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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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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?
Foreign Affairs

German ambassador supports modernizing EU-Korea FTA

German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel, sixth from right; former Korean Ambassador Choi Seok-young, fifth from right; European Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairperson Dirk Lukat, fourth from right; and Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Martin Henkelmann, third from right, pose for a photo during the "10 Years Anniversary of EU-Korea FTA: Updating and Modernizing a Successful Trade Deal" event at the Millennium Hilton Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and IndustryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and the German Embassy in Korea, together with the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK), held an event to commemorate the occasion, seeking to update and upgrade the trade deal to keep up with the times.In 2011, Korea and the European Union implemented the exemplary trade deal, and Korea became the EU's first Asian partner to ink an FTA. The FTA has proven to be successful for both partners,

Jun 16, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
German ambassador supports modernizing EU-Korea FTA
Foreign Affairs

Mexican Korean War veterans no longer 'orphans of history'

Mexican veterans of the Korean War, from left in front row Roberto Sierra, Jesus Cantu and Jose Villarreal, pose with Korean and Mexican officials during a ceremony commemorating the establishment of the Korean War Veterans Association in Mexico in this April 24 file photo. Courtesy of Embassy of Mexico in SeoulBy Bruno FigueroaBruno Figueroa, Mexican ambassador to KoreaIn June 2020, then-Ambassador of Mexico to the United States Martha Barcena and I wrote an article in The Korea Times titled “Mexicans: Forgotten soldiers of 1950-53 Korean War” to recognize the more than 100,000 soldiers of Mexican origin who fought in this conflict as part of the U.S. Armed Forces. In one year, the progress of our research on the topic has been impressive and has brought unexpected results. We did not imagine at the time the positive impact that it would have on some Mexican veterans and their families.As a mirror of the impact the war had in Mexican society, we discovered that three Mexican movies between 1951 and 1959 referred to the Korean War, from tragic to comic ways. In one of the

Jun 15, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Mexican Korean War veterans no longer 'orphans of history'
Foreign Affairs

INTERVIEW Israel pulling out of COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination

Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Israel in Seoul, May 24. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwon Mee-yoo"Korea is a strong brand and a country that is very well-liked in Israel. When people at home hear I am Israel's ambassador to Korea, they think ― correctly ― I have an extremely cool job. Korea is seen in Israel as an Asian tiger, which overcame incredible adversity and pulled itself up by its own 10 fingers and the tenacity and ingenuity of its people," Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor told The Korea Times during an interview at the embassy in central Seoul, May 24. Despite the long physical distance between the two countries, Israel and Korea share many similarities ― both are trading nations and cannot turn away on happenings in the world. Both are small countries that face significant national security challenges but do not allow these challenges to define them, according to Tor."In this perception of Korea, Israelis see themselves as well. We were both established in 1948 and both countries were ter

Jun 14, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
[INTERVIEW] Israel pulling out of COVID-19 pandemic through vaccination
Foreign Affairs

G7's rivalry with China complicates Korea's balancing act

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, back row right, talks with heads of states during the Climate and Nature plenary session at the G7 Summit in Cornwall, the U.K., Sunday. From left in the back row are South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Johnson, and in the front is Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Yonhap By Kwon Mee-yooThe Group of Seven (G7), a bloc of the world's wealthiest seven democracies, has stepped up efforts to counter China's growing influence, agreeing on the need for a joint approach to China's trade and human rights issues. This puts Korea, which has been balancing between China and the U.S., in a difficult position.During the G7 Summit at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, U.K., from Friday to Sunday, leaders of the participating nations discussed the China issue, mainly in the fifth plenary session titled “Open Societies,” held Sunday (GMT). Korea has been participating in the summit as a guest country alo

Jun 13, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
G7's rivalry with China complicates Korea's balancing act
  • PHOTOS Moon at the G7 summit in the UK
  • G7 calls for 'complete' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula
North Korea

'Talking about mountains:' Swiss mountaineers visit peaks of North Korea for exhibition

A North Korean work brigade on Mount Paektu / Courtesy of Swiss Alpine MuseumBy Kwon Mee-yooSwiss Alpine Museum Director Beat HachlerNorth Korea is one of the most reclusive countries in the world. Totalitarian dictatorship, human rights abuses, food crises and aggressive military posturing are some of the things that come to mind when people hear "North Korea." However, a group of researchers at the Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern, a museum dedicated to the nature and culture of the Swiss Alps as well as other mountains around the world, thought differently. As mountains and hills take up a large portion of the territories of both Switzerland and North Korea, they decided to focus on how mountains shape the identity, culture and economy of North Korea.The museum is currently presenting an exhibition titled "Let's Talk about Mountains: A Filmic Approach to North Korea," shedding light on North Korea from a fresh perspective.Beat Hachler, director of the museum who also organized the exhibition, picked the project as the most laborious and difficult one the museum has ever done, though he

Jun 13, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
'Talking about mountains:' Swiss mountaineers visit peaks of North Korea for exhibition
Foreign Affairs

Central American countries celebrate independence in tree-planting ceremony

Diplomats from seven Central American and Caribbean countries and the Korea Forest Service (KFS) officials pose at the Korea National Arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, May 31, after planting trees in commemoration of the 200th independence anniversary of six Central American countries as well as the 30th anniversary of the Central American Integration System (SICA). From left are KFS International Affairs Bureau Director General Park Eun-sik, Embassy of Dominican Republic counsellor Alex Pina, Costa Rica Ambassador Alejandro Rodriguez Zamora, Nicaragua Ambassador Rodrigo Coronel Kinloch, KFS Minister Choi Byeong-am El Salvador Ambassador Milton Alcides Magana Herrera, Panama Ambassador Athanasio Kosmas Sifaki, Honduras Ambassador Virgilio Paredes Trapero, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations representative in Korea Tang Shengyao; Guatemala Ambassador Marco Tulio Chicas Sosa and Korea National Arboretum Director General Choi Young-tae. Courtesy of Embassy of HondurasBy Kwon Mee-yooSeven embassies of Central American and Caribbean countries in Korea celebrated

Jun 9, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Central American countries celebrate independence in tree-planting ceremony
Foreign Affairs

ROUNDTABLE Korea, India, Australia to take part in G7-plus Summit

The following are excerpts of statements from the ambassadors to Korea from the guest countries to this year's G7 Summit ― India and Australia ― and Korea's G20/G7 Sherpa during a roundtable co-hosted by The Korea Times and the Korea Foundation ahead of the G7 Summit slated for June 11 to 13 in the U.K. The excerpts are edited for clarity. ― ED.Korea pledges to become more responsible international playerKorea's G20/G7 Sherpa Choi Kyong-lim / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukIn terms of priorities in attending this meeting, we have two: health and climate change. We believe that if the G7 Summit this year can produce actions and commitments in these two areas, it will send a very powerful signal to the world that the G7 is back. On health, we have one immediate task and one medium- to long-term task. The immediate task is to address the serious gap in the distribution of vaccines between developed and developing countries. It is understandable that each government wants to take care of its own citizens first, but we must also keep in mind that nobody is safe until everyone is safe. S

Jun 7, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
[ROUNDTABLE] Korea, India, Australia to take part in G7-plus Summit
  • ROUNDTABLE Guest countries to bring diversity to G7 Summit
Foreign Affairs

ROUNDTABLE Guest countries to bring diversity to G7 Summit

The Korea Times' President-Publisher Oh Young-jin, left, and Korea Foundation President Lee Geun, right, pose with ambassadors to Korea from guest countries that will participate in the 2021 G7 Summit in the U.K., during a roundtable at The Korea Times' office in central Seoul, May 25. From the left are Oh, Korea's Ambassador for International Cooperation on G20/G7 Affairs Choi Kyong-lim, Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper, Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan and Lee. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukThis article is the second in a two-part series of roundtables to discuss Korea's planned participation in the G7 Summit 2021, produced in collaboration with the Korea Foundation. ― ED.By Kwon Mee-yooThe seven leaders of the world's democratically and technologically advanced nations, also known as the Group of Seven (G7), will soon gather in Cornwall, the U.K., to address global challenges, such as recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting climate change and sharing values among open societies. At this year's G7 Summit, slated for June 11 to 13, under the U

Jun 7, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
[ROUNDTABLE] Guest countries to bring diversity to G7 Summit
  • ROUNDTABLE Korea, India, Australia to take part in G7-plus Summit
Foreign Affairs

Collaborating to overcome future health issues today

From left, Danish Ambassador to Korea Einar Jensen, Korean Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol, Danish Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke and Korean Ambassador to Denmark Park Sang-jin pose for a photo at the MOU signing held at the Danish Ambassador's residence in Seoul on March 25. Courtesy of Embassy of Denmark in KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooDenmark and Korea, like many countries worldwide, face similar challenges of a growing elderly population and an increase in mental and physical illnesses that follow aging societies. A modern lifestyle is more prone to causing chronic diseases and other healthcare challenges as well."We see the same demographic shift in both Denmark and Korea, which means there are fewer people in the workforce to contribute to financing the healthcare system, while the demand for healthcare services increases with an aging population. In terms of healthcare, costs are rising while resources remain limited. So Denmark and Korea are collaborating and are discussing sustainability in healthcare systems from different angles," the Embassy of Denmark in Korea'

Jun 6, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
Collaborating to overcome future health issues today
  • INTERVIEW Denmark leads green growth, seeks cooperation with Korea
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.