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Choi Won-suk

Korea Times Photo Reporter

Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.

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China to launch Mars mission next year

China is planning to send a space probe, a lander and an orbiter to Mars in 2020.China has reiterated is plans to send a space probe, a lander and an orbiter to Mars in 2020 on the heels of landing a mission on the far side of the moon, state-run media agency Xinhua reports.Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the China National Space Administration, made the announcement in a press conference on Monday, Xinhua reports.The mission is being called the Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover, or HX-1.According to the State Council of the People's Republic of China's website, China's Mars 2020 mission will be launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province.A lander along with an orbiter and a rover will be deployed to the Red Planet. The lander is designed to operate for three Martian months. It will touch down on the northern hemisphere of Mars and will contain a rover that has six wheels and four solar panels that will explore Mars.The rover will feature a remote sensing camera as well as a ground penetrating radar and is expected

Jan 25, 2019By Choi Won-suk
China to launch Mars mission next year
News

Young South Koreans are choosing pets over kids

Strained by sky-high housing prices and notorious working hours, more and more young people in South Korea are choosing 'fur' babies over real ones. That means fancy pet food, puppy photo shoots and even dog funerals. Like a son, but cheaper.That's what young South Koreans now say when it comes to pets. With sky-high housing prices and notorious working hours, many of them are choosing "fur" babies over real ones.A picture of a pet dog decorated with flowers is seen on a tablet at a pet studio in Seoul, South Korea, January 17, 2019. Picture taken on January 17, 2019. ReutersPet Owner, KANG SUNG-IL SAYING:"We both work and don't have the time, so the thought of having a baby never crossed our minds. It seems like too much pressure."Kang Sung-il and his wife say they can't afford a child.Instead, they're focusing their energy on their 5 year-old Pomeranian - Sancho.PET OWNER, KANG SUNG-IL SAYING:"Whenever I go on business trips abroad, I always bring something back for Sancho because I'm his dad." On average, the couple spends about 90 dollars a month on Sancho. Private scho

Jan 25, 2019By Choi Won-suk
Young South Koreans are choosing pets over kids
News

Lack of deep sleep linked to early signs of Alzheimer's

A new study has linked poor quality sleep to higher levels of a brain protein believed to cause Alzheimer's.Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine studied the link between tau and sleep levels by recruiting 119 people over 60, most of whom were cognitively healthy.According to the study published in Science Translational Medicine, subjects' sleep patterns were monitored for a week using portable EEG monitors and wristwatch-like sensors.Tau and amyloid beta levels were also measured using either PET brain scans or spinal fluid sampling.The results show that those who had fewer hours of slow-wave sleep had higher volumes of the tau protein in their brain.Slow-wave sleep is the deepest phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep. This stage of the sleep cycle is also thought to be important for memory consolidation.According to study author Brendan Lucey, those who showed increased tau pathology slept more at night and napped during the day, but were not getting good quality sleep.While the findings are significant, the study is unclear on whether poor quality sleep is

Jan 16, 2019By Choi Won-suk
Lack of deep sleep linked to early signs of Alzheimer's
News

Less than six hours sleep per night may increase heart disease risk, study says

People who sleep less than six hours a night might have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who sleep seven to eight hours, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.According to UPI, the study published on Jan. 14 found that chronic lack of sleep or poor sleep quality were associated with increased chances of atherosclerosis, a condition where fatty plaque accumulates in the arteries which can lead to heart attack or stroke.For the study, lead researcher Jose Ordovas from the National Center for Cardiovascular Research in Madrid and his team tracked around 4,000 Spanish adults using coronary ultrasound and CT scans to monitor artery health.Participants did not have a prior history of heart disease at the start of the study and had an average age of 46.Researchers was unable to prove cause and effect, but they found people who slept less than six hours a night were 27 percent more likely to have body-wide atherosclerosis than those who slept seven to eight hours a night.The study also found that women who slept m

Jan 16, 2019By Choi Won-suk
Less than six hours sleep per night may increase heart disease risk, study says
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Children deserve better

An Afghan girl, who was injured in a bomb blast a day earlier, poses for a photograph at the scene of last night's truck bomb blast that targeted Green Village camp belonging to foreigners in Kabul, Afghanistan, 15 January 2019. At least four persons were killed and 90 others, including 23 children, were injured. EPA Children play on the rope as they wait to observe the bull fight during the Maghesangranti festival, which commemorates the start of the holy month of Magh, ushering in the coming of warmer weather and longer days, at Talukachandani village in Nuwakot district near Kathmandu, Nepal January 15, 2019. Reuters A woman and child from Guatemala prepare to cross over part of the Rio Grande river to turn themselves over to U.S. Border Patrol agents and ask for an asylum consideration on January 13, 2019 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. AFP A migrant from Honduras, part of a caravan of thousands from Central America trying to reach the United States, helps a child to jumps the fence to cross it illegally from Mexico into the U.S., in Tijuana, Mexico,  January 13, 20

Jan 16, 2019By Choi Won-suk
Children deserve better
Darkroom

Festivals around the world

A child casts line through holes drilled in the surface of a frozen river during a trout catching contest in Hwacheon, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. Yonhap Festival visitors fish on a frozen river to fish during the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival at Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon province, South Korea, 05 January 2019. Yonhap Festival visitors fish on a frozen river to fish during the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival at Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon province, South Korea, 05 January 2019. Yonhap Indian and foreign participants fly kites during the 30th International Kite Festival near the site of the Statue Of Unity, the world's tallest statue, in Kevadiya some 200 kms from Ahmedabad in India's western Gujarat state on January 8, 2019. AFP A man, right, brings a decorated cow to attract alms as Indian Tamil Hindu women cook special food to celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal at Dharavi, one of the world's largest slums, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. This celebration, held according to the solar calendar, marks the beginning of the sun's northward move

Jan 15, 2019By Choi Won-suk
Festivals around the world
News

'Baby Shark' swims its way to 'Billboard' Top 40

'Baby Shark' Swims Its Way to 'Billboard' Top 40 'Baby Shark' took over 2018 and was loved by both kids and parents. The smash-hit tune is currently holding on to the No. 32 spot. With over 2.1 billion views, it is now in YouTube's top 30 most-watched videos. The song's popularity has also been helped by the "Baby Shark Challenge" where people dance along to its addictive melody. "Baby Shark" was originally created in 2016 by Pinkfong, an education brand for young children in South Korea. Many celebrities including Cardi B and Kylie Jenner have shared it on social media. It initially went viral in parts of Asia before making its way to the U.S. (Wibbitz via Reuters)Billboard Top 100, The week of Jan. 19, 2019. (Screen capture of billboard.com)

Jan 14, 2019By Choi Won-suk
'Baby Shark' swims its way to 'Billboard' Top 40
News

South Korea's Moon says second Trump-Kim summit, Kim's Seoul visit to happen soon

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday (January 10) the second U.S.-North Korea summit and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's Seoul visit will take place "soon" and will be turning points to cement peace on the Korean peninsula.Moon also said in his remarks that the South Korean government would cooperate with the United States and the global community in resolving the issue of sanctions on North Korea in order to reopen the Kaesong industrial zone, shared by the two Koreas, and Mount Kumgang tours.Earlier this month, Kim said in his New Year speech he was ready to meet Trump any time to achieve their common goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But he warned that he may seek an alternative path if U.S. sanctions and pressure against the country continued. (Reuters)

Jan 10, 2019By Choi Won-suk
South Korea's Moon says second Trump-Kim summit, Kim's Seoul visit to happen soon
News

North Korea leader arrives in Beijing after warning of alternate path to U.S. talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, only days after warning he may take an alternative path if the United States does not ease sanctions and pressure on his isolated country.The visit, confirmed by North Korean and Chinese state media, will likely lead to Kim's fourth summit with Xi in the last year and comes amid plans for a second summit with Trump aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.Kim held three summits last year with Xi, his most important ally, before and after summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.Kim left for China on a private train on Monday afternoon accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and senior North Korean officials, including Kim Yong Chol, a major negotiator, and Ri Yong Ho, North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said. (Reuters)

Jan 8, 2019By Choi Won-suk
North Korea leader arrives in Beijing after warning of alternate path to U.S. talks
News

South Korea's ice fishing festival lures local and foreign tourists

South Korea's annual ice fishing festival drew massive crowds on Saturday (January 5) who braved below freezing temperatures to catch trout in a frozen lake.About 141,500 people attended the first day of the festival, according to organisers, where they spent time on the frozen lake to catch fish through a small hole dug into thick ice. Some participants jumped into a pool of freezing water to catch the trouts with their bare hands.In the end, participants have their catch cooked for them to eat.The "Sancheoneo festival", scheduled to last until January 27, is named after a species of mountain trout native to Korea that lives in the surrounding lakes and creeks in Hwacheon, Gangwon province, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital Seoul.The governor of Hwacheon county Choi Moon-soon said about 1.7 million people visited the festival last year and 120,000 of them were foreign tourists. (Reuters)A festival visitor celebrates after attending bare hand fishing in a frozen river during the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival at Hwacheon-gun in Gangwon province, So

Jan 8, 2019By Choi Won-suk
South Korea's ice fishing festival lures local and foreign tourists
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