Ukrainian student's love for Korean literary classic 'Chunhyangjeon' leads to pageant success

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Korea's classic folk tale “Chunhyangjeon” first captivated Lina when she was a teenager. Inspired by the renowned literary work, the Ukrainian student devoted herself to studying Korean and eventually came to Kyungpook National University through the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program.

Her love for Korean literature, language and culture, which has lasted for more than a decade, recently led her to become the first international contestant to win the title of “Mi,” or third place, at the Namwon Chunhyang Festival’s Global Chunhyang Selection Contest, one of the nation’s oldest and most well-known beauty pageants.

“It wasn’t just for the experience. It was truly meaningful to me,” said Lina, who goes by a shortened version of her full name for privacy reasons, in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “When I decided to take part in the contest, I wanted to deepen my ties with Korea and its culture. Chunhyang means a lot to me because only her loyalty and love for Mongnyong can describe my love for Korea.”

Founded in 1931, the Namwon Chunhyang Festival began as an effort to honor the spirit of Chunhyang while preserving national pride during Japan’s colonial rule. Chunhyang is the fictional hero who defies a corrupt magistrate to remain faithful to her lover, Mongnyong.

The contest expanded eligibility to foreign participants in 2024 as part of its globalization efforts. Last year, Estonian contestant Laura Mai Schults won the title of “Hyeon,” or sixth place.

The Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Lina to discuss her experiences, her passion for the Korean language and culture, and the future she envisions for herself in Korea.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q: What brought you to Korea? How did you start learning Korean?

A: I’ve always loved learning languages, and when I was in middle school, I fell in love with the Korean language and culture. The language sounded so beautiful to me. As I learned more Korean, I realized that the culture ingrained in the language matched my philosophy and personal values.

I’d say the philosophy of ilpyeondanshim — loyalty and unwavering love — best explains my values, and it resonates with me the most. I think it’s something that cannot be perfectly translated into another language.

I studied in Ukraine until my first year of high school and later moved to Estonia. There were very few opportunities to learn Korean there because there were no Korean language institutes or even a Korean embassy nearby, so I started teaching myself with whatever materials I could find on the internet. Later, I had the opportunity to study Korean at the King Sejong Institute in Tallinn and also completed an internship there.

My first chance to come to Korea was in 2022 as an exchange student. I studied Korean literature at Kyungpook National University before returning to Estonia to finish my bachelor’s degree.

After graduating, I came back to the university as a GKS scholar, and now I’m pursuing a master’s degree in media communications there.

Was the Global Chunhyang Selection Contest the first beauty pageant you participated in? How did you prepare for it?

Yes, it was my first pageant. I naturally learned about the contest because I’ve always been deeply interested in Chunhyang and Korean culture.

I think only people who truly understand the spirit and meaning of the contest can participate in it.

Many people think the Global Chunhyang Selection Contest is simply a beauty pageant, but I believe it’s much more than that. It was originally created to preserve Korean culture, and past winners were selected not only for their appearance but also for their understanding of Korean culture and their ability to promote it.

The selection process even includes a residency period to observe contestants’ manners, philosophy and attitude.

While preparing for the contest, I focused most on learning the values represented by Chunhyang and interpreting them in my own way. I think I achieved a good result because I was able to show my genuine love, effort and passion.

How did you feel when you were selected as “Mi"?

It meant so much to me. I joined the contest because I thought it would be an opportunity to deepen my connection with Korea and share that connection with more people so they, too, could build meaningful ties with Korea.

Of course I hoped for a good result, but more than anything, I focused on the experience itself and on everything I could learn from it.

Because the contest has such historical significance and symbolism, I never dared to expect that I would receive an award.

So when I heard that I had been selected as “Mi,” I was truly surprised and grateful.

It felt especially meaningful because I believed I was recognized not for my appearance or background, but for my inner values, sincerity toward Korea and attitude.

Would you consider participating in other pageants such as Miss Korea or Miss Universe?

Before entering any contest, I first look at the message and meaning behind it. That’s what determines whether I want to apply.

The Global Chunhyang Selection Contest has deep historical significance and strong traditions, which is why I decided to participate.

As a foreigner, I saw it as an opportunity to promote Korean culture more broadly. I also believed it would allow me to use my abilities to help more Koreans and foreigners form meaningful connections with Korea.

If I’m given similar opportunities in the future to introduce Korea to the world, I think I would consider participating.

You’re studying media communications. Are you planning to work in the media field?

I’m already involved in various media related activities. I worked as a global promotional creator for an opera house and even received an excellence award for that work.

These days, I’m also promoting the charms of Daegu through activities with Suseong District.

I want to introduce Korea’s appeal to more people through media and broader global platforms, so after graduating in August, I hope to find a job in the media field.

Since I also studied Korean studies, I hope to use my knowledge as someone trained in Korean language and culture education. Ideally, I would like to work for a media platform related to culture.

I heard you’re also involved in volunteer work. What kind of activities are you doing these days?

For the past two years, I’ve volunteered at a hospital in Daegu, helping foreign patients who face difficulties because of language barriers or cultural differences.

I also volunteer at a library, where I read books in English to children and play games with them.

Since I can speak five languages, I hope those abilities can help people who need support.

People all have different ways of relieving stress. Personally, when I’m going through something difficult or stressful, I do volunteer work to refresh myself.

Helping others gives me a sense of fulfillment, and the thought that I might brighten someone’s day through my help makes me happy.

Did you experience any cultural differences here?

In terms of cultural differences, I actually struggle more with non-Koreans than with Koreans.

The biggest difference I noticed is the way people communicate here compared to Northern Europe. Koreans seem to prefer face-to-face communication more. Since I also love talking to people in person, that’s the cultural aspect where I felt the biggest difference.

I’ve studied Korean language and culture for more than 10 years. I earned Level 6 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean and also obtained a Korean language teaching certificate.

I wear hanbok very often to promote the beauty of traditional Korean attire. I love hanbok so much that I even participated in a hanbok modeling contest and won first place.

I feel more suited to Korea: its culture, its people and even its weather.

Any advice for people who want to study or live in Korea?

I have one thing to say: Korea is not something you simply learn. It’s something you feel.

If foreigners truly want to understand Korea, I don’t think reading books alone is enough. You have to feel it with your heart. Even with Korean expressions and vocabulary, we need to try to truly feel and connect with them rather than simply memorize them.

I think people should experience things firsthand and understand Korea through their own emotions and senses. And I think they should read more Korean classical literature as well.

Learn Korea and Korean with your heart, not just with your brain.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]