The judges must have had a very late night because they still have on their beer goggles.
I don’t understand how she could have won. The other runner ups were much more easy on the eyes.
Maybe the judges equated big hair to big beauty. Generally, an average girl can look va-va-voom with a big pompadour since it takes away from her face and softens the features. But the new 2008 Miss Seoul needs more than big hair.
The new Miss Korea, Nari looks like an old relic of the 1970’s beauty queens-she is pear-shaped with wide child bearing hips, has short legs with moos, and a wide face that only a mother could love. This is not the body or the face that is considered the Korean ideal in any way. In fact, she has all the features that people want to avoid (yes, very unfortunate!)
The 23 year old (going on 40) Yonsei University graduate was crowned as the new Miss Korea 2008 on August 6, 2008 at the Seoul Sejong Center. The red-nosed ajumma will scoop up 10 million won (9800 USD) in earnings and begin her makeover training soon.
Congratulations
What’s with the awkward pose? Her tribute to the 1970s is not a coincidence
Check out the home-made gown! Who wears something like that these days? And how did she win in this awful swimsuit? If Nari can be Miss Korea, almost anybody can. So, that’s a good thing.
This is really funny!!!
I have to agree she’s not the ‘usual’ looking Ms. Korea but hey, this might be the shot of reality that Koreans need.
Assuming of course she’s ‘real’…
Anyhow, the article was highly amusing.
Thanks for sharing!
And I can’t believe after ONE YEAR I’m finally the first comment!
Woo hoo!
I know! I was watching yesterday and I couldn’t believe she won. At first I thought that they gave her a lot of points for being a Yonsei graduate, but Jang Yoon Hee is also a Yonsei student…and she is definitely easier on the eyes!
shes..
*no comment*
shes a college student? wtfff she looks 35 w/ two kids under her belt ><
i guess shes at least real looking?
maybe a transformation in the ideals of beauty in korea…
not sure if thats a good thing
I can’t believe she won… What were the judges thinking?
she looks kind of old, and not that good looking.
is it just me that feels that way?
hahha
hahahaha lol! people can be so cruel!
hahaha. i’d have to admit, she’s not exactly the beauty queen that i’d expect. she’s probably the fugliest beauty queen ever or maybe it wasn’t her night as in looking pretty??! lol were the judges high on something or is she really rich and her parents bribed the judges?
anyway, if the competes at miss universe, i’d have to say korea’s going to come in last place! hahaha on the other hand, we should just forfeit and save us the humiliation! hahahaha lol
Erm… she looks like an ajumma……….and she’s 23 years old??? i though she’s like 30 years old instead !!!!!!!!
She is a decent looking girl but the thing is, when it comes to these competitions, there are certain expectations. There was so much against her, that dress, that swimsuit, that hair and that nose. =\ Honestly, come on! They don’t really expect to win Miss Universe with that face do they? There will probably never be a Miss Korea as beautiful and as graceful as Honey. Never. Well, maybe never.
wow she slouches her legs are short and her face is fugly. you can do better than this korea. and that swimsuit… did all the contestants wear it? or just her? its hideous! no wonder shes crying, she couldn’t believe anything this wonderful couldda happened to her. nor can the world
Too ahjumma like, the hair isn’t working for her but oh well, maybe by some divine miracle her looks will improve.
But at least she looks natural…I think
And OMG. What is she wearing??
it’ll be fun to see her at Miss Universe or sth. She’ll definitely stand out! lol
But I disagres w/ popseoul, actually bigger hair may do her good, esp if it’s up front…coifed down..all the way…
and she did have ps on her nose, coz hers is identical with last year’s Miss Korea.
I think, she’s ok… but the problem is her smile, just don’t smile 2 much.
Her nose looks plastic or just me?
Uuuugly.
In the second thumbnail, she seems to have lipstick on her teeth
Disgusting.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she paid those judges. It wouldn’t be a small sum either.
whoa she’s only 23?! she looks at least 30. i wonder how the other contestants are. the judges must have given her big points on personality and talent because i doubt she got that many points for her looks - unless those are just bad pictures.
So… I’m assuming she’s not gonna take next year’s Miss Universe title??? =P
She looks like she was from the 80s
she really looks like she came out
from pictures in the old photoalbum
where all my mothers childhoods pictures are kept
I hope she didn’t had any sugery so far
cause nothing worked, she might
have just wasted her money.
come to think to it maybe she was
uglier last time?
she looks like a weasel….but i guess she represents the average woman…nothing special about her.
wow, i guess there’s hope for ajummas everywhere? or the chipmunk w/ big hair look is in? o_O
OMG….
Miss Universe is overrated anyways. Not to mention extraordinarily pretentious.
i think she is not that pretty and she looks so plastic.
what was judges thinking ?
Omg I’m sorry, but she looks like an ahjumma x:
omg, PUG FACE!!
she’s not that ugly but too ugly to be ms. korea..
btw, is it really ms. korea OR mrs. korea????
seriously, girl needs new hairdo and new face (assuming she’s all real, of course!!) pronto!!! and, exercise!!! your thighs r definitely bigger than mine…
lol!!! finally, someone who hv thigh bigger than mine, and she’s a miss korea…what a day…
Damn right Popseoul, Miss Korea needs more than big hair, she needs plastic surgery
that’s a home-made gown? ugh no wonder.
Yikes!!Where are the hot-legs?????….
I’m sure it’s more brains over looks this time..
The pic with the crown is ok but the black swimming costume whateva..i swear it’s the lady who played Jo In Sung’s mom in WHIB..
Jang Yoon-hee looks way better…!!!
damn,
DOWNGRADE
my oh my .. I don’t know what to say …
Probably she is pretty inside?
In a way, I kind of find it refreshing. She appears more “natural” looking than previous Miss Korea contestants.
popseoul, r u sure this isn’t mrs but miss korea?……..
Uh lala baby…. check out those bugs bite mark. >_<
really really dissapointed. where’s all those pretty gals? Shin ae? Kim tae hee? tsk…tsk..tsk… better stop my self if not I’ll start cursing.
A bit of a (double) downgrade after Honey Lee but maybe she’s really smart! Good luck, Miss Korea 08′!
Omo… I have to come back for the second round.
WHY?>?!!!!! That gown looks ridiculous. like made by preescholler,playing with beddazeld, gluing tutu and big flowers anyplaces they want. I’ll better stop looking.
I’m amazed.
She doesn’t even look Korean??
Ehhhh. What’s up with the judges…
well, i’m not Korean, so i can’t catch the feeling of having national miss like Nari.
but in my personal opinion, it proves that the judges really look inside the looks. i mean, year after year what i see from beauty pageants aren’t more than just LOOK. if she has something better than LOOKS, it should be counted why she’s the winner. beauty pageant isn’t all about looks. someone has to prove that, and i’m glad the judges see more than just looks.
Although I don’t think that you should judge one by a certain criteria (with that I mean the ‘Korean ideal’ body image. How outdated, that’s how anorexia became so common), I think that Miss Korea should be a natural beauty rather than a plastic one. A natural beauty is more rare so it is something to be admired for, rather than something you can obtain just by visiting a doctor
Well, how do we put this… She’s a kind of.. ordinary looking to be the winner of a beauty pageant. Does anyone know how she answered the questions?
wow..she’s gonna get bashed like so much ! lucky her ^^
Goodness. This is like, Fashion Fifties!
Well, I’m glad for her and naturally pretty Korean women, including ajummmas (and don’t knock them because all your mommies are ajummas), that she represents, instead of the usual plastic fake beauties. Also, the contestants are judged by more than just their looks, like stage presence, speech, personality they project on stage. So, she probably scored high in those categories. Otherwise, if looks are all that matter, then it might as well be the Playboy Playmate contest with only the plastic bimbos competing.
Mmmmh,I wanna see how pretty you all are.
If you think she has “wide child bearing hips”, i guess u must have looked at too many magazines filled with skinny girls who have been photoshoped….^^;
^ Or suffering from anorexia bulimia…, ugh, gross.
seem like korea either ran-out of beauties contestant or all pretty girls in korea dont bother to enter the pageant (same with Miss HK, they hav bad quality contestants too).
She doesnt look 23yo and yeah she’s plastic, you can tell by her nose. at least fix your teeths too. you can get away with beautiful smile if u dont have anything else but this is ewwww.
even Park shi-yeon far more prettier than her yet she’s so plastic now i think she can turn into MJ soon if she doesnt stop messing with her face
I think the casts in Infinity Girls are much better than her ahhahahahhahahah, and Park Kyung-Lim too
I didn’t think Sun Lee was pretty at all either. This girl looks a little less plastic than Sun Lee.
But I agree somewhat, her hips seem so low and her legs seem so short.
oh and So In Young
So basically, we can pretty much bet that not only is the new Miss Korea intelligent… but also has a “wonderful personality”. >_~
As for her looks… well, she looks like she’s a really sweet and nice person!! =)
what up with the dumb site?
Gosh !! I laughed so much and till now, couldn’t stop my laughing spell!! The post and all the comments really get to me !! LOL!!
I guess i don’t need to hesitate anymore, i’ll register myself for the next MS MALAYSIA pageant!! My thigh is definitely slimmer and my height is way better than her!!! Wow!!
To the next “Ms Malaysia” - ME!! HA HA !!!
omg. how did this person even win. She’s 23?! I dont believe it. She looks like 35-40 to me.
Gawd seriously how did she win?
The swimsuit looks horrible on her, her homemade dress is like wtf.
And the main picture already makes me go ” Eww, please. No. “
whewwww thats tough^^…out of nowhere^^.could be more better…..
are you serious?
Well….
she has pretty hands XD
??? all real?? my ass.. look at her nose.. it already looks like she’s had work done. Her smile is unusual. She looks weirdly old (prolly due to plastic surgery she’s had).
I’ve gotta admit I tune in to the Miss Universe pageant every year to see if my country woman Miss Jamaica can make it past the second group, but I gotta admit Honey Lee is the only Miss Korea that I’ve ever remembered (her face is really pretty), but this girl…..is not the usual pageant queen…
“??? all real?? my ass.. look at her nose.. it already looks like she’s had work done.” What are you, a plastic surgeon? When even a plastic surgeon can’t sometimes tell whether a platic surgery was done or not, how can others be so sure, unless they are family members or personal acquaintances? Don’t ASSume, so much, girl.
all i can say is.. weird smile.. haha!
omg she is ugly XD
She will look better once she gets the MAKEOVER SHE NEEDS!! and I believe she was chosen for a reason…. maybe she has a great personality and other skills…
in other pics of her, without the poofy hair and wild make up, she looks young and pretty
i dont know what her makeup artist was thinking, but nari must have said some great stuff to win
she is just so so if not fugly…
i think its the inner beauty bahahahaha!
erm, im giving her the benefit of a doubt (doubts) - maybe a different hairstyle and makeup will make drastic difference?
I’ve seen hideous people before. Compared to them, she’s gorgeous.(Which she isn’t really, but compared to hideous people, since you seem to think she is one.)
hahah Jill!!! she does look like jo insungs mom from WHIB!!!
maybe the judges went blind after looking at her wide face.
i have to agree with your comment popseoul, she’s really not the type of korean ideal woman, she looks older than her sge..did you just say 23? she looks like 32 for me
i dont know how the judges made her “Mis Korea” maybe she’s smart and the swim suit, it looks like my mother’s swim suit, my mother’s swim suit is alot prettier than her’s.
Um, yes it’s always best to have an “all natural” beauty queen…but when she’s the face representing your country??? It’s a different story if it was some pageant for the city, but not your country. Don’t mean to be mean, but if I was her and was running in the Miss Universe pageant I would definitely loose confidence. Yeah, she would come dead last…what a disaapointment. What the hell were the judges smokin.
she’s truly awful. i thought the 2007 winner was awful, but this one takes the cake.
she looks like an ajumma….,.
I can’t believe that she’s actually 23 years old. She looks SOoo much older than my mother who is in her forties. To be frank, She has neither the look nor figure. If a plain jane like her could win the pagent, then I’m pretty sure that every gal out there will be able to win it too. The judges must be drunk lol.
she’s natural alright..too damn natural. she looks like she’s competing for ms. kimchon rather than ms. korea.
man another bad day at Wall’s St. I mean come’on her legs are freaking short and legs are the most and OBVIOUS requirement for any beauty pageant
DANG FUGLY
I don’t think she would get CLOSE to the Miss. Universe pageant Finals
wow. it’s going down hill fast after honey lee. i find it ironic that ppl are asking for her to get plastic surgery since she’s ” too natural” looking. hahha.
She is so ugly >< !!
this girl is sooo not natural! talk about plasatic! ugh. *shivers* if you’re paying all that money, why not get a good surgeon? and don’t say she’s natural, cause it’s OBVIOUS, that she’s not!
Is that lipstick on her teeth???
dude, she IS NOT natural!!! whoever thinks that nose is real needs a REALITY CHECK! this girl might have brains and talent and she’s not ugly but her physical attributes are obviously not up to par. it would be different if the Miss Universe pageant is a scholarship pageant like Miss America but it’s not. Miss Universe is all about the physical appearance and this girl doesn’t stand a chance in it!
you guys should stop being so judgmental..
oh my
that girl is one ugly korean girl.
seriously… the judges are so retarded. .
she’s not very “miss universe” material… her body is really not that proportioned… with all the other good looking contestants, there must’ve been a better choice than her…
she looks like the first lady of Korea… her hair is for the ahjummas…
OMG…her dress looks like my old “Happy Birthday” Barbie!!!
Her legs aren’t short though. She just has a long-ass torso and fat thighs….Okay so that’s not much better, but still…
And there is NO WAY she’s plastic! She’s too ugly. If she had work done, then she would have shaped up that bulbous nose, v-lined her wide face and got lipo…like EVERYWHERE…
sheesh…someone slept with the right judge to win the crown
elleTM she is plastic, her nose fr the side is sticking out like pinocchio. Yeah hard to believe, but hey she got ‘recognition’ as Miss Korea!
and @wtf? The judge would still ahve to be blind and very drunk and had a fat-ahjumma fetish to go for it.
In her “normal” photos she looks great… bad, bad stylist for the pageant! =( Her looks are definitely not what you’d expect for Miss Universe material, but her inner qualities must make up for it since she did graduate from Yonsei University. I’m sick and tired of pageant queens not really answering the questions they’re given with intelligent answers!
oMG she is soo ugly
Awe, poor thing. Rain would make a great Miss Korea.
My mom wears that swim suit to the beach!!!!
Can’t believe she got even uglier!
Her face looks so plastic! Why couldn’t they have picked someone prettier! No matter what ppl say, a pageant is all about beauty! She has no chance in hell of winning miss universe! Or even making the top 25!
I’ve always defended star and people when bloggers called them ugly, but I have no defense in this case.
oh, I’m so disappointed at the judges, they’re blind
that woman looks like an ahjuma in her “30s”
her body is only ok, her face is so normal
If she can be Miss Korea, I think I can be Miss Universe
haha
Ugly Woman
I’m really sorry, but she somehow reminds me of the female version of Shrek…
She looks like an ajumma. I’ll never guess that she can be under 30.
Dang, she’s got super short legs … =/
ewww look at the third pic the one where she is in the swimming suit you can see her celulites on the side
I think this kind of insults Korean women. I’m sure there are MUCH more beautiful women out there who haven’t done plastic surgery.
If they’re going to let an ugly girl win, they might as well just allow plastics.
omg, so many comments in this post about the new Miss Korea’s “beauty”! >_<
Poor girl, I’m starting to feel bad for her, haha.
aw my god. her hips..her nose. her face. her legs are too short. omg..she could be my grandmother. true.she has everything that everyone would one to avoid
We can lend you one old Miss Venezuela.
Ehh well most Koreans have short legs anyway…but I mean, even if most Koreans might look like that without any surgery or anything…she just looks really plain, doesn’t stand out. And yeah, she definitely looks really old…but still, I mean take a look on the Korean streets, this is what most girls look like
WHAT THE–! Dude if someone like her can win Miss Korea, the gates of opportunity are wide open to anyone. Jeez, how embarrassing! >:O Why couldn’t they pick anyone pretty?! Stupid judges need better glasses.
she probably slept with the judges the night before. she’s got short legs and a busted wide face. i can tell she’s had lots of work done but still fulgy
I’m still in shock. Someone please wake me up from this nightmare. This is a bad bad dream.
@hahaha:
Sleeping with the judges. You’re crazy. My dog won’t even hump her leg.
i thought they didn’t allow ajummas in the competition =(
btw, what’s the age limit for Ms. Korea competition?
That isn’t miss korea,
that’s a MAN in DRAG~!
so fugly~
okay, so who actually watched this mess on tv?? because i refuse to believe the judges saw any charisma in her. she looked geeky and awkward on all those pics - and yes, it does look like she entered a pageant from the 80s!!!
maybe i’ll accept that she’s not exactly ‘hot’ but i can’t believe she carries enough charisma for this competition.
i’m completely dumbfounded about this.
Oh. Well. Umm…
AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!
I can honestly say that I’m much better looking than this woman and I am no beauty queen.
I’m not shallow and don’t judge a person’s worth in terms of their looks but isn’t the whole point of a beauty pageant, “beauty?” So I’m wondering where is the beauty?
What were the judges thinking?
Whatever happened to long-legged, smooth-faced, gorgeous girls?! Can they really see that woman winning against a big breasted, tan, and long-legged Latina? What were they thinking? They were obviously not thinking of the competition she’ll have to face in Miss Universe.
i’m gonna just suggest that they save the money from the plane tickets + expenses to enter the Miss Universe pageant.
because obviously Korea won’t stand the slightest chance in winning that title—yet again.
so her old picture she is really cute
http://kr.image.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=%B9%CC%BD%BA%C4%DA%B8%AE%BE%C6+%B3%AA%B8%AE&subtype=com&target=detail&b=11&imgseq=13
so is it the make-up??? but even so the face looks so different!
She’s not very pretty.
there must have been SOME reason that she won…
Her name is the same as my Korean name. Well, my last name is “Kim” and her full name is my first name.
It made my mom snort when she saw her picture in the newspaper and then chuckle when she saw what her name was.
WTF?
how can it go from HONEY LEE (most beautiful person in the entire world) to THIS?????? wowwwwwwww
She’s not ugly but really are the judges been sleeping she’s not a damn pretty.. oh.. it’s a flop. I’m not being cruel just want to view my point only he he he
she only won because she goes to yonsei. honey lee when to sny… it’s because ‘SKY’ will always be so ~prestigious~
haha went to*
Okay she isn’t the most prettiest girl but hey we are now getting from the “Usual” korean look. Honestly when I see korean girl with the same face I literally get bored & say nothing special. Was there a question answering thing like on Miss Universe? Anyways just think she must have something to even get into the pagent okay? god people are so shallow. no offense, honey needs get a tan! ;]
ISNT IT OBVIOUS?? this contest was rigged.
sheesh even I could figure that out.
Where are the new Honey LEES?
she looks like an ahjumma….and her body does too….wow…if SHE can be Miss Korea, I can too.
where did she get the nerves to enter a beauty pageant? She’s average or a little under at best. congrats anyway.
she doesn’t look korean at all…she looks more like a miss china or something like that
i will agree on one thing and that is the face. she does not look 25 but the rest is just stupidity. child bearing hips???? really? you are delusional which means you are probable anorexic or something if you think that Nari has big hips. get a life. i dont even follow beauty pageants because they are vapid like the viewers who watch them. so sad for the future of korea
dont hate people..
a rhinoplasty will do her wonders
Gah when will girls stop tearing down other girls? This should let girls whose faces are wide and whose bodies aren’t hourglasses but pear-shaped that they can actually be comfortable with their bodies, why are people tearing her down? This girl’s worst flaw seems to be that she doesn’t suffer from crippling low self-esteem because of her average looks. Yes, the other girls were prettier, so what? This should be a good life lesson that a pretty face will not get you everything, even in a beauty pageant.
Does’nt need to be beautiful to become a Miss Korea maybe she’s smarter than the rest of the contestant.Yes, she look old but she’s the lucky winner of the pageant.Just think everyone maybe she’s not a photogenic at all.
umm… *cough* i do need glasses, but *cough* you sure she’s 23….?
-.-!!
wft heerie!? miss china? um…. excuse me, but just becuz you happen to think that she doesn’t look korean doesn’t exactly mean that she looks chinese…..
Uh, I think there are natural non-plastic Korean women who are much better looking than her, so I don’t know why people keeping commending her for her natural “beauty”…
I guess this woman must have one goooood personality to have one this pageant lol
when i first saw the pictures.. i was like “nice looking ajumma..” then the title says “Miss Korea” i’m sooo shocked! i thought she’s on “Mrs. Korea” instead!
shes…got her “good points” i guess…
she looks like a guppy
nothing wrong with her face but with a beauty pageant, one would expect a bit more. a whole lot more actually. i’m not going to wonder how she won.
i love how this is the first post in a while where ppl didn’t think popseoul was being too mean.
So strange, no beauty! she is not a right Miss Korea, especially that she will represent this country in Miss Universe pageant which requires the beauty and the shape of body that much. She is not tall enough to survive in the pageant.
I can see the pear shape, but she DEFINITELY doesn’t have 무다리
She looks absolutely fine to me…somewhat like a doll. It’s a pleasant change from those typical Korean celebrity-fake elongated long nose, sharp jaws and forced popping-surprised eyes and unusually thin bodies without any womanly mass…
She’s interesting to look at, on second look, she starts growing onto you…
I wish her good luck and wish others’ weren’t so-so-so shallow to rip her essence apart!
Hey! This is all about beauty whether you like it or not! I give them props for choosing one with brains this time, but she is soooo not going to place in the Miss Universe pageant!
Cause in that one, it’s beauty over brains!
@ Kenri
thanks for posting an actual intelligent and well-thought-out response. She may not be the standard typical Korean beauty, then again what defines “typical Korean beauty” anyways?!
She looks like pretty/cute, and there is nothing wrong with her having an hourglass shapely figure. Geez, seriously people here are so freaking judgmental, this exactly why you have people young girls with serious self-esteem issues…
Its obvious that she had the qualities of what it took to become Miss Korea. So just get over it! Frankly speaking Honey Lee wasn’t all that anyways :X
Even though this is a beauty contest.It’s still appeals for smartness and personality.I think that she’s an average looking woman and I’m sure that she got a hella good personality since she won.I will admit I was kinda surprise that she won. But I’m glad she did.
I hope you guys learned a lesson from this and if you didnt then you are stupid.
It really did look like a 1970s shot… ewww… God save Korea… (at the next Miss Universe pageant)… hehehe!
Poor girl… Maybe she has a “certain something” when you meet her in person? I mean, at the beginning, even J-Lo didn’t look that hot, but look at her now!
And personally, I think wide hips are a good feature! Just not teamed with stumpy legs…
She’s not the prettiest, but I think she looks way better than the all-fake Honey Lee. Couldn’t stand Honey and her “I play the traditional Korean instrument…blah, blah, blah.”
I wish Nari all the best and it’s a refreshing change for a real and not all plastic person to win a pageant for once.
she needs a cute face and hawt body! and perhaps brain?
My goodness, she’s not even pretty, how can she be Miss Korea 08?!!?!?? the judges must be blind.
Wow…
Good luck to South Korea for next year’s Miss Universe Pageant.
Come on guys! Stop bashing her. It wasn’t her fault why she won. Put the blame on the judges for choosing her to repsent Korea to the Miss Universe 2009 pageant, which will be participated by various beauties from different countries. What Miss Korea needs now is a support from her countrymen.
Personally, I feel that korean men and women are beautiful.
I like their faces. But do not understand why some korean women are insecure about their looks. Beauty is not about looks but about confidence. I wish korean women would look beyond that.
Am a japanese woman, and I have to add that not all japanese are beautiful. My country is very good in marketing themselves, thats all.
You fools :L..
Miss Korea MUST be natural to even be able to compete in the competition or else she is what we call..BANG! -ELIMINATED-. They’ve been more and more tight with the rules now than they used to be about..20 or so years ago. If they find any facial reonstruction records that you have…you’re out.