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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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South Korea

Assembly speaker blasts US Republicans for ‘meddling in’ Korea’s domestic affairs over Coupang

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik condemned U.S. Republicans’ claim that Korea is discriminating against e-commerce giant Coupang, calling it “interference in domestic affairs.” His remarks followed a letter sent by 54 U.S. lawmakers in the Republican Study Committee to Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, in which they claimed Korea is taking discriminatory and unfair actions against the U.S.-based company that is under police investigation and government scrutiny for a massive customer data leak last year. “Coupang is under multiple allegations, such as a massive data breach and algorithm rigging. If U.S. Republicans say it is a discriminatory measure against U.S. firms, it means they do not respect Korean laws," Woo said on an SBS radio show Friday. "This is an apparent intervention in domestic affairs and should not happen ... If Korean companies did the same things [data leak and algorithm rigging] in the U.S., would the U.S. let it go?" he said. "I urge Republicans not to meddle in Korea’s legal affairs.” Woo also lashed out at Coupang, saying tha

Apr 24, 2026By Park Ji-won
Assembly speaker blasts US Republicans for ‘meddling in’ Korea’s domestic affairs over Coupang
Foreign Affairs

Seoul rejects US Republicans' claims of discrimination against Coupang

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected claims by dozens of U.S. Republican lawmakers that Seoul is discriminating against American companies operating in Korea, including Coupang, stressing that the investigation into the e-commerce giant is being conducted in accordance with domestic laws and due process. This came in response to a letter signed by 54 Republican lawmakers who accused the government of "targeting American companies," with Coupang, which is under investigation in relation to a massive customer data leak, at the center of the dispute. "Measures and investigations related to Coupang are being carried out in accordance with our domestic laws and due process and are being applied in a nondiscriminatory manner regardless of nationality," the ministry said in a statement Thursday. It stressed that Seoul is faithfully upholding a commitment in the Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet that U.S. companies will not face discriminatory barriers in laws and policies concerning digital services. "The government has been continuously explaining this stance to the U.S. Congress and will contin

Apr 23, 2026By Park Ji-won
Seoul rejects US Republicans' claims of discrimination against Coupang
North Korea

Unification minister at center of controversy over intelligence sharing with US

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is at the center of a deepening intelligence controversy, with the U.S. military and embassy officials allegedly filing complaints over his public identification of the city of Kusong, Pyongan Province as the site of a North Korean nuclear facility, prompting rebuttals from Seoul and raising concerns over trust between the two allies. Rep. Sung Il-jong, a member of the main opposition People Power Party and chair of the National Defense Committee, said Tuesday that U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson allegedly lodged a complaint with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back over Chung’s reference to Kusong as a nuclear facility. Sung added that the U.S. Embassy’s intelligence official in Seoul also filed a complaint with the National Intelligence Service over the matter. The Ministry of Defense immediately refuted the claim, saying, “It is not diplomatically inappropriate for the U.S. Forces Korea Commander to file a complaint with the defense minister and it is not true.” “South Korea and the U.S. are maintaining close, ongoing communica

Apr 21, 2026By Park Ji-won
Unification minister at center of controversy over intelligence sharing with US
Politics

Concerns rise as key ambassadorial posts remain vacant

France, Australia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan, New Zealand, Switzerland and UNESCO all share a distinction: none currently has a Korean ambassador or consul general in post. The vacancies are part of a broader diplomatic gap that has widened since President Lee Jae Myung's inauguration in June 2025. More than 15 senior career diplomats had held no titles for over three months according to a March 25 local report. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said 23 ambassadorial posts were vacant as of April 15. As of April 20, The Korea Times confirmed that key missions — including France, Australia and the UAE among Korea's 173 overseas diplomatic posts — remain without chiefs, as do consul general offices in major cities such as New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Analysts and former diplomats point out that the prolonged vacancies are creating a diplomatic vacuum and weakening consular support for Korean nationals abroad, concerns that have sharpened as the Middle East crisis deepens. The Ministry of Foreign Affair

Apr 21, 2026By Park Ji-won
Concerns rise as key ambassadorial posts remain vacant
Politics

DPK’s Chong Won-o, PPP’s Oh Se-hoon to compete in Seoul mayoral race

Seoul’s mayoral race scheduled for June 3 has taken shape, with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) selecting incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as its candidate to compete with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) nominee, Chong Won-o. Oh won the PPP’s primary on Saturday, beating Rep. Park Soo-min and former PPP Rep. Yun Hee-suk. It was widely expected that Oh would be chosen as the conservative candidate in the crucial Seoul race, as he is one of the few heavyweights remaining in the conservative camp as its approval ratings plummet, driven by the party’s internal feud over whether to distance itself from impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol. It is Oh’s fifth bid for the Seoul mayor position. Up to three consecutive terms are allowed for a local government head, and while Oh was elected mayor in 2006 and won a second term in 2010, he resigned following a row over a school lunch policy. He then won a by-election in 2021 for a third term and was reelected in 2022 for a fourth term. If reelected again, he will serve a record fifth term as a local government

Apr 19, 2026By Park Ji-won
DPK’s Chong Won-o, PPP’s Oh Se-hoon to compete in Seoul mayoral race
North Korea

Seoul denies classified info leak after US protests minister's NK nuclear facility remarks

The United States has reportedly conveyed its intention to partially restrict intelligence sharing on North Korea following remarks by South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who publicly identified Kusong, North Pyongan Province, as a suspected third nuclear facility in the North during a National Assembly session in March. Despite the Ministry of Unification’s denial of the U.S.’ intentions to restrict information sharing, security experts have raised concerns that the issue could affect trust in intelligence cooperation between the two allies. According to local media reports Friday that cited diplomatic sources from both countries, U.S. officials lodged strong protests through multiple channels following Chung’s remarks, expressing concern that sensitive information may have been publicly disclosed. The reports added Washington was dissatisfied that intelligence shared with South Korea appeared to have been made public and suggested the U.S. may have already taken steps to limit certain aspects of North Korea intelligence cooperation. The ministry pushed back ag

Apr 18, 2026By Anna J. Park and Park Ji-won
Seoul denies classified info leak after US protests minister's NK nuclear facility remarks
Others

Iranian model in Korea criticizes Seoul's $500,000 aid package to Iran

An Iranian model and influencer based in Korea openly criticized the Korean government's decision to send humanitarian aid worth $500,000 (735.7 million won) to Iran through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), arguing the funds would not reach ordinary Iranians but instead would support terrorism. "If you send money to Iran at this time, it will go not to the people but to the dictatorial regime that slaughtered some 40,000 people, to be used for terrorism or weapons purchases," Hoda Niku, who has more than 530,000 Instagram followers, wrote in Korean in a post Wednesday. "Not even a single dollar of that money will reach ordinary citizens." Niku moved to Korea after placing third in the 2018 Miss Iran pageant and has since been active as a model and TV personality. She is also an outspoken critic of the Iranian government via social media and has participated in public protests in Korea calling for greater international attention to the situation in Iran. “Iranian people don’t want money or aid; they simply want no support to go to this regime in their name. It's l

Apr 16, 2026By Park Ji-won
Iranian model in Korea criticizes Seoul's $500,000 aid package to Iran
Books

4 Korean books shortlisted for 2026 Locus Awards

Four works by three Korean authors have been shortlisted for the newly introduced translated novel category at the 2026 Locus Awards, with Bora Chung leading the field with two nominations. Locus magazine announced the finalists Monday. This year marks the first time the awards have included a translated fiction category, with Korean authors accounting for four of the 10 shortlisted titles. The nominated titles include Chung;s “Red Sword” and “The Midnight Timetable,” “The Midnight Shift” by Cheon Seon-ran and “Blood for the Undying Throne” by Kim Sung-il. Award-winning translator Anton Hur translated both of Chung's works and Kim's novel. “Red Sword” follows a female hero fighting in a war, inspired by the 17th-century Naseonjeongbeol battle between China and Russia, in which Korean soldiers were dispatched to fight for China as mercenaries. “The Midnight Timetable” is a series of stories set in an institution where mysterious objects are stored. “The Midnight Shift” explores the relationships between humans and vampires. “Blood for the Undying Throne” fe

Apr 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
4 Korean books shortlisted for 2026 Locus Awards
Society

PHOTO 12th anniversary of Sewol ferry disaster

A mourner looks at the salvaged hull of the Sewol ferry at Mokpo New Port in South Jeolla Province, Wednesday, one day before the 12th anniversary of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking disaster that killed more than 300 people, most of them students on a school trip. Yonhap

Apr 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
[PHOTO] 12th anniversary of Sewol ferry disaster
Others

S. Korea required to make ironclad nonproliferation guarantee over nuclear submarine plan: IAEA chief

South Korea must reach agreements on safeguards with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before proceeding with its planned nuclear-powered submarine program, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday. “It is indispensable to have technically sound agreements with the IAEA, if the international community sees that this project is a project under IAEA safeguards, so that the IAEA inspectors have the ability to check that the nuclear material is only being used as the engine for a submarine and nothing more than that,” Grossi said during a press conference in Seoul. “Once the formal process has started, we will have to have important conversations with the different levels of the government, military, the naval shipyards, shipbuilders — everyone who is going to be involved in this process — to have an ironclad guarantee that this activity is not conducive to nuclear proliferation." He added that the IAEA is already going through this process with Australia and Brazil, two other countries that have decided to develop their own nuclear submarines. Grossi's remark

Apr 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
S. Korea required to make ironclad nonproliferation guarantee over nuclear submarine plan: IAEA chief
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