Lee So‑ra returns to Paris runway

Lee So-ra said on MBC’s April 26 premiere of “Sora and Jinkyung” that she is preparing to walk at Paris Fashion Week after years of pain from a 2011 femoral fracture. (chosun.com) On the show, Lee said she recently started practicing a faster runway walk to match current trends. She told producers her hip still hurts and said the sound of it “cracking” remains part of training. (chosun.com) Lee said the accident left her using a wheelchair for nearly six months and unable to walk properly for a full year. She said the biggest concern now is walking without pain. (chosun.com) The Paris return is being framed through MBC’s new reality show with Hong Jin-kyung, another first-generation South Korean supermodel from the 1990s. The program premiered April 26 at 9:10 p.m. and follows the pair as they try to get back on a major runway. (chosun.com) (cineplay.co.kr) Lee and Hong had not been in contact for 15 years before reuniting for the show. Lee, who is 56, said putting on high heels again first made her think the challenge was impossible. (chosun.com) She also tied the comeback to older trauma from modeling itself. A separate report on the April 27 broadcast coverage said Lee had hesitated because memories of extreme dieting, including living on one can of tuna a day for two weeks, still lingered. (sports.khan.co.kr) The show is also revisiting the scale of Lee’s earlier fame before this comeback attempt. TenAsia reported that her 1998 “Lee So-ra Diet Video” sold more than 1 million copies in South Korea. (tenasia.com) That history helps explain why a Paris runway return carries weight in Korean entertainment coverage. Lee was the winner of Korea’s first Supermodel Selection Contest, while Hong Jin-kyung was highlighted in later coverage as a leading figure from the same era. (tenasia.com) (chosun.com) For now, Lee is describing the challenge in narrower terms than glamour or nostalgia. She said the fear of instability and falling has turned walking itself into the part she has to overcome before Paris. (chosun.com)