It's worth waiting for!
Upcoming actor-model Kim Jinkyu of South Korea finally got the chance to wear the Man of the World crown at Okada Manila on Sunday, April 24, almost three years after he took over the reins from Bulgaria's Daniel Georgiev who was stripped of the title.
Jinkyu, 29, won 1st runner-up in 2019. Following the dethronement, the Korean cutie was supposed to be crowned in 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. On Sunday, Jinkyu was officially crowned Man of the World 2019 during a simple ceremony.
"I am so happy to be back in the Philippines. Thank you so much," said Jinkyu, during a media conference at Okada Manila on Sunday, one day after he arrived in the country.
Jinkyu said that he has done modeling gigs and auditioned for several shows in his hometown. He revealed that he has been cast for a small part in an upcoming Netflix series, where he will play one of the friends of the lead star.
Reacting to the dethronement issue, Jinkyu said: "When I first heard it, I was shocked and surprised. But I was happy because the crown has returned to the rightful winner."
Jinkyu also gave advice to the contestants. "Focus all the time and enjoy. Man of the World is super hard. So don't lose your energy."
He is also in town to promote the upcoming Man of the World 2022 finals and fulfill his duties and responsibilities in promoting education, heritage, and tourism. The finals of Man of the World 2022 will be staged in Baguio City on June 18.
Jinkyu will travel to the Cordillera to promote the region's wonders for one week.
Also joining the mediacon were the officials of the Ray Casa Group of Companies headed by MOTW executive director Jennelyn Delos Santos Floresca, MOTW Project director Jinky Lontok; Prime Events Productions Philippines Inc. (PEPPS) President Carlo Morris Galang; Man of the World Iran Ali Gharibzadeh, Man of the World Philippines Nadim Elzein and Man of the World USA Brandex Cruz.
The new crown for Man of the World worth P1.5 million was also presented to the media. It was made by Venezuelan crown maker George Wittels and sponsored by Richard James White from the US.
The 4th Man of the World pageant will kick off and will be staged with the vibrant, dynamic, and optimistic partner, presenter, and host committee – The Ray Casa Group of Companies under the leadership of Jenelyn Floresca and her team, Galang said.
The contest, Galang explained, is anchored on its advocacy and branding on tourism recovery along with the desire to uplift and preserve the cultural heritage and promote quality and inclusive education to the poor.
Despite the crisis affecting the world, Galang believes that the country can bounce back and recover.
Jinky said that pageant fans should watch out for the swimwear competition of the MOTW finals. "For this edition, we want to set a different standard for the swimwear competition. So abangan nila yan."
"We will surprise the pageant fans! Ever since, we really wanted to do it in Baguio. Wala lang chance talaga noon. Now we're very happy that we partnered with the Ray Casa Group of Companies for the 4th edition of Man of the World," said Carlo.
Jennelyn said that she also wants the candidates to learn about business, financial literacy, and economics, which her company will discuss during seminars.
"Pageantry is like popcorn to Filipinos already. It has been part of the culture of Filipinos. Since the theme of the pageant is the restoration of tourism and preservation of heritage, it's very important that we will be incorporating cultural seminars and education for 40 candidates. Apart from that, I will also be incorporating entrepreneurial and economic education into the candidates as well as collaborations. So it will be a different experience for them. Aside from having beautiful bodies and masculinity, we want to have global transformation using these 40 masculine candidates to be the platform of our voices for collaborations," Jennelyn added.