By Chin Yu-sun
Korea Times Intern
Two Korean students ― one female and one male ― won awards at the five-day New York International Ballet Competition, which closed at Lincoln Center on Sunday.
Rhee Yong-jung, 20, a senior at the three-year Korea National University of Arts(KNUA), won a bronze medal in the women's division, and her partner Kim Ki-wan, 19, a junior at the same arts training institution, received the Lefkowitz Award for Jury Acknowledgement, one of two special awards, in the men's division, the organizer said on its Website Monday.
A total of 24 young pairs from 18 countries competed in the 10th biennial contest, which marked its 25th anniversary this year. Those aged 17-23 are eligible for the competition, which was held every three years until 2003.
At the last event in 2007, Korea took one gold, one silver and one bronze in the female category and two special awards in the male category. Principal ballerina Hwang Hye-min of Universal Ballet earned Korea's first medal at the New York Ballet in 2000 with a bronze.
The competition also drew attention because 65-year-old Kim Hae-shik, founding dean of the dance school at the KNUA, was one of seven judges during the New York event. She is the first-ever Korean judge of the contest since its inception in 1984.
As a pioneer of Korean ballet, Kim is currently chairperson of the Seoul-based non-profit World Dance Center after serving as the head and artistic director of the Korea National Ballet Company from 1993-96. She performed as principal ballerina of the state-funded troupe.