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.
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
Malta-flagged tanker Odessa, carrying 1 million barrels of imported crude oil from the United Arab Emirates, arrives in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Friday, after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Trends in Korea tend to appear out of nowhere, take over everyone's social media feed and fade away so quickly. But every now and then, one arrives with just enough oddball charm to stick. "Ugly pony bread" — a hot dog bun filled with whipped cream and drizzled with white chocolate — is the latest bakery craze that’s become inexplicably irresistible. What sets the ugly pony bread apart from other viral desserts is its face. Chocolate chips become eyes and noses, deliberately placed just a little off-center, giving each pony a slightly dazed, awkward expression. Manes vary wildly, from neat swirls to chaotic tufts of frosting. The tackier, the better. The weirder, the cuter. No one can quite explain why these lopsided little creatures have gone viral. Maybe it’s the humor. Maybe it’s the charm of imperfection. Or maybe, in a sea of picture-perfect desserts, Koreans have decided that a pony with googly eyes is exactly what we need right now. Below are five spots in Korea to find this charmingly off-kilter snack. Le Bon Mariage Address: 1st floor, 417, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul I
Korea’s Olympic gold medalist Choi Gaon returned home to a hero’s welcome at Incheon International Airport, Monday. By winning the women’s halfpipe at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Thursday, the 17-year-old snowboarder claimed Korea’s first gold medal. Choi's fans greeted her with flowers at the airport.