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SEOUL, Sep. 5 (Yonhap) -- Before being crowned Miss Korea 2009, Kim Ju-ri was not always a symbol of female beauty and charm. Looking at her bare face without a trace of make-up, friends would teasingly ask, "Are you a girl?"

Two months into her career as South Korea's beauty queen, Kim still moans about the pains of applying make-up.

"I hate putting on make-up everyday. It takes so long and I feel like my skin can't breathe," Kim said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Saturday.

But in many other ways, the 21-year-old was already well prepared for the role. Having trained in ballet since the age of five, she was used to being on stage and receiving attention. Apart from the fact that many people now recognize her in public, she feels that not much has changed since becoming Miss Korea.
Kim Ju-ri

"I really love to be loved by people," Kim said in English, which she learned while studying ballet at the Royal Ballet School in England. She also answered some quesitons in Russian, but the interview was conducted mostly in Korean.

Ballet helped her to prepare for her future role as Miss Korea. As if to illustrate, she radiated confidence and poise while posing for photographs after the interview. Through ballet she came to feel comfortable in the spotlight. It also took her abroad, where she gained the 'international' experience needed to be a true "Miss Korea."

The Asian currency crisis of the late 1990's forced her to return home due to skyrocketing tuition costs after a two-year stay in England. Once Korea overcame the crisis some years later Kim again had the opportunity to go abroad, this time to Moscow. She spent four years studying ballet at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography.

She says Russia was not a very kind country, at least on the plane and at the airport. "When I got on the plane, I asked the Russian flight attendant for a glass of orange juice. I didn't speak any Russian, so I read outloud the phrase from a book. I was so shocked when I heard her say, "Nyet (No)"," Kim recalled of her first trip to Moscow.

"When I arrived at the airport, the official checking the entry of foreigners was very unfriendly. I thought, 'I'm dead'." But as soon as she arrived at the school dormitory, she was given such a warm welcome that she was soon able to forget her earlier frustrations.

Soon afterwards, she began to promote Korean culture to her Russian friends, getting them to try kimchi, a traditional dish of pickled cabbage, and Korean-style pancakes.

"There were people who couldn't stand the smell of kimchi and thought negatively of the fact that we serve dog meat in Korea. The more they avoided our food, the more I wanted them to try it. So I fed them, and soon they were asking for kimchi to have with their steaks."

Kim's efforts to promote Korea didn't stop there. When her friends mistakenly thought that Korean-made mobile phones were made in Japan, she didn't hesitate to correct them.

Kim adjusted so well to her new surroundings, that she began to feel more comfortable there than she did in Korea. But life in Moscow wasn't without its flaws.

"I was walking with my friends on the street, when we were suddenly shot in the face with a air gun. The culprits grabbed my friend's bag and ran away," Kim said.

"We reported the case to the police but they weren't very helpful. In the end, we couldn't find the culprits and nothing was resolved."

Despite such incidents, her love for Russia is evident.

"Each country has its own style of ballet. The Russian style suits me well. If I'd gone to France, I think I would have easily been discouraged because they pay so much attention to detail. Plus, Russian ballet dancers don't develop big muscly legs. As a girl, it would be dreadful to have muscly legs!" she joked.

After graduating from the academy last year, she moved back to Korea to treat a leg injury. It was then that she happened to watch the Miss Universe contest on TV and decided to try out for this year's Miss Korea.

Ballet may have helped her come this far, but Kim's plans for the future go well beyond dance.

"I'd like to work as a goodwill ambassador and raise awareness of Korean culture abroad. I'd also like to work toward attracting foreign students here to study ballet," she said.

She also wants to help children in poor countries. "If I'm given the chance, I'd also like to do volunteer work abroad, helping children in Cambodia suffering from a lack of water. And I also hope I will have the opportunity to go to North Korea and help children there. I once had the chance to watch North Korean children sing and dance on a stage and they were absolutely mesmerizing. I want to help them have more opportunities to perform on world stages."

The beauty queen is now preparing to enter the contest for next year's Miss Universe. So far, as Miss Korea 2009, she feels that she isn't given enough to do. Her activities have mostly consisted of attending various events at the request of sponsors and volunteering at facilities for the disabled.

"I love babies. I'd like to visit orphanages and take care of little children, but no one has asked me to yet!"

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