The High1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, successfully concluded the Asia Model Festival 2025 after hosting the prestigious event from October 25 through 31. The festival brought together Asia's most influential fashion and beauty icons, attracting over 5,000 domestic and international visitors in what organizers called the largest edition in the festival's 20-year history.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year's festival operated under the theme "Integration of Asian Fashion, Beauty and Culture." The week-long celebration welcomed top models, designers, and influencers from 26 countries, significantly expanding its international reach. The comprehensive program included the Asia Senior Open Audition, Asia Open Collection, Face of Asia competition, Asia Beauty Awards, and Asia Model Awards.
The festival's opening ceremony showcased a unique intergenerational approach, featuring senior models walking the runway to demonstrate talent across age groups. On October 26-27, the Asia Open Collection became a highlight as models from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and China presented fashion collections that seamlessly blended traditional elements with contemporary design. The scenic backdrop of High1 Resort in Gangwon Province provided a stunning setting for these presentations.
The Face of Asia segment offered emerging models a valuable platform to compete for industry recognition, with international modeling agencies and brand marketing executives in attendance. This provided crucial networking opportunities and potential global career advancement for participating models. The Asia Model Awards recognized individuals and brands that made outstanding contributions to the Asian modeling industry throughout the year.
This year's festival notably expanded its scope to include both senior and child models, emphasizing a comprehensive multi-generational fashion festival approach. Organizers strategically connected fashion and beauty with culture, content, and tourism, promoting sustainable cultural and economic exchanges between participating nations.
To enhance the experience for international visitors, the festival featured traditional Korean cultural performances, including the Ttekkun, a creative theatrical play based on traditional folklore songs of Korean boatmen. The Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation performed this cultural presentation, adding authentic local flavor to the international event.
The festival also incorporated community service through a kimchi-sharing volunteer event led by foreign models and global ambassadors of High1 Resort. Local community members, including women's groups, multicultural families, and military personnel, actively participated in this initiative. The program will continue throughout November, with plans to distribute 5,000 portions of kimchi to approximately 2,200 households in the surrounding area.
Kangwon Land acting CEO Choi Cheol-gyu emphasized the festival's alignment with broader tourism industry goals, stating, "The Asia Model Festival 2025 aligned with Kangwon Land's plan to strengthen the country's tourism industry and expand global competitiveness." He added, "Hosting the Asia Model Festival 2025 demonstrates High1 Resort's capabilities on the international stage and offers a significant opportunity for growth. We will continue efforts to establish High1 as a globally recognized integrated resort and wellness destination."
The festival's success contributed significantly to the local economy, with event officials reporting that it boosted local businesses while engaging families and younger audiences. High1 Resort, nestled in Gangwon Province's beautiful natural environment, offers comprehensive wellness and entertainment facilities for travelers throughout the year.
Kangwon Land, the resort's operator, continues its commitment to responsible management by prioritizing customer safety and information protection. The company operates Kangwon Land Casino, which holds the unique distinction of being the only casino among Korea's 17 gambling facilities authorized to welcome domestic customers. The facility houses 200 table game stations and 1,360 slot machine and video game units, making it the largest casino operation in the country.
The company maintains an active nationwide awareness campaign using multiple channels, including its website, Instagram, blog, and large electronic billboards, to warn the public against illegal online casinos that impersonate official operators like Kangwon Land. In May, the casino operator discovered a fraudulent gambling website that illegally used the company's name and logo, immediately reporting the case to the Korea Communications Standards Commission for shutdown. Last year alone, Kangwon Land reported approximately 3,400 illegal gambling websites to authorities and developed the country's first artificial intelligence-based monitoring system in partnership with KAIST to detect and analyze illegal online gambling activities.
