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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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Cardinal reaffirms opposition to same sex marriage

By Park Ji-wonCardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul / Courtesy of Catholic Archdiocese of SeoulCardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul has reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage while also opposing discrimination due to sexual orientation.According to a statement titled “Lesson from Catholic church on family and marriage” released by the archdiocese Wednesday to celebrate “Life Week,” which is set to raise awareness on human life, Cardinal Yeom said “Gender ideology is defined as views that people can refuse the biological sex of man and woman and choose their individual sexual orientation. This is going against Divine Providence in which the creator made men and women differently and let them help with each other.”He added, “Living together without marriage and common-law marriage are considered as homosexuality and hurt the definition of family which is made with lifetime love and unity between husband and wife and to give birth and raise children.”However, the cardinal m

Apr 22, 2021By Park Ji-won
Cardinal reaffirms opposition to same sex marriage
Trends

Korea Creative Content Agency promotes Korean fashion in greater China

Seen is a screen capture of shows held online during the K-fashion Digital Festival held by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) / Courtesy of KOCCABy Park Ji-wonThe Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) has held online trade shows for Korean fashion brands targeting China since March to help COVID-hit fashion brands and expand their footprint in the area.With the title “K-fashion Digital Festival (KFDF),” KOCCA came up with online promotional videos via various channels for five fashion brands ― Lee Chung-chung's LIE, Cho Eun-ae's tibaeg, Hong Hye-jin's The Studio K, Kim Jin-young and Lee Su-yeon's DEW E DEW E and Im Dong-joo's STIGMA.For example, the tiktok challenge by singer Haha went viral, while Seoul-themed fashion films by the brands were distributed via various online channels such as YouTube and Weibo, attracting viewers to the respective platforms.In Yizhibo, a live video streaming mobile app in China, the agency also held live commerce streaming events where it introduced those brands to influencers from April 15 to 17, ending up attracting 8.23 million v

Apr 21, 2021By Park Ji-won
Korea Creative Content Agency promotes Korean fashion in greater China
Arts & Theater

12th Korea Opera Festival puts women in the spotlight

By Park Ji-won Poster for the Korea Opera Festival Courtesy of Korea Opera Festival The 12th Korea Opera Festival will be held from May 7 to June 6 and will showcase six works on women's life in two theaters in Seoul. The festival, which will take place in Seoul Arts Center and the National Theater of Korea, will present three classical operas ― “Aida” (May 7 to 9), “Tosca” (May 21 to 23) and “Anna Bolena” (May 29 and 30) at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center while showcasing “The Telephone & The Medium” (May 28 to 30) and “Una Furtiva Lagrima” (A Furtive Tear, June 4 to 6) at the Jayu Theater and “[Brahms…]” at the National Theater of Korea.The three works ― “Aida,” “Tosca” and “Anna Bolena” ― center on the tragic lives of women who either kill themselves or are killed in pursuit of their true love. “Aida” shows an enslaved Ethiopian princess, killing herself after falling in love with Radames, an Egyptian military commander, who also kills himself for his lo

Apr 21, 2021By Park Ji-won
12th Korea Opera Festival puts women in the spotlight
Arts & Theater

Seoul Spring Festival to present rare Beethoven works

A performance of last year's Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF), which due to the coronavirus, took place in the fall, at the Yun Po-sun residence on Oct 12, 2020 / Courtesy of SSFBy Park Ji-wonThe Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music (SSF) will present rare Beethoven works as well as his chamber repertoire in Seoul in May, under the theme “Ode to Joy.“ The program had been planned for last year to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday, but was postponed and then moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Artistic director of the SSF Kang Dong-suk said during an online press conference held via Zoom, Monday, “We played all of Beethoven's quartet and piano works at past festivals. This year, we will play rare Beethoven pieces that haven't been played often. Up to 11 out of the 13 works we plan to play will be for the first time in this festival … The rest of the program we will proceed with as we had planned for the 2020 season.”He added, “I think that pandemic-weary audiences and performers both want actual performances. Th

Apr 21, 2021By Park Ji-won
Seoul Spring Festival to present rare Beethoven works
Arts & Theater

Joseon-era stone statue, stupa to become cultural heritage

This photo shows Hanpung Pavilion in Muju, North Jeolla Province, 241 kilometers south of Seoul. The Cultural Heritage Administration said the pavilion will be designated as a national treasure within 30 days. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Park Ji-wonSeen is a stupa containing Gautama Buddha's sarira at Hoeam Temple in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. The Cultural Heritage Administration said the stupa will be designated as a national treasure within 30 days. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationThe Cultural Heritage Administration will designate two structures from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom as national treasures.The administration said Hanpung Pavilion in Muju, North Jeolla Province, built in the early Joseon Dynasty, and a stupa containing the sarira or the cremated remains of Buddha, located at Hoeam Temple in Yangju, built around a similar period, will be designated within 30 days following a review.It said the pavilion was built using materials dating back to the early Joseon period and had been intended for use by public servants. The signboard of the pavil

Apr 20, 2021By Park Ji-won
Joseon-era stone statue, stupa to become cultural heritage
Arts & Theater

Five millennial pianists to present Beethoven piano concertos

Massimo Zanetti, third from left, artistic director of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra (GPO), poses during a press conference, Seoul, Monday, with five pianists who would perform for the upcoming concert “Five for Five” where they and the GPO will present Beethoven's Piano concertos in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 24 to May 8. From left are pianists Sun Youl, Park Jae-hong, Zanetti, Yoon A-in, Jung Ji-won and Lim Ju-hee. Courtesy of GPOBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the concert “Five for Five” / Courtesy of SPOThe Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra (GPO) will perform all of Beethoven's piano concertos at art centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 24 to May 8 featuring five rising star pianists. In the concerts to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth and titled “Five for Five,” Sun Youl, Jung Ji-won, Yoon A-in, Park Jae-hong and Lim Ju-hee will each play one of the Concertos No. 1 to 5. In addition, they will also perform Beethoven's “The Creatures of Prometheus” Op. 43, “Coriolan Overture” Op. 6

Apr 19, 2021By Park Ji-won
Five millennial pianists to present Beethoven piano concertos
Shows & Dramas

New version of musical 'Gwangju' traces pro-democracy movement from eyes of ordinary people

A scene from the musical “Gwangju” / Courtesy of Live Corp By Park Ji-wonBetween May 18 and 27 in 1980, citizens of Gwangju, South Jeolla Province stood up against the martial law imposed by the military junta led by then-President Chun Doo-hwan. About 200 people, including 22 soldiers on the government's side, are known to have been killed during the military crackdown. The 10-day Gwangju Uprising played a key role in igniting the pro-democracy movement in Korea and thus helped move the country's democratization forward.“Gwangju,” a musical marking the 40th anniversary of the uprising, was created in 2020 to remember the event from the perspective of ordinary citizens who were forced to take desperate measures to survive during that turbulent period of Korean history.“The musical is trying to show the nature of the past of Gwangju which is to tell the truth,” Koh Sun-woong, artistic director of the show said during a press conference, Thursday. “It is the story of

Apr 17, 2021By Park Ji-won
New version of musical 'Gwangju' traces pro-democracy movement from eyes of ordinary people
Trends

Pastors, Korean public poles apart over churches' responses to social distancing

People queue to enter Yoido Full Gospel Church for Easter service in Seoul, April 4. YonhapChurch leaders blame media's biased portrayal of churches during pandemic By Park Ji-wonA recent survey has found a deep gap in perceptions about the role of Protestant churches in social distancing with the vast majority of pastors saying churches were cooperative and did a good job in their responses to the government's regulations, while non-Protestants disagreed.The survey by the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary conducted on 1,406 respondents found eight out of 10 pastors were positive about the role Protestant churches are playing during the pandemic. However, among the general public only 12 percent spoke positively about the church's cooperation with social distancing. Pollsters surveyed four different groups: pastors, lay Protestant believers, journalists and activists from Jan. 1 to 17. The results showed a divide between Protestants and non-Protestants. Nearly 60 percent of lay Protestant people spoke positively about cooperation with the government in social distancin

Apr 15, 2021By Park Ji-won
Pastors, Korean public poles apart over churches' responses to social distancing
  • COVID-19 infections likely to spike further; gov't set to raise social distancing level
  • New virus cases on Friday in 600s for 2nd day, virus battle at inflection point
Arts & Theater

Musical 'Four Minutes' helps audience find meaning of life via skilled piano performances

A scene from the musical “Four Minutes” / Courtesy of National Jeongdong TheaterBy Park Ji-wonThe musical, “Four Minutes,” an adaptation of a 2006 German existentialist drama film by the National Jeongdong Theater, follows the relationship between a piano teacher named Kruger and an inmate called Jenny, aiming to deliver hope and provoke questions in finding the meaning of life through professional piano performances.Directed by actor-artistic director Yang Joon-mo, written by Gangnam and music composed by Maeng Sung-yeon, “Four Minutes” was made from the award-winning film with the same title which was based on real stories of individuals during the second world war. The movie, “Four Minutes” (2006), which was inspired from a single photograph of Kruger, an 80-year-old woman who devoted her life to giving piano lessons to female inmates in Germany, shows the journey of the two people, the 80-year-old and the 18-year-old Jenny, who isolated themselves from society after being hurt by negative incidents, getting over their past and findi

Apr 15, 2021By Park Ji-won
Musical 'Four Minutes' helps audience find meaning of life via skilled piano performances
Arts & Theater

42nd Seoul Theater Festival from April to May

By Park Ji-wonSeoul Theater Festival / Seoul Theater AssociationThe 42nd Seoul Theater Festival will be held in various theaters around Seoul from April 30 to May 30 to showcase up to eight original plays and side events.During the festival, which began in 1977, plays such as “I remember who I am now” by Theater Company Iru (April 30―May 9); “No Country for Old Men and Women” (May 7-16); “Life Sceneries” (rough translation) by New Universe Theatre Company (May 14-23) and “Jungle” by ETS will show the stories of people living now, with various themes and formats such as immersive theater, physical theater and participatory theater.On the sidelines of the festival, the 17th Seoul Creative Space Theater Festival will be held to show up to 20 free performances while two one-act plays will be presented as well.

Apr 14, 2021By Park Ji-won
42nd Seoul Theater Festival from April to May
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