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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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Politics

DPK leadership hopefuls put presidential alignment, youth at center

What was expected to be a three-way race for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leadership gained an unexpected entrant Wednesday, as Rep. Koh Min-jung declared her candidacy, joining Rep. Song Young-gil and former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who announced his bid Monday. Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who stepped down as party chair last month, is also expected to formally enter the race in the coming days. Candidates have highlighted two themes: winning back younger voters and bringing the party into closer alignment with the presidential office ahead of the Aug. 17 convention, which will elect a new leader and Supreme Council to serve a two-year term under the Lee Jae Myung administration. Song, a former DPK leader and six-term lawmaker, made youth representation the centerpiece of his pledge, saying "Without the support from those in their 20s and 30s, we cannot win the presidential election in 2030." "If elected party leader, I will appoint two designated Supreme Council members in their 20s and 30s and establish a 2030 Special Committee and platform to give younger voices direct par

Jul 8, 2026By Park Ji-won
DPK leadership hopefuls put presidential alignment, youth at center
Foreign Affairs

NATO ties trump Korea in Canada's submarine bid

Interoperability with NATO was a crucial factor in Canada's selection of shipbuilders for its submarine fleet, as a Korean consortium lost to its German-Norwegian rival in the multibillion-dollar submarine procurement project on Tuesday. Canada’s move is largely seen as influenced by the need to reinforce its NATO ties at a time when the United States’ commitment to the alliance faces growing uncertainty, although the Korean bidder showed enough technical competitiveness to vie with the German bidder. On Monday (local time), Canada selected Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as the preferred bidder, beating a Korean consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The Canadian Navy is seeking 12 conventional submarines to replace its aging Victoria-class fleet. Since Canada announced the project in 2024, Korean government and industry officials went all out to win the bid worth 60 trillion won ($39.1 billion). “The determining factor was interoperability with NATO, specifically the level of cooperation that allows for integrated training, sharing of mainten

Jul 7, 2026By Park Ji-won
NATO ties trump Korea in Canada's submarine bid
Politics

Ruling party leadership race heats up as ex-PM officially enters contest

The race to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is underway, with former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok formally entering the contest Monday ahead of the party's Aug. 17 convention, when members will elect a new leader and Supreme Council members to serve a two-year term. Kim, a four-term lawmaker who served as the Lee Jae Myung administration's first prime minister, announced his bid in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, pledging to bring the DPK into closer alignment with the presidential office. He framed his candidacy as a corrective to what he described as a breakdown in party-government relations under the outgoing leadership. "As the prime minister who was the president's governing partner, I understand the direction of state affairs more deeply than anyone else," Kim said during a speech officially announcing his bid for the party leadership. He added that he would draw on his experience of steering the party through local, parliamentary and presidential elections to support the success of both the party and the government. "To achieve the success of the Lee

Jul 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ruling party leadership race heats up as ex-PM officially enters contest
North Korea

Trump cannot denuclearize NK, says Middle East expert

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow of the Middle East Institute, said U.S. President Donald Trump will not be able to denuclearize North Korea as Pyongyang is already a “nuclear state.” Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity on June 25, Vatanka said Washington would risk a war if it wants to denuclearize Pyongyang. “Trump cannot denuclearize North Korea because North Korea is already a nuclear weapon state, unless you want to take a chance and risk major war,” said Vatanka, a Middle East expert and founding director of the Iran program at the Washington-based think tank. He joined the forum as a speaker during a session titled “The Post-War Future of Middle East Peacebuilding.” The Middle East and Iran expert emphasized that North Korea’s nuclear program is now irreversible, unlike Iran’s program, which remains controllable amid ongoing negotiations with the U.S. to halt its nuclear ambitions and end the war. “I don't know how many (nuclear weapons) they (North Korea) have. They have probably many d

Jul 3, 2026By Park Ji-won
Trump cannot denuclearize NK, says Middle East expert
North Korea

Ukraine FM reveals Russia wants swap between N. Korean POWs, Ukrainians

As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha revealed Russia's proposal of exchanging thousands of Ukrainian civilians in Moscow's custody for the North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine, Seoul is being pushed to offer increased support to ensure that the POWs will be transferred to South Korea. On Monday, Sybiha met with officials from a South Korean think tank, revealing that Kyiv has been asked to trade captured North Korean POWs for Ukrainian citizens held in Russia. He visited Seoul from Monday to Tuesday and engaged in bilateral talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday. “When Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had a meeting with Yoon Young-kwan, chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies on Monday, Sybiha said Ukraine was told by Russia to do a prisoners of war (POWs) swap by exchanging two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine for thousands of Ukrainian citizens currently held by Russia,” a source familiar with the matter told The Korea Times, Thursday. “But the Ukrainian foreign minister reaffirmed that the Ukrainian governm

Jul 2, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ukraine FM reveals Russia wants swap between N. Korean POWs, Ukrainians
North Korea

S. Korean, Ukraine FMs agree to resolve North Korean POW issue under international law

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, agreed Tuesday that the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured during the Russia-Ukraine war should be handled in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles. The two ministers discussed the POW issue as well as a wide range of mutual interests and bilateral cooperation during Sybiha's visit to Seoul, according to the ministry. It marked the first visit in 11 years by a Ukrainian foreign minister to Korea for bilateral talks. Cho and Sybiha agreed to continue seeking a resolution to the North Korean POWs issue that respects the detainees' free will, the foreign ministry said in a press release. "The two foreign ministers had a shared understanding that this matter should be resolved in a manner consistent with international law and humanitarian principles," ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a briefing, adding that the government will continue its diplomatic efforts to advance and resolve the issue. He declined to elaborate further, citing the sensitivity o

Jun 30, 2026By Park Ji-won
S. Korean, Ukraine FMs agree to resolve North Korean POW issue under international law
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Japan defense chiefs agree to cooperate on AI, maritime search and rescue

Korea and Japan will cooperate in developing artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies for the defense sector, the two countries' defense chiefs said Sunday. They also reaffirmed the two sides' commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace in the region. Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the cooperation pledges in a joint press statement following their bilateral talks in Seoul. "The two ministers agreed to continue to seek exchanges and cooperation between their aerobatic teams (the Black Eagles and Blue Impulse) while advancing maritime search and rescue exercises for various accidents at sea and continuing discussions on cooperating in cutting-edge technology sectors, including AI," the statement released by the Ministry of National Defense read. Discussions involving the two aerobatic teams followed an exchange event between Korea's Black Eagles and Japan's Blue Impulse, when the former refueled during a layover in Okinawa, Japan, on its way to Saudi Arabia for a

Jun 28, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea, Japan defense chiefs agree to cooperate on AI, maritime search and rescue
Foreign Affairs

Ex-Japanese PM calls on Seoul to mend Tokyo-Beijing rift

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — South Korea should take the lead in reviving trilateral diplomacy with China and Japan by pushing for a three-way summit as soon as possible, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Friday. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, Hatoyama said Seoul is uniquely positioned to bridge a deepening rift between Tokyo and Beijing. "What I expect the most is that South Korea will take the lead in holding a trilateral summit by talking to China as early as possible, as the current relations between Beijing and Tokyo are not easy. I hope South Korea could create that mood," said Hatoyama, the 93rd prime minister of Japan and current president of the East Asian Community Institute. Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have deteriorated sharply following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said Japan could respond to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan. China, which considers Taiwan its own territory under the One China principle, responded by slashing the number of flight

Jun 26, 2026By Park Ji-won
Ex-Japanese PM calls on Seoul to mend Tokyo-Beijing rift
Foreign Affairs

UN chief candidates call for stronger multilateralism as global institutions weaken

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Candidates vying to lead the United Nations gathered at the Jeju Forum, Thursday, to call for a renewal of multilateralism at a moment when the international body's influence is waning and global cooperation is fracturing under the weight of conflict. The session, titled "Reimagining Multilateralism: A Dialogue with U.N. Secretary-General Candidates," brought together Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former president of the 73rd U.N. General Assembly and former minister of foreign affairs of Ecuador, as well as International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, U.N. Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and former President of Senegal Macky Sall. Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile and former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, could not attend in person due to a scheduling conflict and instead sent a video message. The session came as the U.N. faces severe funding shortfalls and a growing number of global conflicts,

Jun 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
UN chief candidates call for stronger multilateralism as global institutions weaken
  • Former UN chief slams US for leaving int'l organizations
Foreign Affairs

Korea, Japan must strengthen defense alliance amid US uncertainty, says ex-Japanese foreign minister

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Japan and South Korea should build a stronger security alliance to anchor regional stability as U.S. commitment to East Asia becomes less certain, former Japanese Foreign and Defense Minister Taro Kono said Wednesday. “I think it is indispensable for peace and stability for East Asia that Japan and Korea create a very strong security alliance, not just the economy. Japan and Korea need to sit down and discuss security in the region,” Kono said during the “Asia-Pacific in the age of American First: Asian Leaders’ View” press conference, held on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. “If you look at the situation in East Asia, Japan and Korea only have each other. The Philippines is a bit far away, Australia is even further down. There is the United States — yes, the U.S. military is still present on the Korean Peninsula and Japan. But I think we need to step up our own effort for stability in the region,” he said, while stressing that Washington remains indispensable. Kono pointed out that while European countries will still be

Jun 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
Korea, Japan must strengthen defense alliance amid US uncertainty, says ex-Japanese foreign minister
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