Korea Times columnist Choe Chong-dae, right, hands over his book "Bridging Cultures" to Shim Jae-yun, chief editorial writer of The Korea Times, at the newspaper's headquarter in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
Korea Times columnist Choe Chong-dae has published a new book compiling his English-language essays on Korea and its diplomatic partners, written over nearly half a century for the nation’s oldest English daily.
Drawing on more than 400 columns contributed since 1979, “Bridging Cultures: The Korea Times Columns of a Citizen Diplomat (1979-2025)” brings together more than 100 selected columns that trace Korea’s diplomatic history, democratization, cultural exchanges and interfaith dialogue through the personal lens of a self-described “citizen diplomat.”
Choe Nam-ju, father of Korea Times columnist and author Choe Chong-dae, published in The Korea Times May 2, 1961 / Korea Times Archive
Born in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, to a distinguished family descended from Choe Che-woo, founder of the Donghak movement, he is a son of Choe Nam-ju, a renowned archaeologist whose research on the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BCE – 935 CE) was highlighted in the paper in 1961.
He said this legacy of civic engagement and historical inquiry naturally led him to use his Korea Times contributions as a platform to interpret Korea’s past and present for global readers.
Choe, who also runs his own trading firm Dae-kwang International Co., began writing for The Korea Times as its youngest contributor in 1979 and has maintained a steady presence in the paper’s opinion section for 46 years.
The cover of Choe Chong-dae's book, “Bridging Cultures: The Korea Times Columns of a Citizen Diplomat (1979-2025)” / Courtesy of Choe Chong-dae
“I believed that writing in English for The Korea Times was the best way to reach a global audience and truly communicate Korea’s story to the world,” Choe said about choosing to write in English for The Korea Times, rather than in Korean for other media outlets.
His byline has opened unexpected doors. Acolumn on Korea-Netherlands relationsin 2014 led to a private dinner in Seoul withthen-Dutch Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen, while hiswriting on Queen Margrethe II of Denmarkwas later featured on an online royal message board. In 2010 his efforts to promote cultural exchange through journalism were recognized withSweden’s Royal Order of the Polar Star.
Source: Korea Times News
