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Korean model shares keys to success in fashion capitals

March 5, 2015
Park Sung-jin, right, poses for a Bottega Veneta advertisement. (Courtesy of Bottega Veneta)

Park Sung-jin, right, poses for a Bottega Veneta advertisement.
(Courtesy of Bottega Veneta)

Park Sung-jin speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at a coffee shop in central Seoul. (Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun)

Park Sung-jin speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at a coffee shop in central Seoul. (Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun)

By Kim Jae-heun

Park Sung-jin is one of Korea’s hottest models.

The fashion model website “Models.com” ranked him the 27th in the world last year and he was nominated as one of the 11 candidates for ‘Model of the Year: Men’ category. No Korean male model has achieved similar recognition.

“If I am to choose two words that best describes myself, they are ‘self-esteem,’ and ‘guts.’ Guts helped me become a global model,” Park said in a recent Korea Times interview.

A former art student, he did not foresee modeling in his future.

“My cousin knew a manager in the model agency,” “He offered me a shoot for a Korean brand called Kai-aakmann and it was a good pay. I was working at a shop selling surfing items in Busan, but I quit the job and came to Seoul for a better future,” said Park.

Only a year after Park had started modeling, he knew that Korea was too small for him. In 2012 spring, he flew to New York..

Park’s potential as a model reached its peak after arriving in New York. He modeled for high-end brands such as Hermes, John Galliano and Raf Simons. The unknown model from Busan was suddenly appearing in renowned fashion capitals — New York, London, Milano and Paris.

A photo-shoot for the Italian luxury goods house Bottega Veneta’s 2015 Spring Summer collection has special meaning for Park. He worked with the renowned contemporary art photographer Araki Nobuyoshi and model Saskia de Brauw.

“We met in Japan,” Park said. “Nobuyoshi is originally not a fashion photographer and he shoots suggestive prints. It only took him six hours to do his job when usually it takes a whole day. I did not get to check my picture because he used film-camera,” said Park.

Park does not regret becoming a model. He loves the fact that he can earn money while doing something he loves. Now, the model cannot imagine himself with a different job.

Park was pessimistic about young Korean models jumping into American runways without proper preparation.

“Europe might work, if you have really unique mask. Some Korean models may be seen in European Fashion Week but it is hard to find them in New York,” said Park.