Herasymenko Anhelina, who placed third at the Global Chunhyang Contest on April 30, poses for a photo. (Herasymenko Anhelina’s Instagram)
A Ukrainian graduate student received attention for placing third in the 96th Global Chunhyang Contest held in Namwon, North Jeolla Province.
Namwon City announced Saturday that Herasymenko Anhelina, also known as Lina, a 23-year-old Ukrainian graduate student at Kyungpook National University, received the third-place title of “mi” at the pageant held on April 30.
She is the first foreign contestant to finish in the top three.
“As a foreigner, being named ‘mi’ in a pageant with nearly 100 years of history made the moment even more meaningful,” she wrote in Korean on Instagram on Saturday. “I’m especially grateful that sincerity and inner beauty were recognized, rather than background or social circumstances.”
Winners are ranked by score and awarded titles in the following order: jin, seon, mi, jeong, suk, and hyeon.
All winners will serve as official promotional ambassadors for Namwon.
Established in 1950, the Chunhyang beauty pageant is part of the local Chunhyang Festival, named after the heroine of the Korean classic Chunhyangjeon. The story follows Seong Chun-hyang, the daughter of a retired courtesan, and Yi Mong-ryong, the son of a nobleman, in Namwon.
Namwon City rebranded the competition as the Global Chunhyang Contest in 2024 to welcome foreign contestants as part of its globalization efforts. An Estonian student received the hyeon title last year.
Kim Ha-yeon, 22, a Hanyang University graduate, received the top honor of jin this year.
ssh@heraldcorp.com