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Kwak Yeon-soo

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.

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Shows & Dramas

'Single's Inferno 5': Beauty queen, silver spoon, pro athlete — who's your pick?

“Single’s Inferno,” Netflix’s hit dating show, follows contestants competing for romantic date nights at a luxury hotel on the so-called “paradise island.” Each season produces breakout stars, and this year’s cast — ranging from a former Miss Korea to elite athletes — is generating the most buzz. Choi Mina Sue Mina Sue, 26, dominates conversation not just for her looks but for how polarizing she is. Mina Sue initially emerged as season 5’s “villain” after pursuing multiple men and asking if she could leave with two of them — a boldness that left both viewers and the cast baffled. This sparked intense debate online, with fans split between calling her calculating and applauding her honesty. As the season progressed, however, a softer side to her came through, prompting a shift in sentiment and apologies from the MCs who admitted they had judged her too harshly. The Miss Earth 2022 winner has also drawn attention for her standout fashion sense. On her first appearance, she wore a yellow Zara dress priced at about 59,000 won ($40), paired with Van Cleef & Arpels j

Feb 5, 2026By Kwak Yeon-soo
'Single's Inferno 5': Beauty queen, silver spoon, pro athlete — who's your pick?
Photo News

PHOTOS Cold snap freezes Han River

Members of the Gwangnaru Water Rescue Team under Seoul's Gangdong District 119 Special Rescue Unit perform icebreaking operations on the Han River in Seoul, Jan. 28, amid a severe cold wave. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Jan 29, 2026By Kwak Yeon-soo
[PHOTOS] Cold snap freezes Han River
Society

PHOTOS Bus crashes into building in Seoul, 13 injured

A city bus crashed into a building in Seoul's Seodaemun District on Friday and ‍13 people are feared injured, including two believed to be in ‍serious condition, according to local reports. The incident happened near Seodaemun Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 around 1:27 p.m., the police said. A passenger bus crashed into what ‍appeared to be ‍the glass facade of the NH NongHyup Bank building, apparently after driving over ‍a wide section of a pedestrian ⁠sidewalk, according to the police. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Jan 16, 2026By Kwak Yeon-soo
[PHOTOS] Bus crashes into building in Seoul, 13 injured
Photo News

PHOTOS Welcoming first sunrise of 2026

People watch the first sunrise of the year on Seonyu Bridge in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Jan 1, 2026By Kwak Yeon-soo
[PHOTOS] Welcoming first sunrise of 2026
World

PHOTO Rare Siberian tigers spotted in China

A female Siberian tiger and her five cubs were spotted at the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park in Hunchun, Jilin Province, China, in November, according to Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park administration on Friday. Xinhua-Yonhap

Dec 29, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
[PHOTO] Rare Siberian tigers spotted in China
Travel & Food

World loves K-food — just not these dishes

From gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) to tteokbokki (spicy simmered rice cakes), Korean food has taken the world by storm — boosted in part by the global popularity of “KPop Demon Hunters.” While some dishes are finding international appeal, others are being listed among the world’s “worst,” underscoring a divide in how Korean food is viewed abroad. Online travel guide platform TasteAtlas recently unveiled its list of the 100 worst-rated foods in the world, based on more than 450,000 user ratings from around the globe. Hongeo, or fermented skate, arguably the smelliest food in Korea, ranked 51st with a score of 2.7 out of 5. Despite its powerful ammonia scent, the dish is appreciated for its chewy texture and distinct flavor. It is traditionally served with steamed pork belly and kimchi, a combination that is called samhap, and it is commonly washed down with alcoholic beverages such as soju (a distilled Korean spirit) or makgeolli (an unfiltered rice alcohol). More unexpectedly, kongnamulbap (soybean sprout rice) and dubujeon (pan-fried tofu patties) — both considered comforti

Dec 11, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
World loves K-food — just not these dishes
K-pop

USC to offer course on K-pop icon G-Dragon

Starting in spring 2026, the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles will offer a class focused on G-Dragon's music career and his cultural impact. The class is titled "Crooked Studies of K-pop: The Case of G-Dragon" and will be taught by Hye Jin Lee, a professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The course is the latest in a string of college classes available on pop culture themes. Yale University and Harvard University have each offered classes based on Beyonce and Taylor Swift’s influence. "Introducing a course on G-Dragon at a prestigious institution like USC, particularly as he marks the 20th anniversary of his debut, is highly meaningful,” G-Dragon's agency Galaxy Corporation said in a statement Friday. “We believe this will further underscore the artistic depth and global influence of K-pop.” G-Dragon debuted in 2006 as a member of BIGBANG under YG Entertainment. The group transformed K-pop with chart-topping hits like “Lies,” “Haru Haru,” “Tonight” and “Bang Bang Bang,” many of which were written or produced by G

Dec 5, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
USC to offer course on K-pop icon G-Dragon
Business

You may have been affected by Coupang's data breach. Here’s what you should do

On Saturday, e-commerce giant Coupang confirmed a data breach that potentially impacted 33.7 million customer accounts. Although the data breach is believed to have begun as early as June through servers overseas, Coupang failed to detect the cyber intrusion for five months. What caused the data breach? A former employee, A Chinese national who quit in December 2024, is suspected of being behind the breach. Appearing at a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun said the suspect had worked as a developer on the company’s authentication and system access management team. The attacker is believed to have extracted customer information after leaving the company, by exploiting authentication tokens and a signing key. An authentication token acts like a temporary access pass issued after a user logs in, and a signing key is used to create and verify those tokens. Coupang failed to revoke or rotate the signing key even after the employee’s departure, exposing a serious gap in the company’s cybersecurity controls. “The suspect could be an individual or multiple people

Dec 3, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
You may have been affected by Coupang's data breach. Here’s what you should do
Photos

PHOTOS Korea holds national college entrance exam

A mother wishes her daughter good luck on the sidewalk leading to the test site at Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in Jung District, Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Nov 13, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soophoto
[PHOTOS] Korea holds national college entrance exam
Trends

Pharmacy emerges as Korea's new must-visit place for foreign tourists

Korean pharmacies, renowned for their high-quality yet affordable products, have become must-visit destinations for foreign tourists interested in skincare. They are also increasingly favored by consumers seeking gentle, clinically tested formulations that address acne, pigmentation and post-procedure recovery. Foreigners’ medical spending in Korea has seen a sharp rise in recent years. According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, the number of medical transactions by international visitors jumped nearly fivefold — from 593,577 in 2020 to 2,929,831 in 2024. In August alone, over 309,000 cases were recorded. Pharmacies accounted for the largest share of this spending, making up nearly 59 percent of all foreign medical consumption in the first half of the year, followed by dermatology clinics at 22 percent. The total amount spent at pharmacies during this period also surpassed 60 billion won ($43 million). Reflecting this trend, online travel platform Creatrip recently added a pharmacy category, joining hands with recommended pharmacies across Seoul and Busan that offer foreign tourists i

Oct 5, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
Pharmacy emerges as Korea's new must-visit place for foreign tourists
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