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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

Korean American violinist named concertmaster of Hamburg Philharmonic

By Park Ji-wonViolinist Daniel Cho / Courtesy of Sejong SoloistsDaniel Cho, a 27-year-old Korean American violinist, has been appointed as concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra in Germany, filling a seat that had reportedly remained empty for the last 13 years.String ensemble Sejong Soloists, of which Cho is also a member, announced that Cho had passed the audition for the long-awaited leader of the renowned orchestra, founded in 1828, which was attended by the orchestra members as well as conductor and music director Kent Nagano.Cho studied at the Juilliard School under violinists Kang Hyo and David Chen. He joined the Sejong Soloists academy program, becoming the youngest member to join the ensemble, which was founded in 1995 by Kang. He made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in New York at the age of 16, followed by his European debut at the Louvre Museum in Paris.He moved to Germany in 2017, earning a master's degree at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin, studying under Kolja Blacher. He was the joint winner of the second prize at the Max Rostal Internat

Oct 12, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korean American violinist named concertmaster of Hamburg Philharmonic
Arts & Theater

Joseon Royal Tombs festival celebrated online, offline

The performance “Yungeunreung Yajo” / Courtesy of Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation By Park Ji-won Poster for “Joseon Royal Tombs Festival” / Courtesy of Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation The 2nd Joseon Royal Tombs Festival, a celebration of royal court culture and heritage from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, will run until Oct. 24 at six different royal tomb sites around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and via online platforms.Jointly hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the festival offers various participatory events for visitors at UNESCO-designated tombs, including the Royal Tomb of Sejong in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province; Donggureung (East Nine Royal Tombs) in Guri, Gyeonggi Province; and Seonjeongneung in Seoul.Under the title “Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty,” the festival is happening at

Oct 11, 2021By Park Ji-won
Joseon Royal Tombs festival celebrated online, offline
Arts & Theater

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company explores meanings of family in Asia

By Park Ji-wonThe poster for “My Family are Off-limits” / Courtesy of KNCDCThe Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC) will present a set of dance works that explore the transformation and diverse forms of family in Confucianism-based Asian societies through the eyes of choreographers from Korea, Japan and Singapore.Under the overarching title of, “My Family are Off-limits,” the works, “♡,” by Lee Min-kyoung, ”Shut up Womb” by Shimojima Reisa and “The Last Puppet” by Kuik Swee Boon, will be presented from Nov. 19 to 21 at the Seoul Arts Center. The three dance performances will be performed by Korean dancers. “♡” explores the side of family relationships that both changes, and stays unchanging, in a rapidly transforming society that faces the coming digital future. With the question, “Where is our real ♡?,” the work asks, “Where can we find the intimacy and safety of family in this era where blood-related communities are becoming increasingly scarce?”In ”Shut up Womb,&rdquo

Oct 11, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korea National Contemporary Dance Company explores meanings of family in Asia
Arts & Theater

Live music festivals announce lineups, gradually returning to regular concerts

The 16th Jarasum Jazz Festival / Courtesy of the Jarasum Jazz FestivalBy Park Ji-wonSince last year, following the start of the ban on large gatherings due to the spread of COVID-19, regular music festivals have been forced to hold online concerts or cancel their events. As concerts cannot be held outside of designated music halls, under the strict Level 4 distancing measures, which have been in place in the Seoul and surrounding metropolitan region until Oct. 14, outdoor music festivals have again met the same fate as last year, in which they must either be held online or cancel their events.However, as the number of vaccinated people in the country grows, along with the possibility of the introduction of eased distancing measures, amid the government's effort to introduce a "living with COVID-19" scheme by November, music festivals are gradually betting on being able to be held offline again.The organizer of the 18th Jarasum Jazz Festival, the country's biggest jazz festival, said it had delayed the event on the island that the festival is named after in Gyeonggi Province, from Oct

Oct 10, 2021By Park Ji-won
Live music festivals announce lineups, gradually returning to regular concerts
Arts & Theater

Asia Culture Week kicks off Friday

A scene from the musical “I am Koryoin” / Courtesy of ACCBy Park Ji-wonThe 2021 Asia Culture Week will be held under the theme of “empathy” at the Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju from Friday to Oct. 24, to promote cooperation among Asian countries. Poster for “Empathy, Asia” / Courtesy of ACCTitled, “Empathy, Asia,” the ACC's annual festival will present up to 12 programs online and offline.During this year's event, performances and exhibitions will be held promoting diversity, while an international forum and other events will take place on the sidelines.The musical “I am Koryoin,” which revisits the history of ethnic Koreans in the Soviet Union, will be performed on Oct. 9. The musical, made in 2020 by the ACC, focuses on the deportation of ethnic Koreans, who started to move to Russia in the 1860s, to central Asia in 1937. It premiered in 2017 at the ACC to mark the 80th anniversary of the forced migration.The pansori performance “The Two Eyes,” which is a reinterpretation of Simcheongga, one of the five

Oct 8, 2021By Park Ji-won
Asia Culture Week kicks off Friday
Arts & Theater

Korean National Ballet to present Balanchine's 'Jewels'

Members of the Korean National Ballet rehearse “Jewels” choreographed by George Balanchine in this undated photo. Courtesy of Korean National BalletBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the ballet “Jewels” / Courtesy of Korean National BalletThe Korean National Ballet (KNB) will showcase the full-length George Balanchine's “Jewels” for the first time in Korea. The KNB led by artistic director Kang Sue-jin will premiere the ballet choreographed by legendary choreographer and dancer Balanchine at the Seoul Arts Center from Oct. 20 to 24.The work consists of three acts with three different composers to express each jewel; Emeralds, or the first stage, is set to the music of Gabriel Faure; Rubies, or the second stage, to the music of Stravinsky; and Diamonds, or the third stage, to music by Tchaikovsky. The choreographer came up with the dance performance inspired by the artistry of jewelry designer Claude Arpels.It is the dancing of divertissement, which is a show of dancers' skill in a performance without advancing any plot or character development.“Of cour

Oct 8, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korean National Ballet to present Balanchine's 'Jewels'
Music

Vienna Philharmonic likely to perform in Seoul

Poster for the concert by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Riccardo Muti / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsBy Park Ji-wonThe Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world's most prestigious orchestras, could perform in Korea next month, becoming the first foreign orchestra with more than 100 members to hold concerts in Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said Tuesday that the health authorities here are considering giving the 120-member company a quarantine exemption for a six-day visit. Anyone who entering Korea is obliged to undergo a two-week quarantine, but if the visit is for “important business purposes,” academic interest or humanitarian reasons, the government has been lifting the mandatory quarantine after reviewing applications.The center said the orchestra has made its application and is awaiting a government review for the exemption.There is a chance for the art troupe could be exempted as a number of conductors or musicians have visited Korea over the past few months without quarantine requi

Oct 6, 2021By Park Ji-won
Vienna Philharmonic likely to perform in Seoul
Arts & Theater

First commercial theatrical work of Korea reborn as immersive show

A group of actors perform during a showcase of “Sochundaeyuhui: 100-year-old Clown” at the National Jeongdong Theater, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of National Jeongdong TheaterBy Park Ji-wonThe National Jeongdong Theater has been at center of the establishment of public theater in Korea's modern history. Marking the 40th anniversary of the enthronement of the self-proclaimed Emperor Gojong, his Korean Empire founded Hyopyulsa, the first modern indoor theater, near Gwanghwamun, central Seoul in 1902, where they formed a group of legendary singers and musicians who performed pansori and traditional shows. After it was closed in 1906, it opened again with a new name, Wongaksa, in 1908 where Changgeuk, Korean traditional operatic performances, were presented to audiences.But amid the growing influence of then Imperial Japan, which annexed Korea in 1910, it was closed again in November 1909 and destroyed by a fire in 1914.Aiming to continue the legacy of the two theaters, the National Jeongdong Theater was opened in 1995. Since its opening, the theater has been presenting various

Oct 6, 2021By Park Ji-won
First commercial theatrical work of Korea reborn as immersive show
Arts & Theater

Universal Ballet to present 'Giselle' in October

A scene from the ballet “Gieselle” / Courtesy of Universal Ballet By Park Ji-wonThe Universal Ballet Company will present its performance of “Giselle” at the Seoul Arts Center from Oct. 29 to 31. The work was performed online last year due to the pandemic. The classic ballet that was first performed in 1841 with music composed by Adolphe Adam is one of the works the ballet company has been widely known for since “Giselle's” first performance in Korea in 1985.The story revolves around a young and innocent peasant girl named Giselle. She falls in love with Count Albrecht, a philandering noble in disguise. After learning that Albrecht is already engaged and has betrayed her, Giselle dies of heartbreak, but pursues her eternal love as part of the Wilis sisterhood, the ghostly spirits of young women who died following betrayals by their lovers and thus seeking revenge.With this performance, the Korean company made its first European debut in 1999, performing the work in

Oct 5, 2021By Park Ji-won
Universal Ballet to present 'Giselle' in October
Arts & Theater

Odaesan Mountain Culture Festival to give sneak peek at Buddhism-inspired musical

Ven. Jeong Nyum, center, head monk of Woljeongsa Temple, and Kolleen Park, right, director of the musical, pose during a recent press conference held at the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Seoul. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonAudiences will be able to see a part of the musical, “Lepaka Muryang,” inspired by Buddhism during the 18th Odaesan Mountain Culture Festival, an annual event held by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism to promote Korean Buddhist culture at Woljeongsa Temple in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province from Oct. 8 to 10. The temple is one of Korea's five biggest temples and a cultural relic built during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), making it over 1,000 years old.The musical revolves around a stonecutter and the queen of a Buddhist country who wishes to build a stone pagoda. Queen Hyeryu, who seized power in an early age, decides to build the pagoda to help build her political power.“'Lepaka' means 'stonecutter' in Sanskrit … The musical centers around the journey of Muryang, a young stonecutter who has an attachment to stone while

Oct 5, 2021By Park Ji-won
Odaesan Mountain Culture Festival to give sneak peek at Buddhism-inspired musical
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