just found this article recently:
Fashion model Hye Park, the "Pearl of Asia" captivates the world 2007-09-05
There is a Korean model competing neck and neck with the world's top models. She is 21 year old Hye Park (Korean name Park Hye-rim). Going by the name Hye, she ranks among the top 30th of the world's top 50 models on a famous modeling portal. The chart is predominantly made up of white models with black models rarely seen. She is the first Asian to be on the list of 50.
Charismatic powerful look
Park started modeling at 20, comparatively later than other girls, but she belongs to the prestigious New York Trump Management led by the US real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Park is the ace of the Trump modeling agency. The world is her stage as she has agents in the UK, France and Milan as well. She is on the fast track, appearing on shows of Mark Jacobs, Prada and Balenciaga and even Chanel. Befitting her fame, she has a perfect 32-24-34 inch figure with a height of 178 cm and a weight of 48 ㎏. She has charismatic piercing looks and fascinating posture. Though less publicized in Korea, she was the most attention grabbing Asian model with brown eyes and black hair at the '06 autumn/fall Milano·Paris·New York collections held last spring. At the Paris collection alone, she stood for 30 shows over two weeks. She also did great for Chanel, known to be particularly harsh with Asian models. As if to prove the saying 'the smaller the waist size, the bigger the paycheck,' she has established her status among the blond barbie doll-like white models. Immigrating to the US in high school, she wasn't necessarily a Cinderella-like personality. It's said that she was picked up by a talent scout at a Salt Lake City shopping mall, which is in fact not true. She actually applied for a model agency ad she heard on the radio. She went to LA after passing a Utah model competition but she was turned down due to her poor runway walking skills. But she couldn't give up her childhood dream. Remembering exemplary walking examples shown at auditions, she practiced all day and all night with hardly any sleep. She went to another audition just two days later which she passed, and she was chosen by Trump agency. Since then, luck was always been on her side. Given the teen filled model scene of today, she made a rather late start but it didn't take long to make herself known. In less than half a year, she was spotted by renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel on a shoot for Vogue Italy. Soon after, she was recommended to Anna Sui. It just so happened that top Japanese model Tominaga Ai was absent from the runway after giving birth, providing a great opportunity for Park. Tominaga had dominated the few positions allotted to Asian models on the world stage. Debuting at the fall 2005 New York fashion week for Anna Sui and Mark Jacobs, this nameless Korean girl moved on to Milan and Paris like a fresh breath of air, and the global fashion circle took notice. She was then cast to shoot ads for Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana and graced the pages of various fashion magazines, rising as a star model. With her fluent English ability, she was able to adjust well to the global fashion world while her optimistic nature let her enjoy the backstage life as well.
Her dream is to become a vet
A biology major from the University of Utah, Park wants to be a biologist and a veterinarian some day. But she says her dream for now is appearing on the cover of Vogue. Called by numerous designers, she continuously travels between Milan, Paris and New York. But when the shows end, the camera is off and her makeup washed off, she completely returns to her offstage self, Park Hye-rim. Her onstage image is a joint creation by the designer, photographer, stylist and model Hye Park.
People might assume her closet is filled with luxury brand goods but in fact she mostly buys comfortable clothes from the East Gate market. She enjoys shopping in Korea whenever she visits to get "pretty and affordable" clothes. She lives in the US but enjoys Korean dramas and music more than American ones. Her favorite food is the red hot spicy Hongcho chicken and seolleongtang (beef soup with rice). She is under the brightest spotlight among Asian models in Europe at the moment. Her charismatic look beaming out of her thin wide eyes especially captivates foreigners. Despite her relatively advanced age as a model (20 is considered old in the fashion world), her ethnicity, and her less-than-perfect features including her slightly bent legs, Hye Park commands the world with her characteristic confidence.
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_peoplefocus_detail.htm?No=1942