'Miss Korea' winner Woo Seo-yoon belatedly shares her thoughts on winning amid 'plastic surgery controversy': “I’ll become someone worthy of the title”

[Financial News] Woo Seo-yoon, 23, the eldest daughter of former professional basketball player Woo Ji-won, 53, and the 2026 Miss Korea winner, shared her thoughts on winning about two months after being crowned.
On the 16th, Woo Seo-yoon posted several photos on Instagram taken during the Miss Korea pageant in August, along with a message beginning, “Hello, I’m Woo Seo-yoon, the 2026 Miss Korea winner.” The photos included a commemorative shot with her father, Woo Ji-won, at the event.
Woo wrote, “I think this competition will remain an experience so precious that I may never have another like it, going far beyond just being a competition.”
She added, “Being able to make precious memories that I’ll cherish for a lifetime and form meaningful bonds with good people has been the greatest gift of all to me.”
She said, “I sincerely thank you for all the attention and warm support you’ve given me,” and pledged, “I’ll become someone who can repay your kindness by making a positive impact.”
She also said, “I’ll keep learning and working hard at every moment, growing day by day so that I can become someone worthy of the title of Miss Korea winner.”
Woo had advanced to the national finals after being named a regional Seon (runner-up) in the Miss Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon pageant, and was crowned Miss Korea at the 70th Miss Korea pageant, held last August at COEX Auditorium in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. She is studying art at Tufts University in the United States and reportedly dreams of becoming a global art curator.
However, after she was crowned, footage of her past television appearances spread online, prompting some internet users to raise suspicions that she had undergone plastic surgery.
In an earlier interview, without directly addressing the controversy, Woo said, “Some of the things said amid all the attention can be hurtful, but I try not to let them hurt me,” adding, “I hope I’ll have a chance to show you the real me in the future.”

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter