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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

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.
Music

INTERVIEW How conductor Chin Sol found her niche in game soundtrack concerts

Conductor Chin Sol / Courtesy of FlasicPioneer of live game music concert shares her thoughts on music, businessBy Park Ji-wonPoster for “StarCraft Live Concert: Encore” / Courtesy of FlasicIn August 2019, a rare live classical concert was held at the Sejong Center for The Performing Arts. Titled “StarCraft Live Concert,” conducted by Chin Sol, an orchestra and a band specially formed for the concert played soundtracks works from StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment's highly popular real-time strategy game released in 1998. They played the theme songs of the game itself and those of its three combatant groups: Terran, Protoss and Zerg.Unlike many other concerts which have a predominantly female audience, the show's audiences were mostly men; Interpark, a ticket reservation market said more than 90 percent of the audience were men, proving the popularity of the game was predominantly among male gamers here. Concertgoers were excited about the familiar, but beautifully “classicized” game music, and have been calling for an encore concert ever since. The

Aug 18, 2021By Park Ji-won
[INTERVIEW] How conductor Chin Sol found her niche in game soundtrack concerts
Trends

'Number of churchgoers may decline by 26.5% after COVID-19 pandemic': survey

gettyimagesbankBy Park Ji-won“I used to go to church with my parents, which could be a nightmare from time to time, as I didn't have an excuse to decline attending. But after the spread of the infectious disease, the church had to shut down several times and opened a streaming session every Sunday,” a 34-year-old churchgoer said. “I believe in God and participate in online services but I don't go to church anymore.”Most Korean Protestants are satisfied with participating in online church services, while their communities think it is inevitable to see a decline in the numbers of worshippers after the pandemic, a recent survey showed.The survey conducted on over 891 pastors and 1,000 churchgoers from June 17 to 30 by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (yesjang), Ministry Data Institute and Christianity Media Forum of Korea showed that 83.2 percent of churchgoers are satisfied with the online sessions, compared to 89.4 percent who said they like attending church offline.“Given the fact that more than 80 percent of churchgoers are satisfied with online service

Aug 16, 2021By Park Ji-won
'Number of churchgoers may decline by 26.5% after COVID-19 pandemic': survey
Arts & Theater

Kim Gui-line, pioneer of monochrome painting, dies at 85

Monochrome painter Kim Gui-line / Courtesy of Gallery HyundaiBy Park Ji-wonMonochrome painter Kim Gui-line, a pioneer of monochrome painting in Korea, has died in Paris, France, Friday, local time. He was 85. Born in 1936 in Kowon, South Hamgyong Province, part of present-day North Korea, Kim studied French at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and moved to France in 1961 to focus his studies on French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery.While struggling with language differences and studying art history at Dijon University, he taught himself painting. He held his first solo exhibition in Dijon in 1965. He also attended Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1965 to 1968 and studied under French artist Roger Chastel, earning his BFA at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in 1971. “Untitled” (1967) by Kim Gui-line / Courtesy of Gallery HyundaiHis early works in the 1960s are inspired by his dreams from when he was young. In his works from the mid- to late 1960s, he used five colors ― black, white, red, yellow and green ― commonly used in Korean traditional motifs. &l

Aug 15, 2021By Park Ji-won
Kim Gui-line, pioneer of monochrome painting, dies at 85
Arts & Theater

Ballet explores independence fighter's last moments

The ballet “Ahn Jung Geun, a Dance in the Heaven” is performed at the Seoul Arts Center during a press event, Wednesday. YonhapBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the ballet “Ahn Jung Geun, a Dance in the Heaven” / Courtesy of the Seoul Arts Center“I will dance and shout hurrah when I hear the news of Korea's independence in heaven,” independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun said right before he was executed at Lushun Prison in March 1910 for assassinating Hirobumi Ito ― a former four-term prime minister of Japan and the first resident-general of Korea while it was a protectorate of the Empire of Japan ― at China's Harbin Railway Station in October 1909. Ahn's life and his last moments have been adapted into films, musicals and plays, but there have not been many dance performances about the national hero.The ballet performance “Ahn Jung Geun, a Dance in the Heaven,” which was choreographed in 2015 by Moon Byung-nam, head of M Ballet Company, was inspired by Ahn's last words. The dance, centering on human agony and the hero's growth, will be performed to

Aug 13, 2021By Park Ji-won
Ballet explores independence fighter's last moments
Trends

Traditional Korean herbalists, a unique profession facing extinction

Ryu Hwang-rim, a traditional Korean herbalist, carefully measures and combines herbal ingredients for medicines in his shop, Hwangjungwon Traditional Korean Medicine, in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Park Ji-wonReaders who have watched Korean dramas that portray the Joseon era (1392-1910), such as “Dae Jang Geum,” may have seen scenes in which doctors practiced acupuncture and gave sick people herbal medicine.Even now, Korean people, especially those who cannot find cures for their ailments in modern Western medicine, often rely on going to traditional Korean herbal medicine shops ― known as “hanyakbang” in Korean ― to buy herbal medicines such as decoctions (boiled down concentrated extracts), powdered medicines and tablets, to restore their energy and eliminate illnesses.The Japanese colonial government attempted to eradicate the traditional Korean medicine system and introduce the Western medicine system into Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945), which ended up reducing the number of experts a

Aug 12, 2021By Park Ji-won
Traditional Korean herbalists, a unique profession facing extinction
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