea’s national interests” would be the central focus of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. He said such a stance is important amid a global order increasingly shaped by self-interest and protectionism. Lee made these comments during a meeting with reporters on the presidential plane while traveling from Japan to Washington for bilateral talks slated for Monday afternoon (local time). The president and the Korean delegation are set to finalize the tariff deal reached on July 31, which stated the U.S. would impose a 15 percent blanket tariff on Korean goods in exchange for Korea’s commitment of $350 billion in investments and $100 billion in U.S. energy purchases. “We are in a time when nations are pursuing their own interests more aggressively than before. That means we, too, must work several times harder to protect our national interests,” Lee said. “It is objectively true that Korea’s diplomatic position has become more difficult compared to the past, but my duty is to overc

Aug 25, 2025By Anna J. Park
President reaffirms responsibility not to disappoint Koreans at Trump summit result
Foreign Affairs

President Lee meets Japan's parliamentary delegates in Tokyo

TOKYO — President Lee Jae Myung met with delegates from the Korea-Japan Parliamentary League and Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) on Sunday morning, as part of his two-day visit to Tokyo. According to the presidential office, the meetings focused on discussing how to enhance bilateral cooperation across economic, industrial and cultural sectors. “The President emphasized that when South Korea and Japan work together, both countries can generate greater shared benefits,” said presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung in a written statement. Both sides repeatedly emphasized the importance of forward-looking, mutually beneficial cooperation and the role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening political ties between the two nations. Kang further explained that President Lee expressed his pleasure at having another opportunity to meet with former Prime Minister Suga, who chairs the Korea-Japan parliamentary union, praising the league's active role in advancing bilateral relations. Lee also briefed the delegates on his summit and dinner with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba

Aug 24, 2025By Anna J. Park
President Lee meets Japan's parliamentary delegates in Tokyo
Foreign Affairs

Improved Korea-Japan ties to boost trilateral cooperation involving US: top security adviser

TOKYO — Improvement in Korea-Japan relations will help strengthen trilateral cooperation involving the United States, according to Wi Sung-lac, Korea's top security adviser to the presidential office, Sunday. Wi emphasized that Saturday's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds strategic significance, saying it is expected to have a positive effect ahead of Lee's upcoming bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday (local time). “Linking visits to Japan and the U.S. has effectively demonstrated the advancement of the trilateral cooperation between Korea, U.S. and Japan," Wi said during a press briefing at a hotel in Tokyo. "In the past, when Korea-Japan ties were strained, it was often Washington that tried to lead the three-way cooperation. This time, Seoul has taken the initiative, and Japan has recognized that Korea values its relationship with Tokyo,” Wi explained. Korea's top security official indicated that some Japanese media described Lee’s choice to visit Japan first for a bilateral talk befor

Aug 24, 2025By Anna J. Park
Improved Korea-Japan ties to boost trilateral cooperation involving US: top security adviser
Foreign Affairs

S. Korea, Japan to form consultative body to jointly tackle social challenges

TOKYO, Japan — South Korea and Japan have agreed to establish a working-level consultative body to address the social challenges facing both nations, such as low birthrates, their leaders said, Saturday. President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said they will also expand a working holiday program to increase exchanges between young people from both countries. These were announced after their summit in Tokyo. Both Lee and Ishiba recognized that this was the first time since diplomatic ties were normalized in 1965 that a Korean president has chosen Japan as their first destination for a bilateral visit, saying it reflects on their commitment to future-oriented relations. In a press briefing held after the summit at the prime minister's residence in Tokyo, Lee highlighted that the new consultative body would focus on shared social issues facing both countries, including low birthrates, aging populations and disaster safety awareness. “Both countries recognize the need for joint responses in these areas and will seek solutions together through the establishment

Aug 23, 2025By Anna J. Park
S. Korea, Japan to form consultative body to jointly tackle social challenges
Foreign Affairs

Lee recognizes role of Koreans in Japan for improvement in bilateral relations

TOKYO, Japan — President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday recognized the challenges faced by Korean residents in Japan, while praising their role as a bridge between the two nations. He met around 200 Koreans there during his two-day visit to Japan, which is his first stop for bilateral talks since his June 4 inauguration. “This is said to be the first time in history that a Korean president has chosen Japan as the first destination for a bilateral visit,” Lee said during the meeting at a hotel in Tokyo. “Meeting all of you as the opening event makes this visit especially meaningful.” Lee paid particular tribute to the sacrifices of Korean residents there, specifically referencing the country celebrating the 80th anniversary of liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule earlier this month. “In every corner of Tokyo, you can see the traces of the intense lives our compatriots have lived. The hardships, struggles, perseverance and triumphs of Korean residents in Japan are inseparable from the turbulent history of our nation. I feel deep respect whenever I hear about how you en

Aug 23, 2025By Anna J. Park
Lee recognizes role of Koreans in Japan for improvement in bilateral relations
Foreign Affairs

Is President Lee Jae Myung perceived as 'pro-China' by US?

Despite President Lee Jae Myung’s repeated efforts to present himself as a pragmatic centrist, concerns are mounting at home and abroad that he is perceived as leaning toward China. The issue is drawing renewed attention as Seoul prepares for Lee’s first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next week. Political observers note that reshaping such a deeply entrenched image will be a formidable challenge as the U.S. intensifies its checks against China’s growing assertiveness. U.S. congressional news outlet The Hill recently carried a column by Gordon Chang, a China expert influential among U.S. conservatives, with the headline “South Korea’s anti-American president is coming to Washington.” In it, Chang cited Lee’s past remarks describing U.S. Forces Korea as an “occupation army” and accusing Washington of helping Japan sustain its colonial rule over Korea. Lee’s so-called “pro-China” image has been widely cited not only by foreign observers but also by many South Koreans. During the presidential campaign, rival politicians criticized him for what they described

Aug 22, 2025By Anna J. Park
Is President Lee Jae Myung perceived as 'pro-China' by US?
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