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| The "2020 Face of Asia" and "2020 Asia Model Awards" were held online on Dec. 4 and 5. Courtesy of AMFOC |
By Lee Min-young
The "2020 Face of Asia" and "2020 Asia Model Awards," were successfully held online, Dec. 4 and 5, and being part of the 15th Asia Model Festival (AMF), the so-called "Untact Face of Asia 2020" was the region's largest and first virtual modeling festival, hosted by the Asia Model Festival Organizing Committee (AMFOC) based in Seoul. "Untact" is a Konglish term coined for the word "contactless."
The Asia Model Awards is an annual event that recognizes Asia's top models and celebrities. It was held at the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center (SETEC), Dec. 5, and live-streamed via AMF's YouTube channel.
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| Chechena Kyrgys from Tuva Republic, on screen, is declared the winner of the "Untact FACE of ASIA 2020" held online due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Courtesy of AMFOC |
For this year's Untact FACE of ASIA, more than 70 contenders from 24 Asian countries competed against each other over the past several months.
Held online due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, the two ceremonies attracted more than 100 million fans and supporters who watched videos of the contenders performing various "missions" and then voted for this year's top Asian model. The missions included singing K-pop boy band BTS's "With Seoul" in Korean and English, filming themselves taking part in performances and shooting vlogs promoting Korean beauty brands.
This year's grand prize went to Chechena Kyrgys from Tuva Republic, a doctor who said she has been treating COVID-19 patients during the daytime while creating the videos where "she showed off her great potential as a fashion model and influencer," according to AMFOC.
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| Chechena Kyrgys from Tuva Republic won the 2020 FACE of ASIA. Courtesy of AMFOC |
The contestants submitted about 800 videos promoting Korean beauty and fashion brands, which have garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube since September when the event kicked off.
"2020 Asia Model Awards" also garnered over 558,000 views on AMFOC's social media channels. An AMFOC official said the popularity proved COVID-19 has brought "great changes in ways to approach audiences."
"Untact Face of Asia 2020" was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization, and produced by KorTop Media, a Korean drama production company.
