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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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Christian radio network FEBC delivers W150 million worth of goods to Afghan evacuees

Maeng Joo-wan, general affairs director of Far East Broadcasting Company Korea (FEBC-Korea) delivers charity gifts to Kim Eun-ja, head of the Korean Red Cross's volunteer group in North Chungcheong Province at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon-gun, North Chungcheong Province, Monday, where 390 Afghans, who were airlifted under Korea's evacuation mission named “Operation Miracle,” are staying. Courtesy of FEBC-KoreaBy Park Ji-wonFar East Broadcasting Company Korea (FEBC-Korea), a Christian radio network, donated 150 million won ($129,371) worth of goods on Sunday for 390 Afghans who were airlifted under Korea's evacuation mission named “Operation Miracle.”As the Afghan evacuees arrived in Korea on Aug. 26, FEBC-Korea, founded by Christian missionaries from the U.S., started reaching out to various companies asking for cooperation in gathering charity items and was able to collect 10 tons of relief goods from up to 23 companies, including Lotte Food, Lotte Confectionery, E-Mart and Dongwon Group. Each box of relief goods includes up

Aug 31, 2021By Park Ji-won
Christian radio network FEBC delivers W150 million worth of goods to Afghan evacuees
Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW Director of Seoul Museum of Craft Art promotes artisan spirit

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art / Courtesy of Seoul Museum of Craft ArtBy Park Ji-wonKorean craftworks have flourished over thousands of years since ancient times, developing their delicate, skillful and versatile quality artistic objects, as seen in many relics such as “najeon chilgi” (pearl inlaid objects).But there was no state-run organization to collectively preserve the legacy of these craftworks, and so they have been preserved separately in various museums, including the National Museum of Korea.On July 16, however, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, the first of its kind under the Seoul Metropolitan Government established in a 10,590-square-meter space, opened to the public in central Seoul, showcasing up to 21,750 craft artifacts including 3,890 works from ancient times and 13,091 works from modern times. All pieces on exhibit are made in Korea except for two.The museum is in the former site of Poongmoon Girls' High School, which moved south a few years ago. It is also where Prince Yeongeung (1434-67), son of King Sejong the Great (1397-1450), built his home and where

Aug 31, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] Director of Seoul Museum of Craft Art promotes artisan spirit
Music

Winners of Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition to hold recitals in Korea

Pianist Jonathan Fournel / Courtesy of the Queen Elisabeth Competition_Derek PragerBy Park Ji-wonThe pianists who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition this year will hold recitals in Korea in September. French pianist Jonathan Fournel won the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in May, while Japanese pianist Keigo Mukawa won the third prize in the competition.Fournel is an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, while Mukawa is attending the Paris Conservatory, continuing his studies in fortepiano and pursuing an artistic diploma in piano.The two will hold their recitals starting at the Peace & Life Zone Festival in Gangwon Province on Sept. 8. Mukawa will play various classical works on Sept. 9, including, “Piano Sonata No. 14,” a work known as “Moonlight,” Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit” and Rachmaninoff's “Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op.42,” at the Beautiful Thursday Concert Series in Kumho Art Hall. Fournel will also hold a solo recital at the same venue, featuring works including Bach's “Orga

Aug 30, 2021By Park Ji-won
Winners of Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition to hold recitals in Korea
Arts & Theater

Pianist Cho Seong-jin releases sixth album, delays recitals due to health problems

Pianist Cho Seong-jin / Courtesy of Universal Music By Park Ji-won Cover image for pianist Cho Seong-jin's new album, "Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Scherzi" / Courtesy of Universal Music Pianist Cho Seong-jin, the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, released his sixth album ― the second featuring the music of Chopin ― on Friday six years after his debut album in 2015. He was planning to start a recital tour in Korea from Aug. 31, however, he has delayed some of the performances due to health problems.Titled “Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 ― Scherzi” and released through Deutsche Grammophon, the album features Chopin's works, “Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21,” and a series of scherzos, including: “Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20,” “Scherzo No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 31,” “Scherzo No. 3 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 39” and “Scher

Aug 29, 2021By Park Ji-won
Pianist Cho Seong-jin releases sixth album, delays recitals due to health problems
Travel & Food

INTERVIEW Ven. Beopsong shares Korean temple cuisine's legacy of simple, seasonal dishes

Ven. Beopsong, the chief Buddhist nun at Yeongseon Temple, demonstrates how to make grilled eggplant from a recipe that was passed down to her by a senior nun, the late Ven. Seongkwan, during an interview with The Korea Times, at the temple in Daejeon on Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBuddhist nun chef explains how temple cuisine is different from vegan food By Park Ji-wonAmid the growing interest in veganism throughout the world and health concerns due to the spread of COVID-19, temple food has recently been getting attention as a healthy food. Both temple food and vegan cuisine are prepared with vegetarian ingredients, but they are quite different when it comes to certain details, especially the use of meat. Few people actually know that the use of meat is allowed in temple food under strict conditions. According to Ven. Beopsong, a Buddhist nun who is an expert of temple cuisine, masters and practitioners of Buddhism (called “suhengja” in Korean) are allowed to eat meat when their lives are at risk. Ven. Beopsong, the chief Buddhist nun at Yeongseon Temple

Aug 27, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] Ven. Beopsong shares Korean temple cuisine's legacy of simple, seasonal dishes
Shows & Dramas

24th Bucheon International Comics Festival to be held online, offline

Poster for the 24th Bucheon International Comics Festival / Courtesy of Bucheon International Comics FestivalBy Park Ji-wonThe 24th Bucheon International Comics Festival (BICOF) will be held in both online and offline platforms from Sept. 4 to 12 where a variety of free events promoting Korean web comics are planned amid the expansion of the web comics industry here.Themed “New normal, new connection,” the festival, hosted by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, will hold various events, such as fan meeting events, the Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival (GICOF), international seminars on various issues such as minority issues and the comic category “boy's love” (BL). Exhibitions will be held mainly on YouTube and at the Korea Manhwa Museum located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.The opening ceremony will be presented in a virtual space by using digital technologies such as hologram, VR and AR. During the ceremony, the winner of the Bucheon Manhwa Award will be announced among “Yumi's Cells” by Lee Dong-gun, “Navillera” by HUN, “My

Aug 26, 2021By Park Ji-won
24th Bucheon International Comics Festival to be held online, offline
Arts & Theater

Musical 'Jekyll & Hyde' to hit stage with new cast

Seen are cast members of the musical “Jekyll & hyde.” From left in the top row are actors Ryu Jung-han, Hong Kwang-ho and Shin Sung-rok playing Jekyll/Hyde. From left in the second row are actresses Yoon Gong-ju, Ivy and Sun-min playing Lucy Harris. From left in the third row are actresses Cho Jung-eun, Choi Soo-jin and Min Kyoung-ah playing Emma Carew, Jekyll's fiancee. Courtesy of OD Musical CompanyBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the musical “Jekyll & hyde” Courtesy of OD Musical CompanyThe one of the most anticipated musicals in Korea this year, will be staged for about six months from October with a new lead cast including actor Shin Sung-rok. Set in 19th century London, the 170-minute show is based on the 1886 novel “Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, and centers on Dr. Jekyll, who believes the good and evil in a person can be separated. Detailed descriptions of characters and dramatic music and lyrics by Frank Wildhorn have contributed to the musical's immense popularity in Korea.Since its Broadway debut in 1

Aug 25, 2021By Park Ji-won
Musical 'Jekyll & Hyde' to hit stage with new cast
Arts & Theater

Joseon Dynasty's royal court institute of music and dance explored in original musical, 'Geumak'

A scene from the musical, “Geumak (Forbidden Music)” by the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra / Courtesy of Gyeonggi Sinawi OrchestraBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the musical, “Geumak (Forbidden Music),” by the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra / Courtesy of the Gyeonggi Sinawi OrchestraThe Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra is presenting its first original musical, “Geumak (Forbidden Music)” from Aug. 18 to 29 at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.The fantasy musical is inspired by the Jangakwon, the royal court institute of music and dance of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), which was in charge of the music and dance for palace ceremonies, as well as served as an elite educational and research institution. It centers on musical genius Seongyul (Yoo Ju-hye and Ko Geun-young); Crown Prince Hyomyeong (Jo Pooong-rae and Hwang Gun-ha); Yi Yeong, the eldest son of the 23rd ruler; King Sunjo; and politician Kim Jo-sun, grandfather of Crown Prince Hyomyeong. The musical's plot tells the story of the discovery of a forbidden music score from the Silla Kingdom.Crown Pr

Aug 21, 2021By Park Ji-won
Joseon Dynasty's royal court institute of music and dance explored in original musical, 'Geumak'
Arts & Theater

Joseon-era dragon-headed roof tile found in western tidal flat of Korea

This image shows the map of the excavation site where a set of dragon-headed roof tiles was found in the tidal flats of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, in June and 2019. Courtesy of National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural HeritageBy Park Ji-wonOrnamental roof tiles, used to decorate the royal buildings of the early Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), were discovered in the tidal flats of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, in June, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday.The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage found two pieces of a dragon-headed roof tile (giwa) known as “Chuidu,” while conducting an archaeological survey. This is the first time that Chuidu of the early Joseon period still in its original shape has been excavated.The relics will be on display at the Taean Maritime Museum from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5, along with similar roof tiles uncovered previously. In September 2019, a local resident uncovered the lower piece of a Chuidu while clam digging. The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage also found one piece

Aug 20, 2021By Park Ji-won
Joseon-era dragon-headed roof tile found in western tidal flat of Korea
Music

Chopin Competition winner to perform with Seoul Philharmonic in Nov.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) / Courtesy of the SPOBy Park Ji-wonThe poster for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO)'s third season, from September to December / Courtesy of the SPOThe winner of the upcoming 18th Chopin Piano Competition will play “Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 or 2” ― depending on who takes the grand prize ― with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) at the Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 27. The SPO has announced that the concert, titled, “And The Winner is ...,” conducted by Wilson Ng, associate conductor of the SPO, will be performed. During the concert, the SPO will be also playing, “Elgar, Symphony No. 1, Op. 55.” It will be the first time for the SPO to perform with the winner of the international piano competition. After pianist Cho Seong-jin won the competition in 2015, the competition, which has been held every five years since 1955, was set to pick a new winner in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it to 2021. From Oct. 2 to 23 in Warsaw, up to 96 pianists, including seven South Koreans ― Choi Hyoung-lok,

Aug 20, 2021By Park Ji-won
Chopin Competition winner to perform with Seoul Philharmonic in Nov.
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