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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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Foreign Affairs

Seoul faces tough Hormuz calculus ahead of Cho-Rubio talks

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is visiting Washington from Thursday to Saturday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the agenda spanning the potential Hormuz troop deployment, President Lee Jae Myung's possible sideline summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.N. General Assembly and a range of unresolved bilateral issues — all against a backdrop of rising domestic opposition to any military commitment in the Middle East. “Cho will hold a South Korea-U.S. Foreign Ministers' meeting on Friday to discuss a wide range of topics, including bilateral relations, issues on the Korean Peninsula and regional and global matters,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. The upcoming meeting will be their first formal bilateral session since February, when the two officials focused mainly on implementing the joint fact sheet under which Korea agreed to invest $350 billion in the U.S. and Washington permitted Seoul to develop nuclear-powered submarines. The two held a brief pull-aside in Manila in July. The session is expected to cover follow-up

Sep 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul faces tough Hormuz calculus ahead of Cho-Rubio talks
Foreign Affairs

Kyrgyzstan runs its own digital gov't after 5-year Korean partnership

For most Kyrgyz citizens, obtaining an official document or updating an administrative record used to mean days of legwork under a paper-based system. Physical mail between regions could take up to two weeks. That changed last year when a five-year development initiative by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) helped the Kyrgyz government build an e-government system that lets citizens secure government certificates online from home in minutes. “We digitalized everything. We have an electronic document management system (which) almost covers all of our territory and all of our government bodies, and now it takes up to five minutes to deliver any letter,” Nurlan Aidiev, a Kyrgyz government official, said in an interview with The Korea Times. Aidiev oversaw the technical buildout of G-Cloud — the centralized government cloud system that now underpins all state data in Kyrgyzstan — as deputy director of IT infrastructure at InfoCom, the country's state information technology agency. The project, formally titled Modernization and Capacity Development of the Advanced Ad

Sep 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Kyrgyzstan runs its own digital gov't after 5-year Korean partnership
Foreign Affairs

From vocational training to AI governance: KOICA's evolving role in Central Asia

Korea's development aid to Central Asia, once rooted in vocational training and rural development, is pivoting toward artificial intelligence (AI) and digital governance, a shift that mirrors both the region's ambitions and Seoul's strategy to build lasting partnerships amid a fast-changing geopolitical landscape. Between 1992 and 2025, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) channeled roughly $440 million in official development assistance (ODA) to the five Central Asian states. Uzbekistan received the largest share, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Education took up the biggest slice at 30.2 percent, public administration accounted for 24.9 percent, while technology, environment and energy made up 18.8 percent. For much of that period, KOICA's work in the region centered on conventional development needs: vocational training centers, primary health care programs, rural infrastructure and capacity building in the energy sector. The turning point came around 2021, when governments across Central Asia began pressing for digitized public service

Sep 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
From vocational training to AI governance: KOICA's evolving role in Central Asia
Foreign Affairs

Korea welcomes Central Asia's leaders

The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in Seoul on Wednesday for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, elevating their partnership that began with the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992 to the highest level. Held under the slogan "Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity," the summit aims to chart a shared path forward in trade, supply chains, digital innovation and people-to-people exchanges, opening a new chapter built on three decades of cooperation. Kazakhstan Central Asia's largest economy and major energy producer Capital: Astana Population: 20.59 million (ethnic Korean population: 122,554) President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Establishment of diplomatic relations with Korea: Jan. 28, 1992 Trade volume: $4.36 billion (2025) Exports to Kazakhstan: $3 billion Imports from Kazakhstan: $1.36 billion Kyrgyz Republic Mountainous terrain with significant water resources and gold production Capital: Bishkek Population: 7.37 million (ethnic Korean population: 18,434) President: Sadyr Japarov Establishment of diplomatic

Sep 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea welcomes Central Asia's leaders
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Central Asia to chart shared path at inaugural summit

Korea and five Central Asian nations are set to hold their first-ever summit in Seoul on Wednesday, elevating nearly two decades of institutional cooperation to the leadership level as both sides seek closer ties in critical minerals, supply chains and Eurasian connectivity. Korean President Lee Jae Myung will host Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan's Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the meeting under the slogan “Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity.” The six leaders are expected to adopt a joint Seoul Declaration outlining an expanded framework for cooperation. Why Central Asia matters now The summit comes at a time of intensifying global interest in Central Asia. With a combined population of some 80 million, the region's energy reserves, mineral wealth and position at the crossroads of major continental trade routes have drawn a wave of summit-level diplomacy from the world's largest economies in recent years. The result is a new diplomatic norm

Sep 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea, Central Asia to chart shared path at inaugural summit
Education

CONFERENCE AI is changing university rankings, but human judgment still matters, experts say

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping both universities and the systems used to evaluate them, but trust, human judgment and real-world impact will become more important as the technology advances, senior officials from two major global university ranking organizations said Tuesday. Speaking at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference, representatives from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Times Higher Education (THE) discussed how AI is changing the way universities are assessed — from the data used in rankings to broader questions over what higher education should ultimately deliver for society. Leigh Kamolins, vice president of evaluation and insights at QS, said AI is allowing ranking organizations to analyze a broader range of information with greater precision, including data on skills and how effectively universities prepare students for the workforce. “One thing AI will allow us, these new tech approaches to university rankings, is providing us the opportunity to really provide a much broader and stronger evidence base for what we are doing,” Kamolins said during the confere

Sep 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
[CONFERENCE] AI is changing university rankings, but human judgment still matters, experts say
Foreign Affairs

Seoul risks being sidelined if US-NK talks resume, expert warns

President Lee Jae Myung should maintain close communication with U.S. President Donald Trump to ensure Seoul is not sidelined if Washington resumes direct talks with North Korea, veteran Korea expert Victor Cha said Monday. Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointed to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts during Trump’s first term to stay closely engaged with the U.S. president whenever Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “You remember Shinzo Abe during Trump 1.0. Every meeting that Trump had with Kim Jong-un, Shinzo Abe came to Washington to ensure that President Trump didn't sell out Japanese equities in any sort of deal with the North Korean leader,” Cha said during a forum titled “Changes in U.S. Security Strategy and Their Implications for the Korean Peninsula” hosted by the Korea-America Association. He joined the event virtually. “I think it's very important for the South Korean president to think the same way about this,” he said, adding that Lee and Trump ap

Sep 14, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul risks being sidelined if US-NK talks resume, expert warns
Politics

Controversial gender minister nominee withdraws candidacy

Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her nomination for minister of gender equality and family Sunday, ending two weeks of mounting controversy over her decision to retain her parliamentary seat alongside the cabinet post. “I decided to step down as the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, relinquishing my personal determination to create a gender-equal society for all under the Lee Jae Myung administration,” Yong said during a press conference at the National Assembly. She cited opposition from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as the decisive factor. “Cabinet members are meant to bridge the Assembly and government to build consensus. With even the ruling party voicing concern, I concluded that fulfilling the duties in reality would be impossible,” Yong said. “I also determined that stopping here is necessary to carry forward the spirit of solidarity of the DPK, the Basic Income Party and the broader democratic progressive bloc.” Yong also directed criticism at the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), accusing it of ab

Sep 13, 2026By Park Ji-won
Controversial gender minister nominee withdraws candidacy
Foreign Affairs

Korean arms firms need European joint ventures to expand NATO ties: Czech defense chief

Korean defense companies seeking to expand their ties with NATO member nations may need to establish joint ventures and local production partnerships in member states, following the model they have built in Poland, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna said Monday. “Poland is not only buying (Korea’s K2 tanks). Basically, it is building industry around it in cooperation with South Korean businesses,” Zůna said during an interview with The Korea Times at the Czech Embassy in Seoul. “Poland is a prime example of how it should be done — basically creating a joint venture, transferring technology from South Korea to the European partner,” he said, noting that a number of European countries are considering the K2 as a potential main battle tank. Zůna was in Seoul to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral security forum hosted by Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. This year’s forum ran from Monday through Wednesday. During his visit, he also met Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back to discuss bilateral defense and security coop

Sep 10, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korean arms firms need European joint ventures to expand NATO ties: Czech defense chief
Society

Seoul traffic alert: Fireworks festival, marathon to close roads this weekend

Drivers and commuters heading into central Seoul this weekend should expect significant disruptions, with road closures and crowd control measures in place for the Seoul International Fireworks Festival on Saturday and a major marathon on Sunday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that traffic in Yeouido — from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the 63 Building — will be fully controlled from 3 p.m. to midnight on Saturday in preparation for and during the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. Wonhyo Bridge will also be closed in both directions from 9 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Police will selectively allow access at six checkpoints in Yeouido. Subway trains will bypass Yeouinaru Station without stopping between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday to manage crowd flow. Safety personnel will be deployed from Friday evening across surrounding roads, subway stations and major entrance routes to Hangang Park ahead of a pre-festival event. On Sunday, the YTN Seoul Tour Marathon will take place in the central Seoul area from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The marathon course starts f

Sep 4, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul traffic alert: Fireworks festival, marathon to close roads this weekend
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