Miss Korea's Plastic Surgery Scandal

Miss Korea's Plastic Surgery Scandal

Recently crowned Miss Korea 2012, Kim Yu-mi, openly admitted to having gone under the knife in order to achieve her pageant-winning good looks.

After high school photos of the now 21-year-old Kim surfaced on the internet, scandal ensued. The delicate beauty is only a shadow of her former self, the images of the much younger Kim little resembling who she is today.

“I was shocked that the papers made it out like I claimed to have been a natural beauty,” she told a tvN entertainment show.

“I never once said that I was born beautiful.” Kim said she never intended to hide she had plastic surgery, and although she understands there are some people who will be disappointed, she wants to look forward.

“From now on, I hope to make a name for myself for my inner beauty rather than my outer beauty,” said Kim, who is currently taking a yearlong break from studying film at Konkuk University.

The coveted title of Miss Korea 2012 was awarded to Kim Yu-mi at the annual beauty pageant held at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.

The 22-year-old film studies major at Konkuk University was all smiles in her golden gown as she was given the crown by last year’s winner Lee Seong Hye, the Korea Times reported.

And unlike last year, when Korean American Soo Jung “Crystal” Kim took second runner-up, no Korean Americans were among the six runners-up.

New York, Los Angeles and a handful of other major American cities typically send representatives to compete in the Miss Korea pageant every year.

The new Miss Korea, who reportedly enjoys reading books and listening to music as well as playing the piano, will represent Korea at the Miss Universe pageant in 2013.