A cute puppy named Injeolmi has stolen the hearts of pet lovers throughout Korea, thanks to photos posted on social media that garnered explosive popularity.
The 2-month-old female pup, whose breed has not yet been determined, has a black nose, short legs and two black eyes with double eyelids.
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Injeolmi and actor Kwak Dong-yeon (Kwak`s Instagram) |
The puppy was rescued from a ditch near an apple farm in August, and the farmer’s daughter began taking care of the young animal. As a new pet parent, she had basic questions about how to raise a newborn puppy, which she asked on an online community. The pictures and posts about Injeolmi soon went viral due to the puppy’s irresistible cuteness.
With the help of other online animal lovers, the farmer’s daughter decided to keep the puppy and name her after a Korean traditional rice cake because of her brown fur.
Injeolmi’s fans started following the puppy’s daily life and most adorable moments on the Instagram account @zzangjeolmi, a compound word formed from her name and the word “zzang” (Korean for “the best”). The Instagram page was launched Aug. 17 and featured 86 pictures and videos of the puppy as of Sept. 17.
Injeolmi has more than 813,000 followers, including famous K-pop stars such as Seolhyun of AOA and Han Seung-yeon of Kara, as well as actresses Kim So-hyun and Shin Se-kyung.
Actor Kwak Dong-yeon is a huge fan of the puppy, and has commented on almost every one of Injeolmi’s Instagram posts. On Sept. 10, Kwak finally met the dog in person and expressed his joy by posting a picture of himself on his Instagram page, holding little Injeolmi.
“Jeolmi smells like grape-flavored candy,” the actor wrote. “I should have kissed her more.”
Local media have also been covering the phenomenal popularity of Injeolmi, while YouTube channel Haru, run by the major broadcaster SBS, has been offering exclusive videos of the puppy on its channel.
“She is way too cute, I can’t get enough of Injeolmi’s pictures,” an Instagram user wrote, urging the puppy’s rescuer to share photos of her fur baby more frequently.
“I feel like my heart stops beating when I see Injeolmi. The word ‘Injeolmi’ is my most favorite word from 2018,” another Instagram user said.
By Park Ju-young (
jupark@heraldcorp.com)
