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Contestants of the Mr World 2010 competition pose at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, Sunday, after viewing the exhibition “The Great Myth and Mystery of Peruvian Civilization.” The 74 contestants spent the day in Seoul to experience some of the local culture. They visited the cultural district of Insa-dong and went shopping in Dongdaemun. The Mr World final will be held in Incheon on March 27th, and will include performances from British pop star Alesha Dixon and Korean groups Girls’ Generation and 2PM.
/ Korea Times Photo by Cho Young-ho |
By J.R. Breen
Contributing Writer
Contestants of the Mr World competition toured Seoul Sunday, experiencing local culture and visiting tourist hotspots.
They began the day with a visit to the National Museum of Korea to see the Inca exhibition, something that caught the attention of the contestant from Peru, the ancient homeland of the Incas.
"It was a surprise, it is really a pleasure seeing that Korea likes my culture," Manuel Illich, Mr. Peru, said.
"I am having a great time. Seoul is a very nice city and I am meeting people from all over the world and learning from different cultures."
Seventy-eight contestants are involved in the 16-day competition organized by the Miss World Organization and the Hankook Ilbo-Korea Times media group, battling for the position of the "world's most desirable man."
The contest in Korea is the largest ever since the Mr World competition began in 1996. The main venue for the event is Songdo, Incheon.
The contestants are divided into four teams: yellow, blue, red and black. While the blue, red and black teams spent the morning at the National Museum, the yellow team was training with a British military officer on a beach in Incheon, having their physical abilities put to the test. The blue team is scheduled to participate in a similar activity early today, but with the Korean Marines.
Kenneth Okolie, representing Nigeria, spoke favorably of his time around Seoul and his trip so far.
"It is a lovely experience, there is some wonderful sight-seeing and there are wonderful sites," he said, adding, "The Korean people are very hospitable."
For Okolie, an actor and winner of this year's Mr Nigeria contest, the Korean cuisine has been a high point.
"The food is great - it is a whole new adventure for me. It is one reason I came here," he said.
Mr. Norway, Chris Eileng, an insurance salesman who has never been to Asia, said that Seoul feels alien compared to his home country.
"It is fantastic, very nice, but totally different from Norway," he said. "It feels like there is a lot of space here. Norway is very compact.
"The South Korean people are being very nice; they are very kind and friendly," Eileng said."The Inca exhibition was very nice. I didn't expect that."
The contestants continued their tour of Seoul with lunch at a Japanese restaurant, followed by a visit to the cultural district Insa-dong, where Mr. Lebanon, Abdul El Balaa, was presented with a "bug on a stick" to eat, an offer he turned down. The group finished off their time in Seoul with a shopping spree in Dongdaemun, a popular fashion area.
Some of the events that lie in store for the contestants before the finale on March 27th are a visit to Panmunjom at the DMZ and an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) race. They will also be visiting Haeseong Orphanage, Gyeonggi Province, this Saturday.
jrbreen@koreatimes.co.kr
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작전명 ‘대담한 악어”: 美, 北·中 겨냥 대규모 해상 훈련
