The 32nd World Miss University (WMU) global competition, originally set to open in Dubai on the International Day of Peace, will move to Seoul because of instability in the Middle East.
The event had been scheduled to begin in Dubai on Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace, but the WMU World Organizing Committee changed the venue to safeguard participants and ensure the competition could run normally. The event will take place across Seoul for about three weeks, from Oct. 30 through Nov. 21, with the finals set for Nov. 19. University student delegates and young leaders from 86 countries are expected to attend.
A "peace festival" that had chosen the International Day of Peace as its symbolic opening date has been forced to relocate because of the fallout from war. The organizing committee said it wants the Seoul event to show young people putting the value of peace into practice at a time of continuing conflict and division.
WMU differs from a conventional beauty pageant. It began in 1983, when the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) moved to select a corps of student peace volunteers for international peace work, and it expanded into a global youth peace movement after the United Nations declared 1986 the International Year of Peace. This year marks the 40th anniversary of its founding, and 157 countries are now member states.
Each country selects its delegate based on an overall assessment of academic performance and intellect, volunteer work and character, and healthy activity. Delegates who take part in the global competition are appointed to the World Miss University Peace Corps (WMUPC) and carry out activities such as reducing conflict between nations and discrimination based on race, religion and ideology, and protecting the environment.
Lee Seung-min, chair of the WMU World Organizing Committee, who has led the organization for 40 years, said peace is not preserved by declarations but by the next generation putting it into practice. "The very act of university students of different nationalities, races and religions gathering in one place and coming to understand one another is the process of creating peace," the chair said.
The chair added that losing the Dubai event to war was a deep disappointment but that this was precisely the moment showing why the competition must continue. "We have lost the symbolism of opening on the International Day of Peace, but the message of peace has not been canceled," the chair said.
The Seoul event will feature forums and youth roundtables on themes including peace, the economy, the environment and artificial intelligence, along with volunteer work supporting the environment and vulnerable groups. Programs promoting Korean culture and industry are also planned, including K-beauty and traditional culture experiences, a Seoul city tour, and visits to smart robotics and mobility industry sites.
Tourism and public diplomacy benefits are expected as well, given that delegations from 86 countries will stay in Seoul for about three weeks. The idea is for participants to spread K-beauty, fashion, food and tourism content they experience to their home countries through social media. Since the venue change, the organizing committee has also been fielding sponsorship inquiries from companies in cosmetics and fashion, aviation, hotels and tourism, food and beverage, medical and wellness, and AI and mobility.
The budget for the Seoul global competition is about 4 billion won ($2.9 million). It consists of 2 billion won in organizing committee support, 1 billion won in room and board provided by sponsor companies, and 1 billion won for tourism content and publicity. The committee estimates that its annual global operations, including separate national selection contests and volunteer and publicity activities in each country, amount to about 400 billion won.
The competition is hosted by the WMU World Organizing Committee and organized by its Korean counterpart, with sponsorship from the IAUP and Mecenat News.
