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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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Environment & Animals

Lovebugs return to Korea earlier this year

Lovebugs — small, black-bodied flies named for the way mated pairs fly while attached to each other — are expected to swarm Korea slightly earlier than last year and for a shorter period due to higher temperatures, the state forest science institute said Monday. The Korea Forest Service said in a statement that the National Institute of Forest Science forecast the outbreak will begin on June 15, two days earlier than last year, and end on June 29, with activity peaking on June 24. Last year's major outbreak lasted from June 17 to July 4 — a longer window that suggests this year's swarms may be denser over a more concentrated period. “It is slightly earlier than last year and the reflection of higher spring temperatures recently,” the agency said in a statement. The insects are cold-blooded, meaning their growth rate varies depending on ambient temperatures. The agency added that the continued warm weather appears to have accelerated their development from larvae to pupae to adults, bringing forward the expected outbreak. The analysis is based on 439 records from the online plat

May 11, 2026By Park Ji-won
Lovebugs return to Korea earlier this year
Foreign Affairs

KOICA signs MOU with APC Columbia for triangular cooperation in Latin America, Caribbean

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has teamed up with its counterpart APC Colombia to strengthen cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean. KOICA said it held a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with APC Colombia for cooperation for Latin American countries and the Caribbean with the goals of enhancing digital governance, tackling environmental issues, and promoting innovation and regional development, the government agency said Thursday. The MOU “Latin America and the Caribbean Triangular Cooperation Framework Korea-Colombia” aims to build groundwork for joint projects between Korea and Columbia for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Triangular cooperation refers to an aid arrangement in which two or more donor actors cooperate as facilitators and pivotal partners to support one or more beneficiary countries. APC Colombia is the government body that oversees Colombia’s international development cooperation policies including official development assistance, South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation. Under the partnership,

May 8, 2026By Park Ji-won
KOICA signs MOU with APC Columbia for triangular cooperation in Latin America, Caribbean
Foreign Affairs

Korea begins inspection to uncover cause of damage to vessel in Hormuz

A Korean delegation has begun inspecting a Korean vessel that sustained explosion and fire in the Strait of Hormuz after the ship was towed to a port in Dubai Friday. HMM Namu, the Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by Korean shipping company HMM, arrived at the port of Jebel Ali at 12:20 a.m., four days after the explosion, and was docked there, according to the company and the government. A joint investigation team comprising inspectors from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Fire Agency began investigating the cause of the explosion and fire on the ship. The ship had been stranded in the strait for the past two months, along with some 2,000 other vessels, after the U.S.-Israel war with Iran broke out and Iran blocked the waterway. The explosion occurred Monday, the same day the United States launched its military operation “Project Freedom” to help guide stranded ships out of the strait. There were 24 crewmembers on board, including six Koreans. The government has remained cautious as it sets about determining whether the

May 8, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea begins inspection to uncover cause of damage to vessel in Hormuz
North Korea

Gov't takes low-key approach as NK football team's visit tests inter-Korean relations

The planned inter-Korean match between Suwon FC Women and Pyongyang’s Naegohyang Women’s FC on May 20 is drawing attention for being held in South Korea after the North defined the South as "hostile enemy state" and abandoned the principal of unification in its new Constitution. Co-organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Korea Football Association (KFA) and Suwon Special City, the AWCL Final 2026 is Asia's premier women's club tournament, running from May 17 to 23. The winner will meet the victor of the other semifinal between Melbourne City FC and Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final on May 23. The Ministry of Unification and Cheong Wa Dae “welcomed” the scheduled visit, but remain quiet regarding any direct involvement in the event, saying they will provide procedural support for the Pyongyang team, such as handling the issuance of travel documents. The two Korean teams will stay at the same hotel in accordance with AFC rules, but will eat and be assigned rooms on separate floors, a unification ministry official said. The North Korean team is also required to pass

May 7, 2026By Park Ji-won
Gov't takes low-key approach as NK football team's visit tests inter-Korean relations
South Korea

Iranian Embassy denies attacking Korean ship, rebutting Trump's claim

Iran formally denied any involvement in the explosion on a Korean cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the ship was attacked by Iran because it attempted to navigate the strait without U.S. protection. The denial came as the shipping company, its union and the Korean government remained cautious about the cause of the incident. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz," the Iranian Embassy in Seoul said in a statement Wednesday. The statement followed Trump's remarks Tuesday at a White House event: “Their ship was shot at. They were not in the cavalcade of ships they had. They decided to go it alone and their ship got hell knocked out of it yesterday, but they (Iran) didn't shoot the ships that were guarded by us.” Trump used the incident to renew calls for Korea to join U.S.-led maritime initiatives including the Maritime Freedom Con

May 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
Iranian Embassy denies attacking Korean ship, rebutting Trump's claim
Foreign Affairs

Korea reviews joining US-led Hormuz operation

Korea is reviewing whether to join U.S.-led operations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday, following an explosion at a Korean-operated ship in the strait. The review comes as the U.S. is increasing pressure on Korea to participate in its operations, claiming the explosion resulted from an Iranian attack. So far Korea has said it is committed to making "practical contributions" to ensuring maritime security in the key waterway. Cheong Wa Dae said it is reviewing whether to join Washington's “Project Freedom,” aimed at guiding ships safely out of the strait. "The government holds the principle that safety in international maritime passage and free navigation meets all nations' common interest and should be protected according to international law," the presidential office said in a statement. "We are reviewing the U.S. proposal about the Strait of Hormuz based on the principle, the military readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and domestic laws. Regarding Project Freedom, Korea and the U.S. have been communicating closely for safe u

May 5, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea reviews joining US-led Hormuz operation
  • Korea discusses responses to explosion on Korean-operated ship in Strait of Hormuz
Politics

June 3 elections take shape: DPK’s presidential aides vs. PPP's incumbents

With less than 30 days remaining until the June 3 local elections, the two main parties have finalized their candidate lineups. While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has fielded many fresh faces, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is largely relying on incumbent mayors and governors. Out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in the 2022 elections, the then-ruling PPP won a landslide victory, securing 12 regions, including major cities like Seoul, Busan and Incheon. However, since President Lee Jae Myung took power last year after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for leading an insurrection linked to his martial law declaration, the approval ratings of Yoon's party, the PPP, have continued to drop, at one point plummeting to 15 percent in a poll. Amid the low support ratings, the conservative party is struggling to find promising candidates, ultimately fielding 11 incumbent heads of cities and provinces. In contrast, many of the DPK's candidates are figures close to the president, whose approval rating has stood at around 60 percent in recent months. Thi

May 4, 2026By Park Ji-won
June 3 elections take shape: DPK’s presidential aides vs. PPP's incumbents
Defense

Pilot exodus in military: Air Force loses veteran pilots to commercial airlines

Hundreds of veteran Air Force pilots have left the military for commercial airlines over the past decade amid poor working conditions, causing significant losses for the military, data showed. According to Air Force data submitted, Sunday, to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, a total of 896 veteran pilots voluntarily left the service from 2017 to March this year. The term "veteran pilots" refers to those with eight to 17 years of experience who are capable of independently carrying out operations and training lower-grade pilots. In the first three months of this year alone, 47 pilots left the Air Force to join civilian airlines. Of the total, up to 622, or 69.4 percent, joined Korean Air, the country's flagship carrier, while 147, or 16.4 percent, joined Asiana Airlines and 103, or 11.5 percent, joined low-cost carriers. Separate 2025 data compiled by Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, another member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, showed that 113

May 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
Pilot exodus in military: Air Force loses veteran pilots to commercial airlines
Foreign Affairs

Korea sends experienced diplomats to US as Coupang dispute strains alliance

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted a major reshuffle, sending experienced diplomats to key positions overseeing U.S. affairs as tensions with Washington mount over the handling of e-commerce company Coupang and a broader set of trade and security disputes. According to sources, Kim Sun-young, director-general for bilateral economic affairs who had been handling the Coupang matter from Seoul, will be appointed minister counselor for economic affairs at the Korean Embassy in the U.S. Yoon Joo-seok, director-general for consular affairs and safety, will take up the post of minister counselor for public diplomacy there. At the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Yi Won-woo, the current deputy director-general for North American Affairs, has been promoted to director-general of the department. Yi has built most of his career around U.S. affairs, with experience spanning security and North Korea intelligence issues, as well as from several years of service in Nigeria. Chun Young-Hee, ambassador to Luxembourg, was reportedly appointed minister for political affairs at the Washington em

May 2, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea sends experienced diplomats to US as Coupang dispute strains alliance
Society

Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd

A free Pokémon card giveaway at Seoul Forest was canceled Friday after an estimated 40,000 people flooded the Seongsu-dong area by noon, overwhelming the venue and prompting safety concerns on Korea's first Labor Day as an official public holiday. Pokémon Korea posted a notice on its social media channels announcing the cancellation of the on-site giveaway, which had been organized as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration "Pokemon Mega Festa" alongside the Seoul International Garden Show. "The giveaway event promo card 'Magikarp' has been canceled due to on-site safety concerns," the notice read, adding that applications would instead be accepted later through an online form. "Everyone who met the event conditions today will receive the items, so please feel free to leave the event." The Seoul city government is reported to have requested the cancellation. The event had offered a rare promotional Magikarp card, one of the franchise’s characters, along with a themed sun visor in exchange for collecting stamps across the area. The combination of a national holiday, a rare collectible

May 1, 2026By Park Ji-won
Too many trainers: Seoul’s Pokemon event canceled due to large crowd
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