Miss Korea & Miss Intercontinental Korea

There are moments in life that change you permanently. Make an irreversible effect on you. November 10th, 2020 was one of those moments. I underwent a 6-hour-long operation, after being put on general anesthesia. After that was the most painful week of my life, where I was not able to drink a single sip of water nor lift a single finger. I was literally glued to the bed for a full week, after which I had to retrain how to sit up. I still vividly remember how painful and foreign of a feeling it was to sit up straight and stand up straight again. I remember bursting into tears, out of pain, when I had stood up with the help of a nurse, then quickly realized I had no support to lean my bodyweight against. That altitude of my own height felt taller than any mountain I had ever climbed. I feared of collapsing because my muscle memory had entirely obliviated the feeling of standing alone. It had felt like I was rebirthed — my liberty for activity entirely dependent on my mom, the caregiver, and the nurses. After a few days of training how to sit, and slowly allowing water and porridge into my system again, I trained how to walk again, as well. Walking around the short corridor of the hospital was a challenge at first. Even 2 minutes of walking had made me gasp for air out of exhaustion and dizziness. But day after day, I added one more minute of walking. And another. And another.

… To the point where, fast forward, 4 months later, I stood on a stage, in front of cameras, in my 13.5cm high heels, pageant walking.

What prompted me to go for this challenge?

First of all, quite literally, it was a challenge — a challenge I had set for myself to overcome my own handicap. I needed to recover into the healthiest version of myself. There was so much life waiting ahead of me. I didn’t want to lie down feeling sorry for myself. So, I decided to coincide my health recovery journey with an opportunity to get to the epitome of a healthy body, which is becoming the symbol of health and beauty… in what is typically a normative, able-bodied competition.

That leads to the second point. I wanted to change the norms of Miss Korea. What we deem “beautiful” in today’s society is designed for the majority. The minorities — the peripherals — are disregarded, neglected, overseen. I wanted to change that. I am no longer able-bodied; I live with a “silent” or “invisible” disability. I wanted to challenge the notion of beauty by showing the world that anyone, in whatever shape, size, or body, can become an icon of beauty.

And finally, I wanted to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the disabled community. As a young teenage girl, I grew up closely following the community of fellow teenage girls who were affected by scoliosis. A lot of the people I met, even into their twenties and thirties, seem to struggle to overcome the fear of being seen as undesirable and crooked by others. However, fortunately, I’ve been surrounded by a few other friends who had curvatures in their spines as well, which made me never even question the possibilities the future can hold for me. That’s when I realized the importance of having a public figure who demonstrates an alternative reality from what you believed to be the true realilty. I wanted to serve as the alternative truth and provide a sense of hope for so many young girls who have a hard time picturing a normal life for themselves.

Below showcases not just my journey as a Miss Korea competitor, but my proud efforts to prove to myself more than anyone that any obstacles — both mental and physical — can be overcome. That any limitation is self-imposed. And that we can lead our lives into whichever direction we wish to.

Miss Korea Regional 2021 - Miss Smile

Model walking on 15cm (6 inch) heels after training for 4 months post-surgery

Miss Intercontinental Korea 2021 - Nationals Finalist

As seen on news media