Will Lee Ji-sun Finally End Korea’s Drought in the Miss Universe Pageant?

It’s no secret that Korean women are known and highly regarded for their natural beauty but sadly, Korea has never won a Miss Universe crown.

The closest that Korea has ever come to winning was being first runner-up in the 1988 Miss Universe pageant and many said that Korea’s hosting the Olympics that year boosted Jang Yoon-jeong bid to win it all but unfortunately she came up short. I personally remember this so well since I was rooting for her to win it that time but my mom said the reason why she lost was unlike the other contestants, she spoke entirely in Korean (instead of English) and had to rely on a translator throughout the contest.

So will Lee Ji-sun finally break the jinx and end Korea’s drought in the Miss Universe pageant? This is a question on a lot of people’s minds lately.

During a press conference last June 10 at posh Lotte Hotel in Sogongdong, 2007 Miss Korea winner Lee Ji-sun shared her thoughts and feelings before going to Vietnam to participate in the 2008 Miss Universe beauty pageant.

She said: “Although Honey Lee advanced to the finals in the last Miss Universe beauty pageant, I was sad that Miss Japan (Mori Riyo) won instead of her. I will do my best to come back with good results. The only thing I am thinking about these days is that I want to become Miss Universe. I want to show the beauty and confidence of Korean women to the world.”

To further boost her chances of winning, Lee has begun a strict training regimen under the tutelage of renowned French beauty pageant trainer Ines Ligrin, who ironically helped Japan’s Mori Riyo capture the Miss Universe crown in 2007.

Lee said that: “A beauty in Korea is generally considered someone who looks pretty, gentle and cute. But the Miss Universe pageant tends to prefer dignified, self-assertive beauties with a mature rather than girlish image. Although there is no doubt that Honey Lee is beautiful, I was able to objectively see the beauty of Mori Riyo after seeing her performance. That is why I went to Mori Riyo’s former trainer Ines and asked her to work with me.”

She drew attention saying, “I was trained to confidently express myself and take care of my inner beauty instead of my appearances. I even gained 5 kilograms and only slept 3 to 4 hours to prepare for the contest.”

So will this be the year Korea wins it all? Well, keep your fingers crossed! The Miss Universe beauty pageant will be start this coming June 19 to July 14 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Check out the highlights of Lee-Ji-sun’s journey to become Miss Korea 2007 below

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