21-Year-Old Named Seouls Top Beauty
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Kim Joo-ri, a ballerina and a graduate from one of the world's top ballet schools, was selected as the 2009 Miss Seoul at the Sejong Hotel, Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Kim graduated from Russia's Bolshoi Ballet School and is fluent in Russian and English.
``I hope I will qualify for the finals and heighten Korea's image at the international pageant. I wish to open an international ballet school and reveal the artistic side of Korea to the world,'' Kim said after winning the title.
Two first runner-ups and three second runner-ups were also honored at the event. The first runner-ups were 25-year-old Pak Si-won, a business graduate student from Ewha Womans University, and 23-year-old Wang Chih-hui from the department of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University. The second runner-ups were Park Ye-ju (21, Parsons School of Design); Kim Eun-su (21, Sungkyunkwan University); and Lee Yoon-kyung (21, Chung-Ang University).
The final 2009 Miss Korea Pageant will be held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on July 8.