Ligron is the national director of Miss Universe Japan and was the trainer of 2007's Miss Universe Riyo Mori. She has been working in the Japanese beauty pageant industry for the past decade.
``When I heard that Ligron was training Miss Japan Mima Hiroko, I contacted her and told her I wanted to be trained also. She told me to move to Japan, so I quickly packed my bags,'' said Lee at a press conference in central Seoul.
Ligron explained that 25-year-old Lee has been working very hard and indeed has a shot at the crown.
``I have been working with Ji-sun for the last three months. When I first saw her I thought she was very pretty and eager, but seemed a bit conservative. She didn't really express her beauty in a confident way. I taught her to be more free, sexy and appealing,'' said Ligron.
Beauty pageants have received criticism in Korea for being competitions that only judge the candidate's appearance, but the renowned trainer emphasized that this was not true.
``In Asia, there is a big misunderstanding about beauty. It's more than having a pretty face and a pretty body. The beauty is deeper, coming from your heart and from your soul. The Miss Universe is a personality competition. It's about the total package. You have to be intelligent, healthy and aware of what is happening in the world,'' Ligron said.
In last year's competition, Korea's Honey Lee made it to the top five. Winning fourth place, she instantly brought the international competition to the Korean public's interest. This obviously worked as a drive for Lee and helped her stay focused.
``Of course, I want to win. Watching Honey's performance was inspiring. I could feel her passion through her stage performance. I've been working hard and I hope the Korean public will also root for me,'' Lee said smiling.
``Beauty is inside a person's heart and brain. She's ready. Winning is her ambition and determination,'' Ligron said proudly.
