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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Foreign Affairs

Promoting French language and culture in Korea

French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort, second from left, listens to Greek Ambassador to Korea Ifigenia Kontoleontos, right, who will be the representative of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) to the United Nations, during a quarterly meeting of the Council for the Promotion of La Francophonie at the French ambassador's residence, June 30. Choi Sung-soo, Korea's representative to the OIF, also attended the meeting as a guest of honor. Founded in December 2015, the council brings together ambassadors of OIF member countries in Korea. Courtesy of the French Embassy in Korea

Jul 5, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Promoting French language and culture in Korea
Politics

Lee Jae-myung criticizes Yoon's 'selective' justice

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung prepares for an online press conference explaining his presidential pledges at a hotel in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, Friday, a day after officially announcing his presidential bid. YonhapLee, Yoon head-to-head in poll after announcing presidential bidsBy Kwon Mee-yooGyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has emphasized "fairness" as the top priority among his presidential pledges, targeting Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General and leading presidential hopeful from the opposition bloc.Lee, who announced his presidential bid officially online Thursday, held an online press conference Friday to detail his pledges. Lee is a front-runner by a large margin among the ruling Democratic Party's (DPK) presidential contenders.Lee said restoring justice is the most important task, as it would open new opportunities in the efficient use of resources and turn crisis into opportunity.When asked about the prosecution's investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Lee said the prosecution went overboard. Lee said that Korea's prosecution abu

Jul 2, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Lee Jae-myung criticizes Yoon's 'selective' justice
Foreign Affairs

Polish cuisine reflects country's turbulent history

Cod and beet green rolls called “golabki” with horseradish sauce and baby roast potatoes, by chef Bartosz Kaczmarczyk, served at the Polish Ambassador's residence in Seongbuk-dong, June 22. Courtesy of the Embassy of Poland to KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooLocated on the crossroads of the historical trade routes between Europe and Asia, Poland boasts of a cuisine is known for its rich use of a variety of meats, as well as herbs and spices. "Polish cuisine is indissolubly connected with culture. What we eat speaks for ourselves and it speaks to our soul and spirit," Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski said ahead of a luncheon introducing the essence of Polish cuisine at his residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, June 22. The historian-turned-ambassador explained how the country's cuisine is closely related to its history. "I would say a few words about my country. After 123 years of being occupied and partitioned by three countries (Russia, Prussia and Austria), we got our independence in 1918. However, World War II devastated Poland completely as we had the two armies crossing

Jul 2, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Polish cuisine reflects country's turbulent history
Foreign Affairs

'Contemporary Italy' series to show its tech-savvy side

Italian Ambassador to Korea Federico Failla speaks during the "Italian Excellency in Decommissioning and Radwaste Management," the first event of the "Contemporary Italy" series introducing how the country is leading innovation, at High Street Italia in southern Seoul, June 23. Courtesy of Italian Embassy in SeoulBy Kwon Mee-yoo Italy is a country well-known for its art, fashion and food in Korea. However, modern-day Italy has much more to offer in fields such as aerospace, medicine and pharmaceuticals, energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering.The Embassy of Italy in Korea launched "Contemporary Italy," a series of events promoting how tech-savvy the country is, and the first one presenting Italian technologies in nuclear decommissioning was held at High Street Italia in southern Seoul, June 23. Titled "Italian Excellency in Decommissioning and Radwaste Management," the event invited two experts from Sogin, a state-owned company responsible for decommissioning and radioactive waste management in Italy, to introduce and share Italy's nuclear-plant-dismantlement technologie

Jun 28, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
'Contemporary Italy' series to show its tech-savvy side
Foreign Affairs

INTERVIEW 'Diversity makes New Zealand stronger'

New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the embassy in central Seoul, June 10. Courtesy of Lee Soo-jinBy Kwon Mee-yooJune is LGBT Pride Month, raising awareness on sexual minorities, and Korea's largest celebration Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) started with online events Sunday. Since 2014, a number of foreign embassies in Seoul have taken part in the festival to support LGBT rights, and New Zealand has been a staple at the festival. New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner, the first openly gay ambassador to Korea whose same-sex spouse is recognized by the Korean government, gave a speech at SQCF in 2019, explaining the development of LGBT rights in New Zealand."I was really happy to be asked to contribute because this is an issue which is not only an important part of New Zealand's values as a modern society ― diversity is key to our identity and our values ― but also because this has been such an important and a difficult and challenging part of my life. So for us to be able to have the opportunity to talk about o

Jun 28, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
[INTERVIEW] 'Diversity makes New Zealand stronger'
Politics

Presidential anti-corruption secretary resigns over land speculation allegations

By Kwon Mee-yooKim Gi-pyo, presidential secretary for anti-corruption / Korea Times fileKim Gi-pyo, the presidential secretary for anti-corruption, resigned on Sunday following mounting criticism over allegations of his real estate speculation. Kim purchased billions of won worth of real estate mainly through loans ― a practice that the Moon Jae-in government has criticized for contributing to property speculation and pledged to root out. Park Soo-hyun, the senior presidential secretary for public communication, said that Kim offered his resignation because he did not want to burden the administration. The President accepted the resignation immediately.Kim, who was named as the anti-corruption secretary in March, reported that he owns 9 billion won ($8 million) worth of real estate: an apartment in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province valued at 1.45 billion won, two commercial stores in Seoul worth 6.55 billion won and forest land in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, valued at 840 million won. He has 5.62 billion won worth of debt, suggesting that he purchased a large portion of this real estate th

Jun 27, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Presidential anti-corruption secretary resigns over land speculation allegations
Foreign Affairs

INTERVIEW Finnish foreign trade minister discusses post-COVID-19 cooperation

Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari speaks during a meeting with Korea's Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee at Lotte Hotel Seoul, June 17. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and EnergyBy Kwon Mee-yooAs the world tries to pull out of the COVID-19 pandemic together, Finland is seeking to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties with Korea. Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari flew to Korea last week for a three-day visit to discuss bilateral trade relations as well as a green transition and post-COVID-19 exit strategies. "Finland has the ability to combine development cooperation and foreign trade for one minister, and, actually, it's very unique, globally speaking. It's very important for multilateral and global cooperation, because we can combine development aid and trade together. And that's why Finland is very successful at the global level,” Skinnari told The Korea Times, June 18, explaining the singularity of his post. Diplomatic relations are very important for Finland, which has been a very

Jun 21, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
[INTERVIEW] Finnish foreign trade minister discusses post-COVID-19 cooperation
Foreign Affairs

Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund

From left, Green Climate Fund Executive Director Yannick Glemarec, French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort, Gabonese Ambassador to Korea Carlos Victor Boungou and Mexican charge d'affaires Vladimir Vazquez Hernandez attend the launching of the Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund at the French ambassador's residence in Seoul, June 17. At the initiative of the embassies of Gabon, France and Mexico, 16 ambassadors accredited to Korea established the group to share ideas on the work of the Green Climate Fund, a critical element of the Paris Agreement and the world's largest climate fund, mandated to help developing countries raise and realize their ambitions toward low emissions and climate-resilient pathways. Courtesy of Embassy of France to KoreaFrench Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort plants a tree during the launching ceremony of the Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund at the ambassador's residence in central Seoul, June 17. Courtesy of Embassy of France to Korea

Jun 21, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund
Foreign Affairs

Colombian embassy commemorates Korean War veterans

Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Colombia Battalion in South Korea during the Korean War (1950-53), at Gyeongmyeong Park in Incheon, Wednesday.By Kwon Mee-yooThe Embassy of Colombia held a floral tribute in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Colombia Battalion in South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, at Gyeongmyeong Park in Incheon, Wednesday. Gyeongmyeong Park is also known as “Colombia Park” since there is a monument dedicated to Colombian forces that took part in the war.Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza Rosero paid tribute to the 5,100 soldiers and marines who arrived in Korea, June 16, 1951, and stood in solidarity with South Koreans as part of the U.S.-led U.N. forces. Colombia was the only Latin American country to send troops to Korea under its own flag.Other attendees in the ceremony include Lee Nam-woo, vice minister of patriot and veterans affairs; Lee Jae-hyun, Incheon Seo District Office head; Choi Jong-wook, depu

Jun 19, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Colombian embassy commemorates Korean War veterans
North Korea

Will Pyongyang return to negotiating table?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a session of the plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Thursday, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency. YonhapNorth Korean leader stresses 'both dialogue and confrontation' with USBy Kwon Mee-yooNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un emphasized stable control of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Friday, and said the isolated state should be ready for "both dialogue and confrontation," in an apparent conciliatory gesture toward South Korea and the United States. It is rare for the bellicose North to mention dialogue, and considering the remarks were made a day before U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim's visit to Seoul, attention is now on whether stalled denuclearization talks will get a makeover.According to the North's official Korean Central News Agency, during a ruling Workers' Party of Korea meeting Thursday, Kim said the country has “made a detailed analysis of the policy tendency of the newly emerged U.S. administration t

Jun 18, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Will Pyongyang return to negotiating table?
  • What enticements will Sung Kim offer to North Korea?
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