INTERVIEW Miss Korea contestant reveals her secrets for success

Park Chae-won, runner-up in the 2018 Miss Korea pageant. From her Instagram

By Lee Min-young

Exaggerated hairdos, toothpaste commercial-perfect smiles and bikini contests would be among the first things that spring to mind when it comes to Miss Korea.

Are they really what they look like ― Barbie dolls?

I recently talked in-depth with Park Chae-won, 24, a runner-up in the 2018 Miss Korea pageant, who came to our office with a beautiful, full-fledged smile.

To give you a heads-up, she defied the stereotype. Here is some of what she had to say.

"I have a very different background from everybody else," Park said. "When I was 11, I went to India. My parents wanted me to study abroad and India was where they sent me. It's a very odd place for a parent to send their child at such a young age, isn't it?" Park told me she lived in the Himalayas.

Then she got into fashion. Park wanted to study more on the subject, so she left for France to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, even though she could not speak French.

"It was all my decision,” Park said. “Whenever I wanted something, I would persuade my parents and they would root it out for me." She was a brave, independent girl who did not fear exploring her talents, ability and passion.

Park Chae-won shows off her style. Hankook Ilbo file

Park Chae-won on stage. Hankook Ilbo file

Park Chae-won being crowned by the 2017 runner-up Kim Sarang. Hankook Ilbo file

Park grew curious about other careers, so she moved to the United States. There she studied business management and afterward gained work experience at Korea's leading online portal operator Naver.

"Right after graduating college, I was seeking a job at IT companies,” Park said. “Facebook and Google were my top choices."

She told me a new door opened after she became a semi-finalist in the pageant and she is now finding her way into show biz.

"Modeling, emceeing at events, reporting, acting ... the list goes on,” Park said. “I am grateful that I can possibly go anywhere and do anything at such a young age. I want to try out everything and see what I'm great at."

Park said she had dreamed of being crowned Miss Korea since she was a child.

"It's a girl's dream,” she said. “I'm an attention-seeker. I love the attention and I know how to get it. Beauty pageants are dream stages a girl like me would die for. I am a very competitive person. I love competition, whatever that is about. When I first heard about this Miss Korea beauty contest, I immediately thought this was something I had to be part of. I was confident that I could bag the title."

It was very interesting to examine the way she spoke about herself. She was bright, full of energy and very confident. Anyone who spoke to her would immediately sense that she had a solid ego and absolute awareness of what she is capable of.

Park Chae-won takes yoga lessons with other Miss Korea contestants. Hankook Ilbo file

Out of curiosity, I asked if she had any problems with the girls during the training camp for Miss Korea contestants. The picture I had in my mind was a place full of drama and tension among jealous girls who all wanted to win the contest.

"Oh course there were some psychological tensions going on but no blunt aggression," she laughed. "One day, I accidentally hit a girl's leg while we were sitting in rows." The girl got so irritated she snapped at her: "You hit my leg and you just ignored me without apologizing!"

"But I was close to most of the girls,” Park said. “We really relied on each other and I still grab lunch with the girls." She laughed away the incident but it was reasonable to assume the girls were on edge before the contest.

"What was the strength in you that rode out all the hardships during the contest?" I asked, assuming there would have been times her confidence was down as she found herself surrounded by so many beautiful, talented girls.

"Yes, there was one day that I doubted myself and that was when I had a swimsuit photo shoot with the girls who had perfect bodies, while I was not so confident about mine," Park said. "But I was able to snap my fingers and quickly come back, because I knew what people would like about me. It's not only the looks that matter when it comes to attracting people. I knew what my qualities were that stood out among others and that was what I had to showcase."

Park Chae-won strikes a pose during a swimsuit photo shoot. Hankook Ilbo file

She spoke with so much panache that it drove me to ask a bolder question. I wanted to hear from a beauty pageant winner what she thought of claims the contests have an “anti-feminist” nature.

"I disagree,” Park said without hesitation. “This form of competition is something that I value very much. What people see or want to see is us walking down with small swimsuits on but there is much more than that. It was a great opportunity for me to think carefully about myself and examine my strengths and weaknesses. I was inspired by the confidence these women held in their personalities and I was able to nurture mine.

"There is something I really want to say to prospective contestants. It's easy for people to say, 'Be confident,' but that will never happen if self-love does not come from deep inside, meaning that even if you may seem pretty on the outside, without being perfectly aware of what makes you yourself, what you like about yourself, and what you are capable of, you will never be confident. Once you become the one who knows you best, you will be able to love yourself and you will start to glow."

Park Chae-won. Captured from her Instagram

By the end of our talk, I immediately regretted asking her what turned out to be a stupid question. “What's your charm?” Her charm was being “herself” and that applies to any woman. This strong-minded beauty queen made me regret ever bearing the idea that beauty pageant contestants are girls paying too much attention to their appearance that they tend to forget matters of greater importance.

She loved celebrating and parading her beauty by choice. But the one-hour talk proved that it was not the six-inch heels that got her the runner-up crown. True empowerment lies in self-esteem and activism that comes from the ability to see through yourself, being grateful of who you are and what you are capable of.

Park Chae-won has a formula for success. Captured from her Instagram