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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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Tehran to prioritize evacuation of Koreans, envoy says

Tehran will prioritize helping Korean nationals leave Iran safely if they want, Iran’s Ambassador to Korea Saeed Koozechi said Wednesday. “We consider Korean nationals in Iran to be our guests, so if they want to leave, we will give them the highest priority to move to safe places,” the Iranian ambassador said during a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly, according to Rep. Kim Seok-ki, chair of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. Kim briefed reporters on the hourlong meeting, which was also attended by Rep. Kim Young-bae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Rep. Kim Gunn of the main opposition People Power Party, both executive secretaries of the committee. Koozechi explained that Iran has “taken proactive steps on evacuation from the early stages of the war,” according to Kim. According to the foreign ministry, some 40 Korean nationals, most of whom are believed to have long-established livelihoods in Iran, remain in the country. Another 30 Korean nationals have left Iran through two rounds of evacuation after the United States and Israel began their

Mar 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
Tehran to prioritize evacuation of Koreans, envoy says
Defense

PHOTO Korean-developed sub embarks on trans-Pacific journey

Sailors aboard the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, a 3,000-ton Korean-developed naval submarine, bid farewell to their families at a naval port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, March 25, as the vessel departs for its first-ever trans-Pacific voyage to take part in joint drills with Canada in June. The deployment comes as Korea intensifies its bid for a Canadian submarine development contract valued at around 60 trillion won ($40 billion). Yonhap

Mar 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
[PHOTO] Korean-developed sub embarks on trans-Pacific journey
Korean Heritage

Ahn Jung-geun calligraphy returns to Korea for Seoul exhibition

A rare calligraphic work by independence activist Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910) will go on public display in Seoul to mark the 116th anniversary of his death. The piece, bearing the phrase “Poor but without flattery, rich but without arrogance” in Chinese characters, will be exhibited at the Ahn Junggeun Memorial Museum from March 26 to April 30, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The piece is on a six-month loan from Japan’s Tokutomi Roka Memorial Museum of Literature, facilitated with the support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It arrived in Seoul for the exhibition on March 20. The calligraphy is believed to have been acquired by Japanese novelist Tokutomi Roka during a visit to Lushun, China, in 1913. In the upper left corner, Tokutomi wrote a commentary in 1918, which reads “It is natural that Mr. Ahn Jung-geun chose these words. Had he attained the state of finding joy in poverty and observing propriety in wealth, he might not have been content as the assassin of Ito Hirobumi — which is regrettable.” This calligraphy work was previously shown

Mar 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ahn Jung-geun calligraphy returns to Korea for Seoul exhibition
North Korea

North Korea pushes two-state paradigm, declares South ‘most hostile state’

North Korea’s designation of South Korea as “the most hostile state” signals the effective end of the “provisional special relationships” framework that has governed inter-Korean ties since 1991, experts said, urging Seoul to adapt to Pyongyang’s fundamentally redefined stance and recalibrate its approach to reflect a two-state reality. “Up until now, the North has defined the relationship with the South based on the understanding that we are the same people, seeking unification. But upon the North’s designation of the South as an independent and ‘hostile’ nation, the two countries can no longer make an agreement under the provincial special relationships written on the 1991 Basic Agreement,” Koh Yu-hwan, professor emeritus of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, told The Korea Times Tuesday. Koh said it remains unclear whether the term “hostile state” will appear in the North’s revised constitution, but he expects the document to delete language defining the two Koreas as one. “That is one of the reasons the unification ministry of South Korea had n

Mar 24, 2026By Park Ji-won
North Korea pushes two-state paradigm, declares South ‘most hostile state’
Others

Korea pressured by Taipei, Beijing over labeling of Taiwan

Korea is receiving pressures from two countries over the labeling of Taiwan, with the Taiwanese government requesting it be treated independently from China in official documents. Meanwhile, Beijing is asking Seoul to maintain its “One China” principle, which considers Taiwan as part of China. Taiwan had earlier warned the Korean government that it will change the name of the “Republic of Korea” to “South Korea” in its own electronic arrival card in a reciprocal move unless Korea stops listing Taiwan as “China(Taiwan)” in its electronic arrival card dropdown menus. The Taiwanese government said it had already changed the country name from the “Republic of Korea” to “South Korea” on the foreign resident cards of South Korean nationals living in Taiwan. This comes after the Korean government launched its e-arrival card system on Feb. 24, 2025 to expedite entry into the country. In the electronic system, Taiwanese nationals are forced to select “China(Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” sections. The Taiwanese government has been is

Mar 22, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea pressured by Taipei, Beijing over labeling of Taiwan
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
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