Korea Times Digital Content Reporter
Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Shubao, the youngest member of Everland's giant panda family, was introduced to the public at Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
![[PHOTOS] Everland's baby panda Shubao makes outdoor debut](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination on Saturday following allegations concerning his involvement in a COVID-19 treatment and approval of its clinical trials. “After much deliberation, I decided to step down as the nominee for justice minister. I apologize for failing to live up to your expectations,” Kim said during a press conference at the National Assembly. The move comes after a parliamentary committee adopted his confirmation hearing report Thursday amid objections from the main opposition People Power Party over the allegations. Kim, a two-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), served as a judge at the Jeonju District Court and the Suwon District Court before joining the presidential office under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration, where he worked in the office of political affairs. He was elected to the 21st National Assembly in 2020 and later served as DPK's legal affairs committee chief.
Foreign tourists dressed in fusion hanbok use parasols to shield themselves from the sun at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Thursday. All programs related to the royal palace guards, including standing guard duty at the palace have been suspended due to the extreme heat. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Korea fell to South Africa 1-0 on Wednesday (local time) for its second loss in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Thapelo Maseko scored the lone goal in the 63rd minute for South Africa.
Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute for South Africa, making it 1-0 against Korea.
Mexican and Korean fans gather at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square during Korea's second group stage match against Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Friday. Korea lost the match 0-1. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Mexico's midfielder Luis Romo, second from left, shoots and scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between Mexico and Korea at the Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Thursday (local time). AFP-Yonhap
Mexico's midfielder Luis Romo, left, and Korea's midfielder Lee Jae-sung fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between Mexico and South Korea at the Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Thursday (local time). AFP-Yonhap
A woman carrying a dog casts her ballot at a polling station in Seoul's Songpa District, Wednesday. Voters will elect 16 metropolitan city mayors and provincial governors, 227 local government heads, 3,973 local council members and 16 education superintendents. Yonhap
A deadly outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship MV Hondius has brought renewed attention to hantavirus after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed three people dead and 11 reported cases connected to the vessel as of Wednesday. Health officials say the virus — believed to be the Andes variant — can carry a fatality rate of up to 40 percent in severe cases. But where did hantavirus originate, how did hantavirus get its name, what are the symptoms and treatments? Q. Where did hantavirus come from? A. Hantavirus was first identified in the Hantan River area in Korea. It infected more than 3,200 United Nations soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War near the current inter-Korean border. Late Korean virologist Lee Ho-wang first identified hantavirus from a rodent captured near the Hantan River, which runs through the northern parts of Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces, and helped develop the world’s first vaccine against the disease. He first named it the Hantaan virus, which became more commonly known as hantavirus. Q. How do you get hantavirus? A. Humans can contr