INTERVIEW Choi Mina Sue's advocacies, pageant journey before Single's Inferno 5'
Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner, right, passes the crown to Miss Earth 2022 Choi Mina Sue, left, during the 22nd edition of the Miss Earth pageant held in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 29. AFP-Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-soo
For the first time, a Korean has won a major international beauty pageant title. Choi Mina Sue, a communications student representing Korea in the Miss Earth pageant, made history by becoming the first Korean to win at one of the Big Four international beauty contests.
She beat 85 other contestants from around the world at the pageant's coronation event in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 29. Rounding out the top three contestants were first runner-up Sheridan Mortlock of Australia, second runner-up Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine and third runner-up Andrea Aguilera of Colombia.
The environment-focused pageant is one of the Big Four international beauty contests, with others being Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International.
“It was an absolute honor to represent Korea and be the country's first-ever pageant winner. There has been a negative perception of beauty pageants in Korea. By winning Miss Earth, I hope to bring changes to people's minds. Of course, I need to work harder but I'm proud of what I accomplished,” she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
Earlier, Choi won the first runner-up crown in Miss Korea 2021. It was in mid-September when she was finalized to compete in Miss Earth 2022, which officially kicked off with virtual preliminary events on Oct. 24.
“I had a tight schedule. The biggest challenge for me was creating a video for the 'ME Loves Fauna' presentation under the theme of wildlife protection,” she said.
She took inspiration from the hit TV series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” and chose to advocate for dolphins. In her video entry, she mimics the underwater movements of a dolphin to stress that dolphins belong in the wild, not confined in aquariums.
“I wanted to address the issue of dolphin conservation and how they need habitat protection when they are affected by plastic pollution,” she said.
Miss Earth 2022 Choi Mina Sue, second from left, poses with other winners ― Sheridan Mortlock of Australia (Miss Air), left, Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine (Miss Water), second from right, and Andrea Aguilera of Colombia (Miss Fire) ― during the 22nd edition of the Miss Earth pageant in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 29. Courtesy of Miss Earth
The Miss Earth pageant takes its advocacy for environmental conservation seriously, so Choi studied those issues by listening to podcasts. “Every morning, I listened to a podcast about climate change while working out,” she said.
Throughout the competition, Choi was confident in her performance although she had no idea she would win the Miss Earth crown.
“To be completely honest, I initially thought I would be ranked in the top four. But I never thought I would actually win,” she said.
Choi recalled that there was a moment when she felt like giving up because she was feeling unwell.
“Since the day before the coronation event, I was vomiting all over the place. I thought I wouldn't make it to the competition, but I really pushed my limits. I didn't want to leave any regrets behind or disappoint those who have supported me throughout this journey. When I stood on the stage after the rehearsal, I experienced a rush of adrenaline that enabled me to stay until the end,” she said.
Asked what makes her the standout of Miss Earth 2022, Choi chose empathy and communication as her strengths.
“Everyone can have a say about environmental issues. As a third culture kid who grew up in Australia, the U.S., Canada and China, I am able to embrace the challenges of learning a new culture and approach social problems from a global perspective,” she said.
“But as I befriended other contestants during the competition, I learned about the struggle for women's rights in other parts of the world. I felt like I needed to learn more about what was happening in the world. It was an eye-opening experience.”
Miss Earth Korea Choi Mina Sue, center, poses with Miss Earth Philippines Jenny Ramp, left, and Miss Earth Australia Sheridan Mortlock in Zamboanga City in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, Nov. 17. Courtesy of Miss Earth
Choi touched the hearts of many with her answers during the final Q&A. The decisive final question for the final four was: “What is one thing you want to right in this world and how would you right it?”
“If there is something I would correct in this world it would be being empathetic,” she answered. “We often mistake kindness as being empathetic, but being empathetic is really putting yourself in someone else's shoes. And when it comes to climate issues and other issues in this world, one has to be empathetic.”
As the first-ever winner from Korea, Choi hopes her win can increase people's interest in Korean culture and pageantry.
“I feel like the popularity can increase more by showing that pageantry is not just about being pretty, but being a charismatic person that is influential to other people. If more Koreans see that now, especially when the Korean wave is impacting the world, they would understand that a beauty pageant does a lot of advocacy on social and environmental issues,” she said.
The 23-year-old winner explained that her advocacy, in the beginning, was mitigating the carbon footprint and urbanized areas through sustainable mobility. But that began to change after listening to other contestants' advocacy.
Choi will spend her year-long reign traveling the world to speak out on environmental issues and reset her goal in advocacy.
“I will be serving as the ambassador of the Miss Earth Foundation and the U.N. Environment Programme and work with the World Wildlife Fund,” she said.
Choi said she believes true beauty comes from generosity. “I think true beauty comes from the energy that a person holds. I think I don't quite meet Korea's beauty standard, but I consider myself attractive. What draws people is not how one looks but the good energy one exerts,” she said.