Ukrainian international student comes in third at Chunhyang Festival’s traditional beauty pageant

Ukrainian student Lina holds her award after placing third at the beauty pageant contest at Chunhyang Festival held in Namwon, North Jeolla, on April 30. The picture was uploaded on Lina’s Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A 23-year-old Ukrainian international student took third place at Chunhyang Festival, one of Korea’s traditional beauty pageant contests, according to the Namwon City government on Saturday.

 

“I am sincerely honored to be named Chunhyang beauty at Korea’s oldest beauty pageant,” Lina wrote on
her Instagram on Friday. Lina is a quintilingual graduate student majoring in communication studies at Kyungpook National University.

 

 

It marked the first time a foreign contestant placed among the top three winners, who respectively receive the titles of truth, goodness and beauty
— known in order as
jin,
sun and
mi in Korean.

 

The beauty contest, a part of the annual Chunhyang Festival, crowns contestants who embody both the beauty and the virtuous spirit of Chunhyang, the hero of a classic Korean folktale set in Namwon, North Jeolla.
 First held in 1931, the contest marked its 96th edition this year.

 

“[I am] grateful for every step that led me here, every lesson that shaped me and every person who walked this path with me,” Lina wrote her Instagram on Friday. She noted that the award recognized her “sincerity and inner beauty.”

 

“It still feels like a dream unfolding. I will continue to grow, staying true to myself as a Chunhyang, carrying the beauty of Namwon and the charming spirit of Korean traditions into the world,” Lina said. 

 

Winners of the beauty pageant contest at Chunhyang Festival held in Namwon, North Jeolla, on April 30. [NAMWON CITY GOVERNMENT]

 

Kim Ha-yeon, 22, earned the highest prize, followed by 27-year-old Lee So-eun and Lina. Fourth and fifth places were awarded to 19-year-old Kim Do-hyeon and 22-year-old Kim Seo-won, respectively.

 

The 19-year-old Kim, older sister of teenage trot singer Kim Da-hyeon, performed a
pansori (traditional narrative singing) piece titled “Sarangga,” an excerpt from “Chunhyangga.”
 

 

The beauty pageant contest has long served as a launchpad for prominent celebrities, including actor Park Ji-young and Yoon Son-ha. In a bid to broaden its global reach, the organizers began allowing foreign participants in 2024. Last year, an Estonian international student earned sixth place.

 

“This year’s contest reinterpreted the spirit and beauty of Chunhyang in a global and contemporary way,” said Kwon Deok-cheol, chief of the organizing committee. 

 

“I shall strive to make the beauty pageant contest become a flagship cultural event of the Chunhyang Festival,” Kwon said. 

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]