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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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Foreign Affairs

Seoul sends Korea-related ship details to Tehran in bid to secure Hormuz passage

Seoul shared with Tehran the list of 26 Korea-related vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday, in a diplomatic push to secure priority passage through the contested waterway as ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked. The ship details were conveyed during talks between Korean and Iranian officials, according to local media reports, though it remains unclear whether Chung Byung-ha — the special envoy dispatched by the foreign minister to Iran — personally delivered it. Iran had previously indicated that vessel information would be needed for any discussions on passage through the strait. As of Tuesday, 173 crew members linked to Korean vessels remain stranded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to verify specifics but said the government is “in communication with relevant countries on the safe passage of ships staying in the Strait of Hormuz.” The ministry added that Seoul is considering providing humanitarian aid to the Middle East region in response to requests from the United Nations and the in

Apr 14, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul sends Korea-related ship details to Tehran in bid to secure Hormuz passage
Foreign Affairs

Korea must take lead in deepening trilateral ties with China, Japan amid global crisis

Trilateral cooperation among South Korea, China and Japan — once envisioned as an East Asian parallel to the European Union and built through summits and economic initiatives in the 2010s — has frayed under the weight of territorial disputes, the COVID-19 pandemic and deepening global turbulence. China-Japan tensions over Taiwan have sharpened since last November, leaving South Korea, a so-called pivot country, struggling to mediate between the two. The United States-Israel war with Iran and mounting economic pressures have added further strain, testing Seoul's diplomatic bandwidth at a moment when U.S.-led unipolarity is visibly weakening. Experts say Seoul must now seize the initiative to revive trilateral cooperation and set a broader vision for Northeast Asia. That was the central argument at a roundtable, co-hosted by The Korea Times and the Korean Institute for Presidential Studies, on April 8, moderated by Hahm Sung-deuk, dean of the Graduate School of Political Studies at Kyonggi University, where diplomats, academics and journalists gathered to discuss how to strengthen Ko

Apr 13, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea must take lead in deepening trilateral ties with China, Japan amid global crisis
Politics

Why is DPK eager to recruit presidential AI secretary for local elections?

Ha Jung-woo, a former IT expert with no experience in politics who is now presidential senior secretary for artificial intelligence (AI) and future planning, had not been widely mentioned as a potential election candidate until several weeks ago. Now, however, he is one of the most sought-after figures, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) called for him to run in a parliamentary by-election, even though President Lee Jae Myung himself said Ha still has a lot to do at Cheong Wa Dae. Whether he runs in the race or not, one thing is certain: His capacity is recognized in both administrative and political circles. He joined the current administration in June last year, when Lee created the new senior presidential secretary post dedicated to AI policy. Just before being appointed to the post, he was the head of the AI Innovation Center at Naver, the nation’s largest web portal operator and one of the country's leading tech companies. Many wondered what the new post was about and whether an IT specialist from the private sector could perform administrative affairs effectively. Howe

Apr 10, 2026By Park Ji-won
Why is DPK eager to recruit presidential AI secretary for local elections?
Others

Ex-Kuwait Ambassador Chung Byung-ha named special envoy to Iran

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday it named Chung Byung-ha, former ambassador to Kuwait, as a special envoy of the foreign minister to Iran. Chung, who is currently the ambassador for polar affairs, will arrive in Iran this weekend to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Korean ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, amid a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. “Through the dispatch, the foreign ministry will exchange views on the situation in the Middle East and discuss the safety of Korean nationals in Iran and those on the ships, as well as the passage of the ships,” the ministry said in a press release. The decision to send an envoy happened Thursday during a phone call between Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. The two foreign ministers’ call happened as the situation in the region remains unclear, even after the U.S., Israel and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement the previous day. A total of 26 ships related to Korean businesses have been stranded in the strait as Iran blocks the Strait of Ho

Apr 10, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ex-Kuwait Ambassador Chung Byung-ha named special envoy to Iran
Others

Korea to send special envoy to Iran to discuss Middle East situation: foreign ministry

Korea will dispatch a special envoy to Iran to study the situation in the Middle East, as contradictory reports from the U.S. and Iran about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continue, according to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday. The sending of an envoy was decided during a phone call between Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. The phone call was made as the situation in the region remains unclear even after the U.S., Israel and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement the previous day. A total of 26 ships related to Korean businesses have been stranded in the strait as Iran has blockaded the key trade route since the conflict started on Feb. 28. “Cho welcomed that the U.S. and Iran’s agreement on a ceasefire has brought the chance to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and said negotiations between the two sides of the conflict will lead to a successful deal and bring peace and stability to the Middle East," the ministry said in a press release. "Cho said he will dispatch a special envoy of the for

Apr 9, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea to send special envoy to Iran to discuss Middle East situation: foreign ministry
North Korea

Chinese FM's Pyongyang visit signals coordination ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to North Korea from Thursday to Friday, at Pyongyang’s invitation, is seen by experts as an effort to coordinate positions ahead of a United States-China summit in May, potentially laying the groundwork for a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The trip comes at a sensitive moment in peninsular diplomacy. Speculation over a possible Trump-Kim summit has been growing in Washington and Pyongyang since early this year, and Beijing, which has historically served as a back channel between the two sides, is keen to shape any outcome before Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sit down in May. Wang’s visit signals China’s effort to reassert its central role in regional diplomacy, particularly as discussions involving North Korea are expected to feature in U.S.-China talks. Seoul expressed cautious expectations over the visit, emphasizing the need for constructive dialogue. “The agenda for talks between North Korea and China has not been disclosed, but the South Korean government hopes they will eng

Apr 9, 2026By Park Ji-won
Chinese FM's Pyongyang visit signals coordination ahead of Trump-Xi summit
North Korea

What's behind North Korea's sudden push to deepen ties with China, Russia?

North Korea has launched a diplomatic sprint in recent weeks, deepening ties with both China and Russia in what experts describe as a calculated bid to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of any engagement with the United States. Long regarded as one of the world's most isolated states — a reputation reinforced by years of pandemic-era border closures — Pyongyang moved quickly to normalize relations with its two most important partners while quietly maintaining outreach to Southeast Asian nations. The moves come against the backdrop of a planned U.S.-China summit in May that is expected to touch on North Korea's nuclear program and growing speculation about the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit in the second half of the year. Restoring China channel On the China front, North Korea has moved to mend ties after years of pandemic-era isolation. Passenger train services between Pyongyang and Beijing resumed on March 12, followed by the return of direct flights on March 30, both after six years of suspension. The countries' two leaders have also maintained a steady exchange of

Apr 7, 2026By Park Ji-won
What's behind North Korea's sudden push to deepen ties with China, Russia?
Society

PHOTO Billboards go dark in energy-saving push

Electronic billboards are dark near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the operating hours of about 30 large electronic billboards in the Gwanghwamun and Myeong-dong areas would be reduced to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., from the previous 6 a.m. to midnight, for five days starting Monday as part of energy-saving efforts amid prolonged price pressures driven by the Middle East crisis. Yonhap

Apr 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
[PHOTO] Billboards go dark in energy-saving push
North Korea

Lee expresses regret over private drone flights into N. Korea

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday expressed regret over South Korean individuals' unauthorized drone flights into North Korea, saying the actions triggered unnecessary military tensions with Pyongyang. It was the first time that the president expressed regret over the issue. Previously, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young had made similar remarks in February. “Although this was not the intention of our government, we express our regret to the North that unnecessary military tensions were caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of a few individuals,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting. The remarks came after the indictment of a graduate student surnamed Oh, who was taken into custody and charged with violating the Aviation Safety Act by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on March 25. On March 31, a joint military-police task force announced that a National Intelligence Service employee and two active-duty military officers had been referred to prosecutors for allegedly helping Oh send drones across the border between September 2025 and January 2026. “South Korea

Apr 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
Lee expresses regret over private drone flights into N. Korea
Politics

PPP continues to fall 1 year after Yoon's ouster

One year after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his botched martial law crisis, the People Power Party (PPP), to which he belonged, is facing its worst slump in years. A new poll shows the main opposition party trailing the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) by 30 percentage points — the widest gap between the two parties since 2018. The anniversary did not pass quietly. Both pro- and anti-Yoon rallies were held in Seoul on Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the Constitutional Court's decision to uphold the National Assembly's impeachment motion against him, underscoring how he continues to divide the country. From detention, Yoon released an Easter message shared through his lawyer, urging supporters to persevere. "Even if the current times are difficult and hard, I pray that this Easter Sunday becomes one where we are reborn as children of God, enduring hardship and holding onto the hope of salvation," he wrote. The message points to a continuing challenge for the PPP: Yoon’s ongoing visibility remains a political liability, and the party is paying the price. Th

Apr 5, 2026By Park Ji-won
PPP continues to fall 1 year after Yoon's ouster
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