대양주 미스코리아

REMARKS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2007 MISS KOREA BEAUTY PAGEANT IN OCEANIA

14^th JUNE 2007 SYDNEY

_________________________________________________________________

 

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

It is my honour to offer congratulatory remarks on the occasion of the ‘2007 Miss Korea Beauty Pageant in Oceania’. 

 

I remember in my younger days watching the ‘Miss Korea Beauty Pageant’ broadcast on television throughout Korea.  Of course, we celebrated wildly when a Miss Korea reached the finals of the Miss World and Miss Universe contests.

 

I particularly enjoyed the pageants for it showed beautiful fashion in clothes and hairstyle, high quality cultural performances and inventive film techniques, beautiful tourist attractions, entertaining MCs, and of course, the brilliant impromptu speeches and answers of the contestants.

 

This 2007 Miss Korea Beauty Pageant in Oceania is meaningful in that it will choose the most outstanding young woman in the Korean community in Australia.  Those participating tonight show how they survived and succeeded on foreign soil.  And those who represent Korean Australians in Korea can boast of their talent and beauty, refined and developed in Australia.

 

The beauty pageant, in itself, is also an important and enriching cultural event for the Korean community.  This event provides an opportunity to enhance and reinforce the sense of harmony and unity in the Korean community.

 

For all of these reasons, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations and thanks to the organizers and contestants. 

 

For the contestants, I congratulate all of you on being selected since you have already shown to others that you possess beauty and many talents.  I encourage you to consider yourselves as representatives of Korean women in Australia.

 

However, a contest is a contest.  Therefore, I wish you all the best of luck.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen!

 

The Korean community can be considered as one of the success stories of Australian multiculturalism.  In just over 30 years, the Korean population has grown to over 100,000. In that time, hard working Korean migrants have contributed significantly to Australian society by enriching this country’s culture.  Now we are seeing the younger generation make their mark by marrying traditional Korean values with Australian customs.  The product of this marriage is a new generation of highly confident and capable young people.

 

We can see this in the way Korean women are starting to excel in many fields.  It is important for Korean women to try their hand in every area and to aim for excellence in all  their endeavours.  Already we are seeing achievements by Korean women in academia, music and in sports such as golf.  We can do more, however.  I urge all young Korean women to have confidence in themselves and to become the bridge between the Korean and Australian societies.  

 

Finally, I would like to express my deep thanks to TOP Media and their generous sponsors for their efforts in organizing this beauty pageant.  Without their support, this beauty pageant, and therefore the vital encourage of our young people, would not exist. 

 

Thank you.