{
  "id": 16095426,
  "title": "African architect's career break leads to unexpected modeling fame in Korea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/african-architects-career-break-leads-to-unexpected-modeling-fame-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T19:47:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/globalcommunity/20261023/african-architects-career-break-leads-to-unexpected-modeling-fame-in-korea"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Leïla Olivia Tanoé Akouba, a renowned architect from Cote d'Ivoire with parents of Ivorian and Malian descent, never imagined a career shift that would take her from designing architectural marvels to gracing the pages of Korean fashion magazines. Raised in a cosmopolitan environment, traveling between the U.K., Italy, and Spain due to her parents' work, Leïla's childhood was an amalgamation of diverse cultures and landscapes. Manchester's bright streets, Spain's antique avenues, Italy's bustling roads, Nigeria's flavorful cuisine, and the historical streets of Togo and Senegal all contributed to her identity as \"un enfant du monde\" – a child of the world. After completing her internships in Marbella and Valencia, Leïla made a bold decision to relocate to China and pursue a career as a 3D visualizer. However, fate had other plans. A career break in Korea, far from her initial aspirations, led her to a surprising new path – modeling.",
  "summary": "For Tanoé Akouba Leïla Olivia, modeling was the last thing on her mind when she came to Korea, because she was certain about her aspirations of working as an architect. Her professional training in interior design and 3D visualization in the U.K., Italy and Spain cemented her commitment to the field, until a career break in Korea made her rethink her path and eventually become a full-time model.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Leïla Olivia Tanoé Akouba is an architect from Cote d Ivoire.",
    "She moved to Korea for a career break, not modeling.",
    "She gained unexpected fame as a model in Korean fashion magazines."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}