From left to right, Korea.net staff writers Xu Aiying (Chinese), Lee Kyoung Mi (Japanese), Charles Audouin (French) and Margareth Theresia (Indonesian) on Dec. 13 reflect on the feature articles they wrote this year at their office in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Park Dae Jin)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

With about 10 days remaining before the end of 2024, Korea.net staff writers have traveled throughout the country such as the provinces of Gangwon-do, Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do and Jeju Island to get stories.

Of Korea.net's 1,263 stories posted this year (as of 10 a.m. on Dec. 20), 172 of them were feature articles written after staff brainstormed for ideas and directly covered each topic.

Seventy-two features were written by the following four writers: Xu Aiying (China), Lee Kyoung Mi (Korean staff member at the Japanese-language section), Margareth Theresia (Indonesia) and Charles Audouin (France). On Dec. 13, they reflected on the past year and discussed their coverage of Korea.

Clockwise from left: Xu Aiying on June 4 covers a joint news conference after the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province; Charles Audouin on Oct. 2 interviews Arnaud Bertrand, curator in charge of Korean and ancient Chinese collections at the Guimet Museum in Paris, at Leema Building in Seoul's Jongno-gu District; Lee Kyoung Mi on Feb. 1 listens to explanations about the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; and Margareth Theresia on April 16 interviews the deaf K-pop boy band Big Ocean in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District. (Photos from each staff writer)

What are your thoughts on what you covered this year for features?

Xu: I was so happy to have met so many people I'd wanted to meet. I learned so much by interviewing people such as movie directors Celine Song and George Miller and columnist Colin Marshall. It was also an opportunity to feel the massive attention Korean content is gaining abroad.

Theresia: This year, I wrote for the first time a feature on a topic of personal interest (Exploring Palgongsan National Park to mark Nat'l Park Day). I was a bit confused as it was harder than I thought to write, but I realized, "This is how reporting is." I think this year will be unforgettable because I gained personal growth through news coverage.

Audouin: As a staff writer, I found it truly fun and enjoyable to go to the scene and convey to Korea.net readers what I saw and heard. When covering an event, I tried to convey Korea from various angles like a person-to-person perspective when interviewing and from a foreign perspective when writing about an experience.

What did you feel or experience when reporting?

Audouin: You never know what'll happen on-site so I prepare a lot. But in many instances, things unfolded completely differently from what I expected at the venue, so that was difficult. At times, I had to completely change the flow of a story from the beginning.

Xu: When doing interviews, if you prepare excessively and have too much information, it can have the reverse effect. It's hard to extract stories different from other articles. Reporting is also easier if you know the exact direction of an article.

Theresia: I sometimes filmed things but it wasn't easy. I get nervous in front of the camera and so do interviewees. I sometimes get unexpected answers, so I had to film it over and over. Reporting is quite hard.

On the left is a group photo of Korea.net staff writers Xu Aiying (left), Charles Audouin and Lee Kyoung Mi (right) after covering the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit that ran from June 4-5 in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province. On the right is staff writer Margareth Theresia with the deaf K-pop group Big Ocean after interviewing the boy band at Parastar Entertainment's office in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District. (Lee Kyoung Mi and Margareth Theresia)

What feature do you remember reporting on the most?

Theresia: I remember meeting the deaf K-pop group Big Ocean. I couldn't believe I was meeting a celebrity. I get upset a lot because my interview requests are often rejected, but Big Ocean and its staff gave me a big welcome, so I happily interviewed them and wrote the article. Will I ever meet them again (laughs)? The story got a lot of views, so that gave me motivation to write more stories.

Xu: Seeing a two-shot of directors George Miller and Bong Joon-ho was so meaningful to me, and it was possible because I'm a Korea.net staff writer. Watching two luminaries talking about Korean content for a long while was very impressive.

Lee: Writing stories for the series about museums and provincial food festivals was both fun and challenging. Going to Daeju, Gyeongju, Mungyeong, Jeju Island and other regions was hard, but I also got to eat so much good food, so I consider that my compensation. I'm especially proud to have contributed to the Korea.net series and I'm curious what readers thought of my stories. I also remember visiting the shooting site for Season 2 of "Squid Game" in December last year, but couldn't post the article for about a year due to an embargo. It was hard remembering my coverage of that event.

Any message for Korea.net readers?

Lee: I'm prepared to work hard and go anywhere in the nation next year without hesitation. As a Japanese-language writer, I will cover the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties with Japan next year, so please look forward to that.

Theresia: In 2025, I want to communicate more closely with readers for my job. I want to spread news about Korea through our official social media. I always welcome your opinions.

Xu and Audouin: Many Korea.net staff writers are striving to produce good content. Please show more love for Korea.net and promote the website.

km137426@korea.kr