Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
High1 Resort hosts Asia Model Festival 2025 to promote models, fashion, industry
Kangwon Land acting CEO Choi Cheol-gyu, center, and Asia Model Festival organizing committee head Yang Eui-sig, left of Choi, pose with models and staff of the Asia Model Festival 2025 at the High1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, Friday. Courtesy of Kangwon Land
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The High1 Resort hosted the Asia Model Festival 2025 from Oct. 25-31 to bring together Asia’s most influential fashion and beauty icons. Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event was the 20th of its kind.
Under the theme of “Integration of Asian Fashion, Beauty and Culture,” the weeklong festival invited top models, designers and influencers from 26 countries, making it the largest edition in the festival’s history.
The event programs included the Asia Senior Open Audition, Asia Open Collection, Face of Asia, Asia Beauty Awards and Asia Model Awards.
The festival’s opening ceremony featured senior models walking the runway, showcasing their intergenerational talent.
On Oct. 26 and 27, the Asia Open Collection highlighted models from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China presenting fashion that combined tradition with contemporary design against the scenic backdrop of the High1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.
The Face of Asia segment offered emerging models a platform to compete for recognition, with international modeling agencies and brand marketing executives present to provide networking and global career opportunities.
The Asia Model Awards recognized individuals and brands that made notable contributions to the Asian modeling industry this year.
This year’s festival expanded participation to include senior and child models, emphasizing a “multigenerational fashion festival” approach. Organizers also linked fashion and beauty with culture, content and tourism, promoting sustainable cultural and economic exchanges, Kangwon Land said in a press release.
To further engage international visitors, the festival featured traditional Korean performances, including the Ttekkun, a creative play based on the traditional folklore songs of boatmen. The play was performed by the Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation.
Foreign models and global ambassadors of the High1 Resort participating in the Asia Model Festival 2025 join a kimchi-sharing volunteer event at the resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, Oct. 26. Courtesy of Kangwon Land
It also offered a kimchi-sharing volunteer event led by foreign models and global ambassadors of the High1 Resort.
Local community members, including women’s groups, multicultural families and military personnel, also participated. The initiative will continue through November, distributing 5,000 portions of kimchi to approximately 2,200 households.
An event official said the festival attracted over 5,000 domestic and international visitors, boosting local businesses and engaging families and younger audiences.
“The Asia Model Festival 2025 aligned with Kangwon Land’s plan to strengthen the country’s tourism industry and expand global competitiveness,” Kangwon Land acting CEO Choi Cheol-gyu said.
“Hosting the Asia Model Festival 2025 demonstrates High1 Resort’s capabilities on the international stage and offers a significant opportunity for growth. We will continue efforts to establish High1 as a globally recognized integrated resort and wellness destination.”
Nestled in the beautiful natural environment of Gangwon Province, the High1 Resort offers a wide range of wellness and entertainment facilities for all types of travelers throughout the year.
The resort’s operator Kangwon Land said it is creating a safe resort that prioritizes customer safety and information protection through socially responsible management.
Kangwon Land Casino is the only one out of the 17 casinos in Korea allowed to welcome domestic customers. Housing 200 table game stations and 1,360 slot machine and video game units, Kangwon Land Casino offers unparalleled services to domestic gamblers at the largest facilities in the country.
It is also operating a nationwide awareness campaign using multiple channels, including its website, Instagram, blog and large electronic billboards, to warn the public against illegal online casinos posing as an official operator like Kangwon Land.
In May, the casino operator detected a fraudulent gambling website that had illegally used the company’s name and logo to mislead users by displaying the casino’s official logo while redirecting them to their illegal gambling platforms.
It immediately reported the case, requesting the shutdown of the site with the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC).
Last year, Kangwon Land identified two similar illegal websites via its monitoring measures. Both websites were successfully blocked by the KCSC. One of them was reported to police for further investigation under charges of impersonation and illegal gambling operations.
The casino operator reported about 3,400 illegal gambling websites to the KCSC last year. It also developed the country’s first artificial intelligence-based monitoring system for detecting and analyzing illegal online gambling activities in partnership with KAIST.
Foreign models and global ambassadors of the High1 Resort participating in the Asia Model Festival 2025 pose during a kimchi-sharing volunteer event at the resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, Oct. 26. Courtesy of Kangwon Land