This study was conducted to determine the causal virus that naturally infected hollyhock (Althaea rosea) plant showing mild mosaic symptom in 1999. Flexuous virus particles were found in the cytoplasm of plant tissue from infected hollyhock under transmissible electron microscopy. A virus from the genus Potyvirus under the family Potyviridae was isolated and was maintained on Chenopodium quinoa for three passages. Chlorotic local legions were used to inoculate 20 species of indicator plants. The virus infected all the tested cucurbit plants, but failed to infect Nicotiana benthamiana. Based on the host range test and RT-PCR analysis, the potyvirus was identified as a strain of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus-A (ZYMV-A), one of the major pathogens of cucurbits. Infectivity analysis showed that ZYMV-A induced faster systemic symptom than ZYMV-Cu on squash and other cucurbit plants, suggesting that ZYMV-A was a more severe strain. To better characterize ZYMV-A, Western blot assay was carried out to the coat protein (CP) of the virus using ZYMV-specific antiserum with ZYMV-Cu and other potyviruses. The CP of the virus reacted strongly with the antiserum against ZYMV, and other tested antisera did not react with the CP of ZYMV-A. Results strongly suggest that the potyvirus infecting hollyhock was a novel strain of ZYMV. This is the first report on ZYMV as the causal virus infecting hollyhock in Korea.