"I Will Be an Action-Oriented Chunhyang"...Who Is the Next Miss Chunhyang Following Choi Ran and Yoon Sonha?

Kim Doyeon Crowned Miss Chunhyang Jin at the 'Star-Making' Chunhyang Festival
"I Will Promote Traditional Beauty as an Action-Oriented Chunhyang"

"I will be a proactive and action-oriented Chunhyang."

According to Namwon City on May 1, Kim Doyeon (20, Wonju, Gangwon Province, currently on leave from Yonsei University’s Integrated Design Department) was selected as Miss Chunhyang Jin at the 95th Chunhyang Festival Global Chunhyang Contest.

Kim Doyeon, who was selected as Miss Chunhyang Jin at the 95th Chunhyang Festival Global Chunhyang Contest. Namwon City

This year’s contest was held on April 30 at a special stage on Yocheon-ro in Namwon, North Jeolla Province. More than 600 people from around the world applied. After the first and second preliminary rounds, a total of 38 contestants advanced to the finals, including one foreign participant.

Kim Doyeon, who was crowned Miss Chunhyang Jin, said, "The Chunhyang Festival has been able to continue its legacy because of strong, proactive women," and added, "I want to be a proactive and action-oriented Chunhyang." She has shown a deep affection for Hanbok, participating in Hanbok school uniform design contests since high school. "As someone who loves Hanbok, I believe the Chunhyang Contest is not just a beauty pageant, but an important event that promotes traditional beauty and spirit," she said. "Since Namwon promotes itself as a Hanbok city, I will do my best to utilize my design expertise to promote Namwon as a Hanbok city internationally."

The title of Miss Chunhyang Sun went to Lee Jieun (21, Seoul, Sungshin Women’s University), Miss Chunhyang Mi to Jung Chaerin (26, Yongin, Hongik University), Miss Chunhyang Jeong to Choi Jungwon (24, Seoul, Dongduk Women’s University), Miss Chunhyang Suk to Lee Garam (22, Seoul, Ewha Womans University), and Miss Chunhyang Hyeon to Mai (25, Estonia, Seoul National University Language Education Institute).

In the special awards category, the Global Ambassador Award was presented to Kim Soeon (23, Canada, Chonbuk National University) and Hyun Hyesung (24, United States, University of Pennsylvania). The Kobix Award, sponsored by Chunhyang Festival partner company Kobix, went to Park Sejin (22, Seoul, Ewha Womans University). As a result, a total of nine winners will be appointed as Namwon City PR ambassadors, with the appointment ceremony scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on May 1 at Namwon City Hall.

First held in 1950, the Chunhyang Contest is a beauty pageant that has produced many star entertainers, including Choi Ran (1979), Park Jiyeong (1988), Oh Junghae (1992), and Yoon Sonha (1994).

Since 2023, the contest has been transformed into an international event. One of the major changes this year was expanding eligibility to increase the proportion of foreign participants. In addition, the age restriction for contestants was relaxed, allowing a wider range of generations to participate.