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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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K-pop

'BTS brings out the good side in me': Filipino fan shares how BTS changed her life

Nobody knew how long fans would have to wait for BTS’ comeback. Filipino BTS fan Sweet Tappan is one of thousands who waited patiently for the seven-member megagroup's return and will finally see them perform at Gwanghwamun on Saturday, following the release of their full-length album “ARIRANG” on Friday. “They really promised to come back. We waited a long time for this so we're really excited,” Tappan told The Korea Times on Friday. She took a red-eye flight from Manila on Thursday night and arrived Friday morning, when she met with The Korea Times to visit sites included in the “BTS THE CITY ARIRANG” program, which allows fans to enjoy promotional events for BTS’ new album while touring historic locations in Seoul. Dressed from head to toe in red, the color of the new album, Tappan already has a packed schedule: On Friday she visited Love Song Lounge, Shinsegae Department Store’s The Heritage, and saw a light show at Sungnyemun, one of Seoul's historic gates, and a drone show at Ttukseom Hangang Park — things she would never do back home in the Philippines, where

Mar 20, 2026By Park Ji-won
'BTS brings out the good side in me': Filipino fan shares how BTS changed her life
Defense

Korea's KF-21 fighter jet closes in on 1st export deal with Indonesia

Korea is on the verge of clinching its first export deal for the domestically developed KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expected to visit the jet's manufacturer during a state visit later this month to sign a preliminary agreement, industry officials confirmed Thursday. “Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be visiting Korea to meet with Korean President Lee Jae Myung and have a ceremony for signing an agreement,” an industry official told The Korea Times, Thursday. “The two countries will be having a ceremonial event together.” Indonesia plans to purchase 16 fighter jets in the first order — down from the originally planned 48 — due to budget constraints, Asia Business Daily reported Thursday. Subianto is scheduled to visit Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province-based manufacturer of the jet, during his state visit from March 31 to April 2. The two sides aim to finalize an implementation contract in the first half of this year. The deal would mark a milestone for the KF-21 project that began in 20

Mar 19, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea's KF-21 fighter jet closes in on 1st export deal with Indonesia
Defense

Korea secures 24 mil. barrels of oil from UAE: presidential aide

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged to treat Korea as its top priority for crude oil exports, President Lee Jae Myung's top aide said Wednesday, announcing that a total of 24 million barrels have been secured from the Gulf country as Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to squeeze Seoul's energy supply. "The UAE promised that Korea is the 'No. 1 priority' in supplying crude oil and we agreed that Korea could buy oil anytime through the UAE," presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a briefing. In addition to 6 million barrels of crude oil under a previous agreement, the UAE promised this time that an additional 18 million barrels would be shipped to Korea. Roughly 6 million barrels will be shipped by three UAE cargo ships, while six Korean vessels will transport the remainder. Kang added that Seoul and Abu Dhabi plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on the oil supply chain in the near future. The announcement follows a rapid diplomatic push by Kang, who flew to the UAE Sunday for a four-day trip, serving as Lee's special envoy for strategic economic c

Mar 18, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea secures 24 mil. barrels of oil from UAE: presidential aide
Society

Korea raises terror alert near BTS Gwanghwamun show venue as 260,000 fans expected

Korea will raise the terror alert level in parts of central Seoul ahead of BTS’ free comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square this Saturday, where more than 260,000 people are expected to gather. The prime minister's office announced Wednesday that the alert level will be elevated from the lowest “attention” to second-tier “caution,” out of a four-tier scale, in Jongno District and Jung District in central Seoul from the beginning of Thursday to midnight on Saturday as part of a preemptive move to prevent potential terror attacks. “Given the uncertainties driven by international affairs, the government concluded that it is hard to rule out the possibility of a potential terror threat to the event like BTS concert where a large crowd would flock and will take a preemptive move to ensure the people’s safety as a priority,” the office said in a press release. This comes amid rising tensions caused by the U.S-Israel war on Iran and the influx of tourists coming to Seoul for the historic concert event. The alert is issued when there is a possibility of a terrorist attack and an

Mar 18, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea raises terror alert near BTS Gwanghwamun show venue as 260,000 fans expected
North Korea

North Korea talks unlikely as Trump-Xi summit stalls, wars rage, analysts say

With U.S. President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly pushed back amid the wars in Iran and Ukraine, analysts say a potential summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to materialize soon, though they stop short of ruling it out entirely. Trump is planning to push his China visit to May as the Iran conflict intensifies, but Seoul is pressing ahead with its efforts to broker renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. The moves have fueled speculation that a Trump-Kim meeting could be back on the table. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Monday urged North Korea not to miss the opportunity, after Trump expressed interest in meeting with Kim during a White House sit-down with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok Friday. Most analysts, however, said the U.S. has little bandwidth for North Korea diplomacy right now amid global geopolitical uncertainties. “There is no room for Trump to discuss the talks between the North and the U.S. amid the Iran war,” Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institut

Mar 17, 2026By Park Ji-won
North Korea talks unlikely as Trump-Xi summit stalls, wars rage, analysts say
Foreign Affairs

Does sending Korean warships to Hormuz need National Assembly approval?

As U.S. President Donald Trump presses allies to help police the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint carrying roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply — Korea finds itself caught between its most important security partner and the limits of its own Constitution. Analysts and lawmakers from both the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Monday that any warship deployment to the strait for combat operations would require National Assembly approval, following Trump's weekend request for Korea to join a U.S.-led effort to keep the passage open amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. The Korean government said it will "prudently review" the request when it comes. Some analysts, however, say that parliamentary approval may not be required if Korea's already-deployed Cheonghae Unit, an anti-piracy force that conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, simply expands its existing operations into the strait, a distinction that could prove pivotal in how Seoul ultimately responds. “If Korea is joining as part of a multination

Mar 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Does sending Korean warships to Hormuz need National Assembly approval?
Business

Journalist-turned-entrepreneur reinvents news with comics, AI

KRAKOW, Poland — For Hyun Shin, CEO of Glitter Company (gltr), a U.S.-based AI solution startup that turns text into online comics and videos, "News is so boring." Speaking to the Korea Times on the sidelines of the 2025 World News Media Congress in Krakow, Poland, Shin said, "News media are supposed to be able to foster culture and a public sphere based on empathy, but, trapped in text, they've only added to economic and political divides," noting he's never read a newspaper from front to back. "If news can deliver messages through comics, it can be more universal, empathetic and more interesting," Shin added, explaining the role comics can play in journalism and why he founded his AI startup. Gltr was among the companies that showcased their products at the event hosted by the World Association of News Publishers from May 4 to 6. Gltr offers a simple and intuitive AI solution that turns any text, including articles, press releases and financial reports, into comics, identifying the best comic format for the content users provide. The AI service features more than 30 image styles, from

May 26, 2025By Park Ji-won
Journalist-turned-entrepreneur reinvents news with comics, AI
World

Can news outlets survive influx of AI and stealing of data?

Since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken center stage in the global media industry, generating discussions about its impact on journalism and the newsroom. In the early stages of the chatbot’s introduction, news companies focused on defining AI itself. But after the fast spread of the OpenAI service and other AI services released by late-coming tech giants over the last three years, newsrooms are now forced to make a life-or-death decision about how the industry can integrate AI in the newsroom while upholding journalistic integrity and fighting fake news. This year's World News Media Congress, hosted by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in Krakow, Poland, explored these debates from May 4 to 6. While last year’s congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark, was centered on basic technical issues such as creating summaries and headlines and identifying false news, this year's discussions on AI were much broader, with topics critical to the industry amid growing threats of IT giants extracting data from the media. “From an industry pers

May 20, 2025By Park Ji-won
Can news outlets survive influx of AI and stealing of data?
  • REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK AI, Google, news media and user discretion
Global Community

SPECIAL REPORT Japan embarks on journey to become more open to immigration

TOKYO, Japan ― In a tale of two developed nations with rich but homogeneous cultures, Korea and Japan have long grappled with the complexities of immigration policies to tackle the demographic crises caused by low birthrates and aging populations.

Nov 2, 2023By Park Ji-won
[SPECIAL REPORT] Japan embarks on journey to become more open to immigration
  • SPECIAL REPORT Korean society grows more diverse but still struggles with multicultural integration
  • Can Korea become a thriving country of migrants?
  • How can Korea become more migrant-friendly?
  • SPECIAL REPORT Korea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants
K-pop

Which K-pop idols were born in the Year of the Rabbit?

Jay Park poses for photos during a press conference for KBS' upcoming late-night music talk show, "The Seasons-Jay Park's Drive," in Seoul on Jan. 17. Courtesy of KBSHONG KONG ― Jan. 22 marks the beginning of a new cycle in the lunar calendar ― and the Year of the Water Rabbit.Traditional wisdom has it that the rabbit symbolizes longevity, peace and prosperity, so those born under the sign of this zodiac animal tend to be energetic yet also cautious, gentle and patient.So which K-pop stars were born in the Year of the Rabbit?Many stars born in 1987 ― the Year of the Fire Rabbit ― are no longer active on the K-pop scene, but some, including Jay Park, and Super Junior's Kyuhyun and Ryeowook, are still pursuing careers either in music or in other areas of entertainment.Jay Park, who debuted as a member of the K-pop group 2PM in 2008, founded his new label, More Vision, in March 2022, after quitting his role as head of two hip-hop labels he founded, AOMG and H1ghr Music.He recently became the host of public broadcaster KBS' new music talk show, The Seasons. He also launched a megahi

Jan 21, 2023By Park Ji-won
Which K-pop idols were born in the Year of the Rabbit?
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