my timesThe Korea Times
jwpark

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW 'Hadestown' director hopes for Seoul run to show solidarity amid pandemic

A scene from the musical “Hadestown” / Courtesy of S&CoBy Park Ji-wonThe musical “Hadestown,” the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, hit the stage in Korea for the first time outside of Broadway last month and will be run at LG Arts Center through Feb. 27 next year.The sung-through Broadway musical, written by singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, draws on the Greek myth of “Orpheus and Eurydice” ― and also “Hades and Persephone” ― revolving around a young couple: Orpheus, a musical genius, and his wife Eurydice. The author adds a modern interpretation and gives voice to female characters, who have remained submissive in the mythical story, by depicting Eurydice as a proactive woman who chose to die and work in the underworld to overcome financial difficulties, while introducing key concepts of the myth such as Orpheus being unable to look back at Eurydice while leaving the underworld.Needless to say, the show is full of qua

Oct 5, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] 'Hadestown' director hopes for Seoul run to show solidarity amid pandemic
Arts & Theater

Korea Day event held to promote intercultural exchanges in Seoul

Diana Park, center in the first row, head of the World Culture Association, and participants pose during the 2021 Korea Day Festival & Celebration event held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of World Culture AssociationBy Park Ji-wonThe 2021 Korea Day Festival & Celebration event, a cultural festival aimed to promote Korean culture and create opportunities for gatherings between the 85 million people on the Korean Peninsula and 7.5 million in other countries, was held in Seoul on Oct. 3 marking the National Foundation Day which fell on the same day.About 300 people, including some 60 foreign embassies officials and other people from various countries, gathered for the event at the Grand InterContinental Seoul which was organized by the World Culture Association led by Diana Park. It was also livestreamed on YouTube.Under the slogan “Korea Day and intercultural exchange” this year, an international seminar was held on the sidelines of the event, where participants shared opinions about promoting international networks across cultures.The event

Oct 4, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korea Day event held to promote intercultural exchanges in Seoul
Trends

2022 Spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week to be held online

The poster for Seoul Fashion Week / Courtesy of Seoul Fashion WeekBy Park Ji-wonThe 2022 spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week will be held online from Oct. 7 to 15, with Korea's major and emerging designers presenting their collections in videos shot at historic locations in Seoul.Up to 37 fashion films made by 26 established designers and 11 emerging designers will be shown during the seven-day event. In the “Seoul Collection,” leading designers will present their new creations, while up to 11 rookie designers will present their works in a separate event, called “Generation Next.” The videos were taken in various places, such as royal palaces, in Seoul.The films will be available via Seoul Fashion Week's official website, as well as various online channels such as YouTube and Naver TV, from Oct. 7.According to the organizer, nine brands have focused on using eco-friendly materials or aimed to avoid using animal-based materials in their works. Vegan Tiger, a fashion brand seeking to create clothes using sustainable materials that were not made from slaughtered ani

Oct 2, 2021By Park Ji-won
2022 Spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week to be held online
Arts & Theater

Theater companies offer discounts to vaccinated audiences

A scene from the musical “Billy Elliot” / Courtesy of Seensee CompanyBy Park Ji-wonAs the COVID-19 vaccination rate increases in Korea, theatrical play and musical production companies, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, have started to offer discounts to vaccinated audiences to promote their shows as the government seeks to introduce a “living with COVID-19” scheme by November, shifting focus to treating serious cases only.Audiences who received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot could get a 20 percent discount on tickets from Oct. 4 to 22 for the musical “Billy Elliot,” which was adapted from the 2000 film of the same title. The musical “Hadestown” will offer a 10 percent discount on some of its seats for the vaccinated, while the musical “Excalibur” will offer a 20 percent discount on tickets until Oct. 8.The Seoul Arts Center has been providing a 20 percent discount since June on some tickets for people who have received their first vaccine shot. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts also provides up to a 30 pe

Oct 1, 2021By Park Ji-won
Theater companies offer discounts to vaccinated audiences
Arts & Theater

National Chorus of Korea to sing historic narrative of Hangeul's creation

By Park Ji-wonPoster for the show “Hunminjeongum” / Courtesy of National Chorus of KoreaThe National Chorus of Korea (NCK) will showcase an original chorus performance specially made to mark the 575th anniversary of the creation of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.The show, titled “Hunminjeongum,” consists of three parts ― behind the scenes of Hangeul's creation, its creation and its dissemination to the people ― and will explore the process of creating the unique writing system in new cantatas made based on historic recordings and music of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom such as the sillok (veritable records) of King Sejong and daechwita (military music). It is also aimed to depict the impact of Buddhist culture in the early Joseon period and the impact of foreign culture on the creation of the letters.“While following dramatic incidents surrounding characters in the show, we could witness the agony of King Sejong. We also could see the excitement of the people who first witness the birth of the letters and the opposition of the conservative faction devoted to

Oct 1, 2021By Park Ji-won
National Chorus of Korea to sing historic narrative of Hangeul's creation
Arts & Theater

Quinteto Astor Piazzolla holds national tour in Korea

From left, music director Julian Vat, violinist Serdar Geldymuradov, pianist Barbara Varassi Pega, double bassist Daniel Falasca and baritone Lee Eung-kwang pose during a press conference held in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Bom Arts ProjectBy Park Ji-wonQuinteto Astor Piazzolla, a repertory group founded by Laura Escalada Piazzolla, widow of the legendary tango composer Astor Piazzolla, will tour Korea as part of its world tour marking the 100th anniversary of Piazzolla's birth. It has been the first performance since its visit to Korea in 2019 and the only Asian stop for the international tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.In five cities, Seoul (Sept. 28), Daegu (Suseong Artpia, Oct. 2), Jeonju (Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do, Oct. 3), Gwangju (Gwangju Culture & Arts Center, Oct. 4) and Incheon (Arts Center Incheon, Oct. 8), they will play an 80-minutes program of famous Piazzolla pieces. The program includes famous pieces popular among Koreans such as “Adios Nonino,” the music used by figure skater Kim Yuna in her free skating performance at the 2014 Winte

Sep 30, 2021By Park Ji-won
Quinteto Astor Piazzolla holds national tour in Korea
Arts & Theater

Two Beethoven specialist pianists to tour Korea in October

From left, pianists Andras Schiff and Rudolf Buchbinder / Courtesy of Mast Media and Vincero By Park Ji-wonThere's good news for classical music fans who missed performances in 2020 marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some upcoming performances are featuring renowned pianists and Beethoven specialists from outside of Korea.Pianists Andras Schiff and Rudolf Buchbinder will arrive in Korea for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic and play famous works by Beethoven and other composers in various locations across the country.Schiff, a Hungarian who is known as a specialist of Beethoven's sonatas, will be holding a recital at Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 7 where he will play Beethoven's Sonata No. 17, 26 and 32 as well as Bach's “Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor,” “Capriccio in B-flat major” and “Musical Offering, BWV 1079.” After he turned 50, Schiff went on tour to

Sep 27, 2021By Park Ji-won
Two Beethoven specialist pianists to tour Korea in October
Shows & Dramas

'It's Okay to Not Be Okay,' 'I-LAND' nominated for 2021 International Emmy Awards

Poster for tvN's series “It's Okay to Not Be Okay” Courtesy of tvNBy Park Ji-wonTvN's series, “It's Okay to Not Be Okay,” and Mnet's audition show, “I-LAND,” have been nominated for this year's International Emmy Awards, which are given to non-U.S. shows and actors.The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS) announced Thursday the list of nominees including the two Korean shows.Poster for K-pop audition show “I-LAND” Courtesy of CJ ENM“It's Okay to Not Be Okay,” a romantic series which was aired from June to August of 2020 revolving around Gang-tae, a caretaker in a psychiatric ward who refuses to love, and Moon-young, a famous children's book writer who is known to have an antisocial personality disorder, was nominated in the TV Movie & Mini-Series category. “I-LAND,” a K-pop audition show which aired from June to September of 2020, was listed in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category. No Korean program has won the award in those categories to date. In 2010, MBC's documentary, “M

Sep 26, 2021By Park Ji-won
'It's Okay to Not Be Okay,' 'I-LAND' nominated for 2021 International Emmy Awards
Shows & Dramas

'Squid Game' tops global Netflix chart

Netflix's original series "Squid Game" / Courtesy of NetflixBy Park Ji-wonNetflix's Korean original series "Squid Game" has topped the global top 10 charts at the streaming giant, Friday, local time. This is the first time that a Korean drama series reached the top spot on Netflix's top 10.According to streaming analytics platform FlixPatrol, the thriller series seized the position on Friday on the daily top 10 list, while topping the list on Saturday as well. The British teen comedy series "Sex Education," which was at the top, fell to second. “Lucifer,” a U.S. mystery series in its sixth and last season, ranked third on the chart.Squid Game took first place in 66 out of 83 countries.The achievement came after the series, which began streaming Sept. 17, ranked second on the same chart from Monday to Thursday, local time, last week which was the first for a Korean drama series. It also became the first Korean drama series in the U.S.'s daily top 10 list since Tuesday.Netflix's global top 10 chart from FlixPatrol / Screenshot from FlixPatrol's websiteCreated and directed b

Sep 26, 2021By Park Ji-won
'Squid Game' tops global Netflix chart
  • 'Squid Game': Linguistic realities
Trends

Tired of bustling big city life, urbanites explore rural lifestyles during weekends

Park So-yeon, a 28-year-old Seoul resident and yoga instructor, poses near Mount Gyeryong in South Chungcheong Province on July 16. Courtesy of Park So-yeonBy Park Ji-wonPark So-yeon, 28, a yoga instructor in Seoul, leaves the city for a house located near Mount Gyeryong in South Chungcheong Province, about 140 kilometers southwest of Seoul, once she is done with her busy workweek.The house is owned by her friend's parents, and there she relaxes doing only yoga and essential household chores. She also works on a farm near the house, exploring a rural lifestyle that is completely different to her weekdays in the city.“For my work as a yoga instructor, I need to travel a lot and take a subway to meet students. I can easily get stressed out and exhausted on the crowded subway, as there is no personal space there,” she told The Korea Times. “Spending four to five days in the city and two days in the countryside is perfect for a balanced life. It makes me feel alive. I am planning to continue to live like this.”“I feel grateful to live in the city because I c

Sep 23, 2021By Park Ji-won
Tired of bustling big city life, urbanites explore rural lifestyles during weekends
previous page
2122232425
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.