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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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Shows & Dramas

Festive Korea held to promote Korean culture in HK

Poster for Festive Korea 2022 / Courtesy of Korean Cultural CenterBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Festive Korea, the largest cultural event held by the Korean Cultural Center and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, is being held in Hong Kong, hosting up to 35 cultural events between October and November.Themed “Fun of Korea,” the annual event, which began 12 years ago, will focus on presenting more offline venues than last year, which include soprano Jo Su-mi's performance at “Music on the Harbourfront” on Nov. 18. It is also co-hosted by Hong Kong Generation Next Arts, a local organization promoting young Hong Kong artists by hosting events and concerts.K-Pop Community Festival will be held on Nov. 5 where selected local K-pop dance crews will perform while K-pop girl group OH MY GIRL will join online. Korea Square, an open market, will be held from Oct. 22 to 23, where Korean food, culture and lifestyle products will be sold and displayed. On the sideline of the event, Taekwondo and dance performances will be presented.During Fine Art Asia

Oct 7, 2022By Park Ji-won
Festive Korea held to promote Korean culture in HK
Arts & Theater

Korean immersive art exhibition to be held in HK

The ARTE MUSEUM exhibition's “Beach Aurora” / Courtesy of d'strictBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― D'strict, one of Korea's leading commercial design companies famous for its site-specific media art installations, will present its first overseas exhibition in Hong Kong on Oct. 7.Dubbed “ARTE M,” a curated exhibition of its flagship “ARTE MUSEUM” exhibition, six of the company's works themed with “eternal nature” will occupy an 850-square-meter space at K11 HACC, a shopping complex and art hall, aiming to show a balance with the immersive visuals as well as sensuous and ambient sounds.The curated exhibition consists of four spaces, displaying art reinterpreting the elements and spaces of nature. It shows the life of flowers, endlessly crashing swells, boundlessly stretching seashore and a jungle in a tropical rain forest.“The realistic representation of the eternity of nature and its graphic depiction through the convergence of visual creativity and digital media technology, including projection mapping and sensor-based interaction, allow

Oct 6, 2022By Park Ji-won
Korean immersive art exhibition to be held in HK
Trends

Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage

A scene from “Myth of the Dancing Durumi,” performed by Hong Kong Dance Company Courtesy of Hong Kong Dance CompanyBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― The Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) has discovered to its cost that the “kimchi wars” can extend to dance, as it defends its latest program against South Korean claims of Chinese cultural imperialism.On Wednesday, one of the choreographers behind the company's “Myth of the Dancing Durumi” program, which runs until Sept. 18, demanded that the troupe remove the Chinese term “chaoxian” from the description of her work “The Moon,” a new commission rooted in Korean traditional dance, Korean shamanism and folklore.Korean choreographer Han Hyo-lim, based in Seoul, told the Post she was surprised that the program notes claimed her work embodies “Chaoxian sentiments,” which to her is a specific reference to ethnic Korean culture in China and not a description that applies to her work.Descriptions of the troupe's outreach programs also use chaoxian dance and #ChineseDance to introduce

Sep 21, 2022By Park Ji-won
Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage
Travel & Food

Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu

A Korean restaurant opening in October is seen in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, where some small and fancy restaurants form a restaurant district, Sept. 3. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― For foodies, Hong Kong has been a go-to place to enjoy various cuisines from all over the world even though it has never been known as a place for Korean eats. If you ask Hong Kong residents about Korean food, they mostly think of Korean BBQ or spicy things, with many other dishes remaining unfamiliar for the majority. But the trend has been changing with the diversification of Korean restaurants and Korean grocery stores amid the growing popularity of Korean cultural content, as well as following the implementation of strict restrictions on travel to and from Hong Kong with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandy Li, 32, an office worker, regularly goes to Korean restaurants to have Korean dishes with friends and family members. She also often buys ready-to-eat meals to enjoy at home.“I eat Korean-style chicken at least once a month and often go to eat Korean together with a couple of f

Sep 10, 2022By Park Ji-won
Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu
Music

Jaap van Zweden should give Seoul orchestra 'unique sound,' critic says

Jaap van Zweden / Courtesy of Brad TrentBy Enid Tsui, Park Ji-wonJaap van Zweden, the music director of the New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, will be heading to Seoul after his contract with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra finishes in 2024 and his other contract with the New York Philharmonic ends at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Dutch conductor has accepted the post of music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), soon to be vacated by Finnish maestro Osmo Vanska.Announcing the appointment on Sunday, the chief executive officer of the Seoul Philharmonic, Sohn Eun-kyung, said van Zweden's presence will “upgrade” the orchestra's performances and help it establish itself as a “world-class orchestra.”In Hong Kong, van Zweden, 61, has been credited with raising standards and lifting the international profile of the city's flagship orchestra, which in 2019 became the first Asian orchestra to win Gramophone magazine's “Orchestra of the Year” award.Highlighting the extent of South Korea's cultural ambition,

Sep 6, 2022By Park Ji-won
Jaap van Zweden should give Seoul orchestra 'unique sound,' critic says
Trends

INTERVIEW 1st Indian twin priests ordained in Korea hope to help needy in both countries

Fr. Xavier Sahaya Arul Selvan, left, and Fr. James Sahaya Arul Selvan pose at Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul, Jan. 8. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rinBrothers overcome culture shock, language barrier to follow dream By Park Ji-wonIt is not a simple road to become a Catholic priest in Korea, as it is in many other countries. To be ordained into the priesthood, men need to spend at least a decade in seminary training. Seminarians undertake bachelor's and master's degrees at Catholic universities to learn requisite skills, engage in volunteer activities and also mandatory military service. After the completion of these duties, various facets of the individual such as faith and personality are taken into consideration before ordination.Due to the difficult process, about 30 percent of priestal candidates in Korea reportedly drop out. The country has two cardinals, 40 bishops and 5,538 priests according to 2020 data from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK). Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk died on April. 27, last year.Also, there are only 123 foreign priests active i

Jan 20, 2022By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] 1st Indian twin priests ordained in Korea hope to help needy in both countries
Arts & Theater

Hwang Jung-min's play, 'Richard III,' renews classical theater for pandemic times

Actor Hwang Jung-min plays Richard III during a press conference for the play, “Richard III,” at the Seoul Arts Center, Thursday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonThe poster for the play, “Richard III” / Courtesy of Sem Company“Richard III,” the Shakespeare play exploring the Machiavellian rise to power and short reign of the British king, returns to the stage in Korea for the first time in four years.Actor Hwang Jung-min plays the lead in the play set in the late fifteenth century depicting King Richard III, who expresses anger, self-pity and revenge, which drives him to take his own life in the end.“One of the biggest reasons I chose to join this play is that I felt sorry for the disappearing classical plays in the scene. So I wanted to show the greatness and the power of the classical performances, which have been performed by senior actors since the past, to audiences and students who want to become actors,” Hwang said during a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center, Thursday. “Including actor O Yeong-su, who recently won a Golden

Jan 16, 2022By Park Ji-won
Hwang Jung-min's play, 'Richard III,' renews classical theater for pandemic times
Music

Two orchestras hit sour note vying for official 'national' recognition

The Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of the KSOKSO seeks to be national orchestra, while KBS believes it deserves that statusBy Park Ji-wonOne of Korea's two leading symphony orchestras has set off a cacophony of sorts after attempting recently to be named as a “national orchestra.”That status, granted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, would guarantee the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) access to more state funding and other perks, not to mention added prestige.But KBS Symphony Orchestra, the other leading philharmonic, is trying everything to mute KSO's bid.The KBS orchestra tried to block the KSO from officially using the word, “national,” fearing that its own status could be negatively affected if the rival orchestra gets the nod from the authorities to become the only national organization. The KBS-KSO dispute erupted after the KSO and the culture ministry began openly seeking the public's opinion about changing the name from “KSO” to the “National Orchestra” or the “National Symphony Orchestra.”

Jan 13, 2022By Park Ji-won
Two orchestras hit sour note vying for official 'national' recognition
Shows & Dramas

Korean Symphony Orchestra names mezzo-soprano Choi Jung-sook as new CEO

Hwang Hee, right, minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, appoints mezzo-soprano Choi Jung-sook as the CEO of the Korean Symphony Orchestra, a government-funded performing arts organization, in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Park Ji-wonMezzo-soprano Choi Jung-sook, a former adjunct professor of vocal music at Sookmyung Women's University, has been named as the new CEO of the Korean Symphony Orchestra, a government-funded performing arts organization, replacing Park Sun-hee.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday that Choi will lead the state-funded orchestra with a term of three years.Choi, a graduate of the Sookmyung Women's University Department of Vocal Music, the Conservatory Arrigo Boito of Parma, Italy, and the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, has performed in Korea and Europe. She has been working as a board member of Korea's Regional Culture & Development Agency since last year.“Based on her experiences and expertise, it is believed that she will activate cooperation with government-fund

Jan 12, 2022By Park Ji-won
Korean Symphony Orchestra names mezzo-soprano Choi Jung-sook as new CEO
Trends

Buddhist order goes all-out to criticize government, some monks criticize order

Monks of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism hold a banner calling for the expulsion of Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea near the party's headquarters, Seoul, Dec. 16. Courtesy of the Jogye Order of Korean BuddhismBy Park Ji-wonThe Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, has thrown all of its efforts into criticizing what they call the Moon Jae-in administration's “religious bias,” pledging to hold a nationwide rally of monks from around the country at its headquarters in Seoul on Jan. 21 for the first time in 14 years to eradicate the bias and protect the independence of Korean Buddhism. Some monks, however, have fired back at the order-led decision, saying that it is “shameful” for the order to take these actions.“We decided to go over all the religious biases and Buddhist distortions that have occurred since the founding of the country, and to hold the nationwide monks rally,” Ven. Wonhaeng, the president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and the head of a special committee for the rally,

Jan 11, 2022By Park Ji-won
Buddhist order goes all-out to criticize government, some monks criticize order
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