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Park Ji-won

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.

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Politics

Lee, first lady to get new passports after personal data exposure

The foreign ministry said Tuesday it is taking steps to reissue passports for all 168 people affected by an online leak of sensitive personal information, including President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, as police investigate how the data was exposed. “The foreign ministry is swiftly taking measures to ensure the smooth reissuance of passports for all affected individuals, including the president and first lady,” ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said during a briefing. Police have opened a preliminary investigation into the leak, which involved personal information belonging to the presidential couple, Cabinet members, senior officials from Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign ministry, security personnel and reporters traveling with the presidential delegation. The National Police Agency launched the investigation after passenger information and sensitive personal data related to the presidential aircraft were found posted online. The foreign ministry said it requested an investigation by relevant authorities immediately after discovering the leak and is working with poli

2h agoBy Park Ji-won
Lee, first lady to get new passports after personal data exposure
North Korea

Major disaster could open door to N. Korea talks, Japanese disaster expert says

A major natural disaster in North Korea could create an opening for engagement with the isolated regime through humanitarian aid, according to a Japanese disaster expert who once coordinated with North Korean officials at the United Nations. He noted that the U.N. had discussed such an approach and that disasters have helped thaw relations elsewhere. “In the event of a major disaster in North Korea, neighboring countries — including China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — could potentially provide humanitarian assistance,” Yuichi Ono, professor at Tohoku University and deputy director of International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), said during a meeting with South Korean reporters visiting Japan as part of a South Korea-Japan journalists’ exchange program on Oct. 23, according to the joint press corps. He said the idea has been raised within the U.N. itself. “We actually discussed within the U.N. whether a major disaster might serve as a catalyst for the country to open its doors,” he said. “Statistically speaking, it’s only a matter of time before Nor

22h agoBy Park Ji-won
Major disaster could open door to N. Korea talks, Japanese disaster expert says
North Korea

NK's economic growth is 'temporary' thanks to Russia-Ukraine war, study says

North Korea’s recent economic growth in the 3 percent range was a “temporary war windfall” from the Russia-Ukraine war that would potentially lead to reduced domestic consumption, according to an analysis released by a think tank run by South Korea's spy agency on Sunday. In a research paper titled “Is North Korea’s economy really booming?” released Thursday by the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), a South Korean state-run think tank affiliated with the National Intelligence Service (NIS), senior research fellow Lim Soo-ho wrote, “What North Korea is enjoying right now is not genuine growth in its domestic economy, but rather a predatory expansion — a temporary windfall in regime finances built on war profits and inflation tax.” “North Korea’s recent economic growth has been heavily driven by a unilateral surge in heavy industry and construction … Those facilities and manufactured munitions yield almost no tangible benefit for public livelihood,” he added. Citing Bank of Korea estimates, showing North Korea’s real gross domestic product grew by

1d agoBy Park Ji-won
NK's economic growth is 'temporary' thanks to Russia-Ukraine war, study says
Foreign Affairs

US visa issuance delay emerges as political wrangling over alliance

The delay of U.S. visa issuance for a ruling party lawmaker has become a topic of debate between rival parties over whether it is a sign of growing friction in the Korea-U.S. alliance. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) called the incident a clear sign of eroded trust within the alliance. "It is a symbolic moment that clearly exposes the widening rift in the Korea-U.S. alliance and the total breakdown of trust between the two countries,” Rep. Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the PPP, said in a statement Saturday. “It is an unprecedented diplomatic embarrassment and a national disgrace that the chairman of Korea's parliamentary defense committee was required to submit an English translation of a past National Security Act conviction and a criminal record check to the U.S., our ally, before finally receiving entry permission,” Park wrote. Park's statement came after Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the chairman of the Assembly's National Defense Committee, announced that his visa was issued belatedly, a day before the committee's plan

1d agoBy Park Ji-won
US visa issuance delay emerges as political wrangling over alliance
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Germany agree to upgrade bilateral ties to enhanced strategic partnership during summit

President Lee Jae Myung and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed Thursday to elevate bilateral ties to an “enhanced strategic partnership,” signing a series of agreements spanning defense, technology, energy and trade during Merz’s state visit to Seoul. “Building on this deep trust and cooperation, Chancellor Merz and I have agreed to establish an ‘enhanced strategic partnership’ between the two countries,” Lee said during a joint press conference at Cheong Wa Dae. “Germany is the Republic of Korea’s largest trading partner in Europe ... The joint statement adopted today reflects our firm and clear commitment to deepening cooperation across a wide range of areas, including politics, security, the economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, while strengthening future-oriented cooperation and strategic coordination.” The upgrade was made amid intensifying global challenges, the joint statement said. Among the agreements signed, the two countries adopted a Joint Declaration of Intent on a Framework for an Economic and High-tech Partnership, aimed at strengthening

Oct 29, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea, Germany agree to upgrade bilateral ties to enhanced strategic partnership during summit
Foreign Affairs

US official calls Korean firms' participation in nuclear expansion 'almost mandatory'

Washington considers the participation of Korean companies all but essential to its nuclear expansion, a U.S. government official familiar with the matter said in Seoul Thursday, as the two countries look to build reactors at home and in third countries. “I think it's almost mandatory that we will have Korean companies involved,” the official said, after attending the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in Incheon. “We would like to have Korean companies participate in moving forward the renaissance in U.S. and around the world,” the official added. “We do need Korean companies, who have very good experience in this area already, to help in that process.” The official said the 123 Agreement, the bilateral pact governing civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries, does not prevent Korean firms from participating. Requirements attached to exported technology amount to standard export-control matters rather than a barrier under the agreement itself, the official noted. The Korean industry is already embedded in several U.S. projects. SK is among the la

Oct 29, 2026By Park Ji-won
US official calls Korean firms' participation in nuclear expansion 'almost mandatory'
Foreign Affairs

From Korean language classes to disaster relief, one woman's mission in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan — For years, Chung Hyun-suk, a Korean living in Fukushima, Japan, devoted herself to teaching Korean language and culture, building ties between local residents and her home country. But the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011 transformed her mission from cultural exchange to disaster relief and, eventually, community welfare. Chung, 65, founded Fukukan Net, a nonprofit organization promoting cultural exchanges, between Korea and Japan in 2001, when opportunities to learn Korean language and culture in Fukushima were limited. The organization thrived amid the first Korean wave in the early 2000s, buoyed by the popularity of the hit drama "Winter Sonata." At its peak, its Korean language program attracted some 400 students, while Chung continued funding much of its activities out of her own pocket alongside her work as a university lecturer. But everything changed on March 11, 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami devastated the region. "Every day, refugees flooded in and people were dying from the tsunami, includin

Oct 29, 2026By Park Ji-won
From Korean language classes to disaster relief, one woman's mission in Fukushima
Defense

S. Korea proposes military talks with N. Korea over border conflict issue

South Korea on Friday proposed to hold military talks with North Korea to prevent accidental clashes stemming from unclear border lines in the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The proposal comes as tensions along the border continue to escalate after three South Korean soldiers clearing a patrol route were injured in a North Korean mine explosion south of the MDL within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) amid Pyongyang's so-called border fortifications. “South Korea's defense ministry is formally proposing official military talks with North Korea. Seoul aims to verify the precise location of the land border, restore military hotlines and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes in border areas,” Kim Hong-chul, director general for defense policy at the Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement. “The United Nations Command (UNC) can also join the discussion if necessary, with specific dates and venues to be arranged through Panmunjeom." The ministry said it has closely watched North Korean troops construct roads and fences and plant mines and cross the MDL over the course of

Oct 23, 2026By Park Ji-won
S. Korea proposes military talks with N. Korea over border conflict issue
Defense

USFK has no access policy change yet amid reported BYD car ban at US base in Japan

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said on Friday there are no changes to policies regarding entry restrictions on Chinese vehicles, following U.S. Forces Japan’s (USFJ) reported decision to ban vehicles made by Chinese electric car giant BYD from entering one of its bases amid security concerns. According to Yonhap News Agency, Friday, USFJ decided to ban electric vehicles made by BYD from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa starting Oct. 26. The air base is the U.S.' largest overseas installation and serves as a key strategic hub for regional defense against security threats from China, Russia and North Korea. The ban is widely seen as an effort to prevent intelligence leaks of sensitive military operations, according to the report. The Japanese air base is home to the 18th Wing of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, hosting tactical fighter aircrafts, radar systems and ammunition stockpiles. Speculations were mounting that the BYD ban may expand to other major bases in the country and potentially extend to USFK, the report added. However, there is no sign so far that the USFK has adopted such measures. “U.

Oct 23, 2026By Park Ji-won
USFK has no access policy change yet amid reported BYD car ban at US base in Japan
North Korea

Seoul mulls 'proportionate measure' over Pyongyang's loudspeaker threat

South Korea said on Thursday it would take a “proportionate measure” if North Korea resumes operating propaganda loudspeakers along the border, without providing details about such measures. In a wider response to the border tension that resulted from the explosion of North Korean mines, which injured South Korean soldiers, Seoul said it would send a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to explain that the mine planting was in violation of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement and call for U.N.-level actions. "If North Korea takes action, we believe there should be a proportionate measure," Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Chung Binna said when asked if Seoul will set up and operate its own propaganda loudspeakers. But she added nothing has been decided. The remarks came as Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has said in two statements since Tuesday that Pyongyang will resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts against South Korea, claiming that Seoul wrongfully accused North Korean troops of crossing the border. S

Oct 22, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul mulls 'proportionate measure' over Pyongyang's loudspeaker threat
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