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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

Korean arms firms need European joint ventures to expand NATO ties: Czech defense chief

Korean defense companies seeking to expand their ties with NATO member nations may need to establish joint ventures and local production partnerships in member states, following the model they have built in Poland, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna said Monday. “Poland is not only buying (Korea’s K2 tanks). Basically, it is building industry around it in cooperation with South Korean businesses,” Zůna said during an interview with The Korea Times at the Czech Embassy in Seoul. “Poland is a prime example of how it should be done — basically creating a joint venture, transferring technology from South Korea to the European partner,” he said, noting that a number of European countries are considering the K2 as a potential main battle tank. Zůna was in Seoul to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral security forum hosted by Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. This year’s forum ran from Monday through Wednesday. During his visit, he also met Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back to discuss bilateral defense and security coop

Sep 10, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korean arms firms need European joint ventures to expand NATO ties: Czech defense chief
Society

Seoul traffic alert: Fireworks festival, marathon to close roads this weekend

Drivers and commuters heading into central Seoul this weekend should expect significant disruptions, with road closures and crowd control measures in place for the Seoul International Fireworks Festival on Saturday and a major marathon on Sunday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that traffic in Yeouido — from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the 63 Building — will be fully controlled from 3 p.m. to midnight on Saturday in preparation for and during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. Wonhyo Bridge will also be closed in both directions from 9 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Police will selectively allow access at six checkpoints in Yeouido. Subway trains will bypass Yeouinaru Station without stopping between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday to manage crowd flow. Safety personnel will be deployed from Friday evening across surrounding roads, subway stations and major entrance routes to Hangang Park ahead of a pre-festival event. On Sunday, the YTN Seoul Tour Marathon will take place in the central Seoul area from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The marathon course starts f

Sep 4, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul traffic alert: Fireworks festival, marathon to close roads this weekend
Foreign Affairs

Seoul to host inaugural intercontinental political party dialogue

Seoul will host the first-ever Inter-Continental Dialogue among Political Parties (ICDPP) from Sept. 6 to 9, bringing together up to 23 political parties from 24 countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe to explore how political organizations can jointly address growing global uncertainties. The inaugural conference, organized by the Secretariat of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), is themed "From Vision to Reality" and will focus on frameworks for sustainable intercontinental cooperation. Participants are expected to adopt the Seoul Declaration, outlining a road map for future multilateral dialogue managed by the ICAPP. The conference will be chaired by Chung Eui-yong, a former Korean foreign minister and national security adviser under the Moon Jae-in administration. Standing committee members, including co-Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed of Pakistan, Suos Yara of Cambodia, Zafer Sırakaya of Turkey, Salman Khurshid of India, Theo Sambuaga of Indonesia, Maiko Tajima of Japan and Nguyen Thi Hoang Van of Vietnam, will attend the event. Sun Ha

Sep 4, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul to host inaugural intercontinental political party dialogue
Foreign Affairs

COVER STORY 'Taiwan Pavilion' issue could become another THAAD row: Chinese official

Controversy over the name of a Taiwanese exhibition venue at Gwangju Biennale has fueled concerns of a potential diplomatic conflict between Korea and China. Chinese officials say that the biennale organizers’ permission for the participating Taiwanese artists to use the name of “Taiwan Pavilion” is against the “One China” principle, and that the decision crossed a “red line.” They warned that its impact on the bilateral relationship between Korea and China could be as serious as the diplomatic row over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system deployment in 2017. China protested on Thursday through a press release criticizing the Gwangju Biennale Foundation’s decision to permit Taiwanese artists to use the name “Taiwan Pavilion” at the international art event instead of the institutional name, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA). The release followed Chinese artists' official announcement of their withdrawal from the exhibition. In the release, the embassy said the incident “directly damages the political base of Ch

Sep 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
[COVER STORY] 'Taiwan Pavilion' issue could become another THAAD row: Chinese official
Foreign Affairs

China protests Gwangju Biennale's use of 'Taiwan Pavilion', withdraws from exhibition

Chinese participants in the Gwangju Biennale 2026 withdrew from the art exhibition Thursday, two days before the scheduled opening, in protest of the organizer's decision to allow Taiwanese participants to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion." Chinese Pavilion curator Ruan Yuelai said the Chinese participants "cannot accept this" and have unanimously decided to withdraw from the exhibition as a strong expression of protest. "We have placed great importance on the biennale and had worked hard preparing for it," Ruan said at a press conference at the Ha Jungwoong Museum of Art in Gwangju. "However, the Gwangju Biennale organizers used an incorrect name in connection with Taiwan's participation, allowing political elements to intrude into the realm of art." The Chinese Embassy in Seoul backed the withdrawal and issued a formal statement, arguing that allowing the name "Taiwan Pavilion" violates the "One China" principle that Korea has committed to respecting. The embassy said it and the Chinese Consulate General in Gwangju had communicated multiple times with both the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metro

Sep 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
China protests Gwangju Biennale's use of 'Taiwan Pavilion', withdraws from exhibition
  • COVER STORY 'Taiwan Pavilion' issue could become another THAAD row: Chinese official
Foreign Affairs

China to withdraw from Gwangju Biennale in protest of Taiwan Pavilion

Chinese participants of the Gwangju Biennale will announce their withdrawal from the art exhibition on Thursday morning, in protest of the organizer’s permission for Taiwanese participants to use the name “Taiwan Pavilion” instead of their institutional name, a source familiar with the issue said. The Chinese side, together with the Chinese Embassy in Korea, argues the change of name goes against the “One China” principle that Korea has committed to respect. According to the source, the Chinese participants decided to withdraw from the Gwangju Biennale and will make an official announcement at a press conference on Thursday morning — two days before the international art festival starts — unless the organizer reverses its decision. They already stopped preparations for the China Pavilion several days ago. Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City Mayor Min Hyung-bae to express protest and regret. The officials also expressed regret over the row but declined to intervene, noting

Sep 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
China to withdraw from Gwangju Biennale in protest of Taiwan Pavilion
Politics

Gender minister nominee refuses to give up lawmaker seat, sparking backlash

A debate over whether a cabinet minister can simultaneously hold a parliamentary seat is widening across the political circle, with the nomination of Rep. Yong Hye-in as minister of gender equality and family emerging as a test case for the limits of parliamentary convention and the unresolved contradictions of Korea's satellite party system. Yong, a two-term lawmaker representing the progressive Basic Income Party, announced Monday she would retain her National Assembly seat despite her ministerial nomination — a break with parliamentary convention that has since drawn criticism from opposition parties, women's advocacy groups and a growing number of voices within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) itself. Yong secured both her terms on proportional representation tickets formed by satellite coalitions led by the liberal DPK. She justified her decision by pointing to an institutional gap in coalition politics. "Due to an institutional void in coalition politics, the Basic Income Party is legally unable to succeed my proportional seat if I step down," she wrote on her social m

Sep 1, 2026By Park Ji-won
Gender minister nominee refuses to give up lawmaker seat, sparking backlash
Politics

Cabinet reshuffle falls short of expectations for changes: experts

President Lee Jae Myung’s reshuffle of six ministers is largely viewed as a measure to gain momentum for his policies in his second year in office, as his support rates have declined significantly in response to public dissatisfaction with policies directly linked to people's livelihoods, like real estate and stock prices. This measure, however, is unlikely to produce the desired results, as political analysts say the personnel replacements are unlikely to help regain public support because they do not signal tangible policy changes. On Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae announced the replacement of ministers in six key posts — finance and economy; national defense; justice; SMEs and startups; gender equality and family; and land, infrastructure and transport. While experts differed on the finer points, many agreed the shake-up was intended to reset the political mood as Lee's approval rating continues falling. His approval rating fell to 38.9 percent, a survey by Realmeter showed Monday, dropping below 40 percent for the first time. The pollster attributed the continued decline to rising housing

Aug 31, 2026By Park Ji-won
Cabinet reshuffle falls short of expectations for changes: experts
Politics

Lee nominates 6 ministers in Cabinet reshuffle

President Lee Jae Myung reshuffled his Cabinet on Sunday, replacing ministers in six key posts as his administration faces mounting public criticism and falling approval ratings. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the nominations at a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee Hyoung-il, first vice minister of finance and economy, was tapped to serve as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and minister of finance and economy. Born in 1971, Lee is a veteran bureaucrat who has held key posts since joining the finance ministry in 1993, building expertise in both domestic and international economics as a senior economist at the World Bank and as commissioner of Statistics Korea. He has served as vice minister since June 2025. In a statement following his nomination, Lee said the Korean economy needs to take on new challenges to achieve a "great leap forward toward an irreplaceable Korea." He pledged to build on the momentum achieved over the past year while creating new investment and growth opportunities through three megaprojects, laying the groundwork for a rebound in potential

Aug 30, 2026By Park Ji-won
Lee nominates 6 ministers in Cabinet reshuffle
South Korea

COVER STORY Trump's America is losing Koreans

Koreans are increasingly viewing the U.S. unfavorably, with less trust as a partner than before, according to a recent survey released by Washington-headquartered Pew Research Center. Experts and Korean citizens say the unfavorable sentiment was driven largely by the Donald Trump administration’s unilateral policies that often put more importance on transactions rather than alliances with trade and security partners. The survey showed 55 percent of Koreans expressed unfavorable views of the U.S. during the survey period from March 3 to April 4, including 18 percent who held very unfavorable views. It was 16 percentage points up from the 2025 figure. At the same time, 45 percent said they held favorable opinions of the U.S., down 16 percentage points, according to the survey of 1,045 Korean adults. Favorability reached its peak at 89 percent in 2022 under the Joe Biden administration. This was the first time unfavorable views took the majority since 2002. It is also the second time that unfavorable views surpassed favorable views following 2003, when unfavorability stood at 50 percent co

Aug 27, 2026By Park Ji-won
[COVER STORY] Trump's America is losing Koreans
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