By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
Miss Korea Seo Eun-mi, who recently took the first runner-up prize at the 2009 Miss International Pageant, is drawing keen attention from netizens, who are flooding her Web site with congratulatory comments.
Seo won the Miss Photogenic award at the international competition, which was held in Chengdu, China, on Saturday, besting 64 other candidates.
Her runner-up finish marks the second time a Korean candidate has won second place at the international pageant. Former Miss Korea Sohn Tae-young did so in 2000.
"I'm so happy to win a title at the Miss International pageant, which is one of the three major beauty contests in the world," Seo said. "As a goodwill ambassador representing Korea, I would like to convey a message of hope and courage to the residents in Sichuan Province who were damaged by the earthquake."
A junior majoring in painting at Yeongnam University, Seo took part in the international contest after winning the first runner-up prize at the Miss Korea Pageant 2009, which the Hankook Ilbo-Korea Times media group hosted in August.
In the traditional attire segment, Seo, who stands 174 centimeters tall and weighs 54 kilograms, showcased her beauty in a stylish Korean "hanbok."
Ana Gabriela Marroquin Espinoza, a 21-year-old fashion model from Mexico, was crowned the 2009 Miss International. The second runner-up was Chloe Beth Morgan from the United Kingdom.