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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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Music

REVIEW Vienna Philharmonic lifts spirts of classical music fans

Conductor Riccardo Muti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsBy Park Ji-wonIt was a very special night for classical music fans. The prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) led by Riccardo Muti performed Mozart, Schubert and Johan Strauss at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on Sunday.Expectations were high even before the performance, because it was the most-anticipated and biggest performance in Korea by an overseas ensemble since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The 100-minute program included two classic Austrian orchestral masterpieces, Mozart's “Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385,” (the Haffner Symphony) and Schubert's “Symphony No. 9 in C Major” (the Great). As a result, even though the ticket price was relatively expensive for a classical concert here ― the most expensive VVIP seat was 430,000 won ($364.5) and the cheapest seat was 80,000 won ― 2,000 tickets were sold out within a day after sales started on

Nov 15, 2021By Park Ji-won
[REVIEW] Vienna Philharmonic lifts spirts of classical music fans
Arts & Theater

'Room of quiet contemplation' designs space for viewers to reflect on 'thinking Bodhisattvas'

Two gilt-bronze pensive or “thinking Bodhisattva” statues from the 6th and 7th centuries are seen in the permanent exhibition titled, “Room of Quiet Contemplation,” at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Park Ji-wonThere are many ways to enjoy pieces in a museum, but one normally starts with reading the explanatory text written at the entrance of the exhibition hall and then the texts next to the individual works. These texts may be informative and enable us to learn about the historical context of the pieces, but sometimes they fail to give us room to take a moment to contemplate their existence or to reflect on ourselves.The National Museum of Korea's (NMK) new permanent exhibition breaks these norms of exhibition design and lets visitors immerse themselves in meditation in front of two gilt-bronze pensive or “thinking Bodhisattva” statues in a minimalist way. The two statues are national treasures made in the 6th century and 7th century, resp

Nov 12, 2021By Park Ji-won
'Room of quiet contemplation' designs space for viewers to reflect on 'thinking Bodhisattvas'
Arts & Theater

National Dance Company unveils shamanism-inspired performance

“See you, I'm home,” a dance performance by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) / Courtesy of NTOKBy Park Ji-wonPoster for “See you, I'm home,” a dance performance by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) / Courtesy of NTOKA dance performance inspired by “naerimgut,” a Korean traditional shamanism initiation ritual, will be showcased by the National Dance Company of Korea of the National Theater of Korea (NTOK) from Thursday to Saturday.Forty-six dancers play shamans who had to face drastic life changes due to the initiation in the performance, titled “See you, I'm home,” which is choreographed by Sohn In-young, artistic director of the art troupe, composed by music director Jang Young-gyu and directed by Yun Jae-won, concept writer of the series “The School Nurse Files.”An ordinary person becomes a shaman through naerimgut. In many cases, those who are born as shamans are known to suffer unknown diseases or auditory hallucinations before becoming

Nov 11, 2021By Park Ji-won
National Dance Company unveils shamanism-inspired performance
Music

INTERVIEW Pianist Kim Dae-jin, president of K-Arts behind Koreans winning of global music competitions

Pianist Kim Dae-jin, newly-elected president of the Korea National University of Arts, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office on Nov. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Park Ji-wonKorea is now known as one of the leading countries in terms of having the largest number of winners of international competitions. Statistics show that Korean musicians won 150 top prizes in the World Federation of International Music Competitions-approved tournaments over the last 60 years as of 2017.Even Western media documented the secrets of the success of Korean classical musicians. Belgian filmmaker and TV director Thierry Loreau who has been making films on classical music and filming the final stages of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for more than two decades released documentary films on the wins, including "K-classics generation" (2020), a film tracing award-winning Korean classical musicians in international music competitions. He labeled the young Koreans dominating classical music competitions as the “K-classics generation” and considered it to be a cultu

Nov 11, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] Pianist Kim Dae-jin, president of K-Arts behind Koreans winning of global music competitions
Arts & Theater

Seoul International Buddhism Expo kicks off with sustainable living theme

By Park Ji-wonPoster for the Seoul International Buddhism Expo / Courtesy of the Jogye Order of Korean BuddhismThe Seoul International Buddhism Expo will be held both online and in person, from today until Nov. 14, on the theme of sustainable living.Korea's largest cultural expo on Buddhism, hosted by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism under the title “Green life! Wisdom for a Sustainable Life,” will highlight how eco-friendliness is reflected in Buddhism and its culture. In the expo, to be held online and at SETEC in southern Seoul, up to 300 booths from 200 companies will present eco-friendly architecture, vegan fashion and cosmetics, as well as plants for use in interior design. Among its various attractions, the expo will feature one exhibition in which art can be viewed while visitors meditatively listen to sounds recorded from nature, as well as an exhibition of paintings on Buddhism, ranging from traditional to contemporary pieces. A seminar on meditation will also take place.An exhibition on Bhutan will be held showcasing the country's culture, food and products r

Nov 10, 2021By Park Ji-won
Seoul International Buddhism Expo kicks off with sustainable living theme
Arts & Theater

Monthly ticket sales for theater performances recover to pre-pandemic levels

Jaap van Zweden, the Dutch music director of both the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic orchestras enters the stage for a performance with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center, Oct. 29. Korea Times photo by Jang Jae-jinBy Park Ji-wonAggregate ticket sales for musicals, plays, classical concerts and other performances reached 30.3 billion won ($25.7 billion) in October, according to the data from the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), for the first time in about 21 months, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.Monthly revenue had been on a steady decline since January last year when it reached 40.5 billion won ― it amounted to 20.9 billion won in February and 9.1 billion won in March of 2020. Monthly revenue fell to its lowest level in January this year, recording 3.7 billion won. However, except for July and August, when the number of infections soared, revenue has been showing a rebound, as many learned that there were many infections at theaters.Sales are likely to rise further as most shows have been ready to welco

Nov 9, 2021By Park Ji-won
Monthly ticket sales for theater performances recover to pre-pandemic levels
Trends

Criteria for designating treasures set to change

Heunginjimun Gate, Treasure No. 1 / Korea Times fileBy Park Ji-wonThe criteria for selecting treasures for government-recognized status will be redefined starting from Nov. 19.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said it partially revised the rules on designation of treasures and national treasures under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, which was enacted in January 1962. Currently, the law stipulates that items can be designated as treasures if they have at least one of the “historic, artistic or academic” values, but more details are being added to help quantify these criteria.“UNESCO considers authenticity of cultural and natural heritages as well as detailed values in evaluating their addition to its World Heritage List. World Heritage inscription can be achieved with backing by the law and management policy … So far, the criteria of designating a treasure have been vague despite the international trend of detailing the criteria,” the CHA said in a press release.“We expect the revision will better inform the people of the designation

Nov 9, 2021By Park Ji-won
Criteria for designating treasures set to change
Music

US violinist Karisa Chiu wins ISANGYUN Competition

Violinist Karisa Chiu performs during ISANGYUN Competition 2021 held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 at Tongyeong Concert Hall, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. Courtesy of Tongyeong International Music FoundationBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the competition “ISANGYUN Competition” / Courtesy of Tongyeong International Music FoundationTongyeong International Music Foundation (TIMF) said its jury selected violinist Karisa Chiu from the United States as the winner of the ISANGYUN Competition 2021 in South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday.The violinist played Brahms's “Violin Concerto” with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra conducted by Dmitry Sitkovetsky. She will receive 30 million won in prize money ($25,391) and a chance to perform during the Korean Orchestra Festival.The second prize went to Jeong Ju-eun and the third prize went to Kang Na-kyung both from Korea.“As the chairperson of the ISANGYUN Competition 2021, I was pleased to listen to the unique performances by the outstanding young musicians who radiated their brilliant youth through music in the great concert

Nov 7, 2021By Park Ji-won
US violinist Karisa Chiu wins ISANGYUN Competition
Trends

19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans

Seen is the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a two-level hexagonal construction on the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond within the Gyeongbokgung Palace, northern Seoul, Friday. The pavilion was restored over the last three years by Royal Palaces and Tombs Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThere is a mysterious pavilion in the back garden of Gyeongbok Palace located in north-central Seoul that originally nobody knew when exactly it was built. Named the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, literally meaning “the pavilion where the fragrance spreads afar,” the two-level hexagonal construction was thought to have been built in the 4,605 square-meter Hyangwonji Pond between 1867 and 1873 during the period of King Gojong (1863-1907), the last king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). According to oral and written historic records, or “the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat” where the name of the pavilion first appeared ― without the exact dates of its construction ― it was designed for the relaxation of the royal family.However, during a three-year proje

Nov 7, 2021By Park Ji-won
19th-century pavilion in Korean royal palace restored by artisans
Arts & Theater

Early Joseon-era metal movable type blocks unveiled to public

Movable metal type print blocks are on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Tuesday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonUp to 1,755 excavated artifacts, including the oldest existing movable metal type print blocks made in the Joseon era (1392-1910), at around 1434, will be unveiled to the public in the National Palace Museum of Korea.In the exhibition, titled “Encounter with the Brilliant Scientific Technology of the Joseon Dynasty” which will run until Dec. 31, the museum will present up to 1,632 metal print blocks bearing Hangeul and classical Chinese characters, unearthed during an archaeological excavation at a redevelopment site in Insa-dong between March and June. According to the museum, 48 of the print blocks bearing classical Chinese characters known as “Gabin-ja” were made in 1434 under King Sejong, predating Johannes Gutenberg's metal movable-type printing press, introduced in Europe in the 1450s, by about 16 years. There are also 42 print blocks carrying “Eulhae-ja” classical Chinese characters made in 1455 under King Sejo, and 214 “

Nov 3, 2021By Park Ji-won
Early Joseon-era metal movable type blocks unveiled to public
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