Meet South Korea’s glam fan who landed Okay-pop deal after being noticed at World Cup

It’s not just footballers who become stars at the World Cup – eagle-eyed cameramen have a knack for spotting stunning supporters in the stands, catapulting them to overnight fame.

Ex-Miss Croatia Ivana Knoll has a habit of leaving fans hot under the collar with her daring outfits as she teases photographers in the crowd, and her popularity at the World Cup has helped her to launch a DJing career.

Axelle Despiegelaere landed a modelling contract when she was snapped in the stands supporting Belgium, while Larissa Riquelme, who went viral after holding her phone between her boobs, is now working in the media in her native country.

JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

And in 2002 it was the turn of Shim Mina, who, at 29, saw her life flipped on its head overnight when she cheered on her beloved South Korea during their run to the semi-finals of their home World Cup.

Park Ji-sung and co beat Italy and Spain during their run that was shrouded in controversy after a number of controversial refereeing decisions went in their favour.

But attention in the stands was drawn to glamorous fan Shim, who wore patriotic face paint and a cropped bandana as a top that read: “Korea fight”.

Shim was dubbed “Miss World Cup” during the event and her past as a dancer for established K-Pop stars such as Park Jin-young and Park Ji-yoon helped her reach a new level of fame.

And even as Germany finally put an end to the South Korean fairytale – Shim’s popularity continued to rise as she was signed to a K-Pop label as an artist and released a debut album called “Rendezvous” just months after the tournament.

And with that album, Shim managed to turn her fleeting fame into a long-term career in entertainment.

Posing topless on the cover, the lead single from the album made waves in the Philippines – especially the lead track “Answer the Phone”, which topped the charts.

This was before K-Pop had swept the wider world – and many fans mistakenly assumed Shim was singing in Spanish, and not Korean.

Shim was nominated for Best New Female Artist at the MAMA Awards thanks to the song – which remains one of the most recognisable K-Pop songs of the early 2000s. These days, it has racked up almost 2.5million listens on Spotify.

After a two-year hiatus, Shim came back with her second album in 2004, “Re:turn 2 Mina”. Speaking at the time, Mina said she wanted to be taken seriously as a singer, and no longer wanted to be known as “Miss World Cup”.

She added: “I tried various genres I’ve always wanted to do, such as funky, R&B, and hip-hop. Brazilian and Indian vibes suits me perfectly!”

The lead track “Turn” was also a hit – and it charted in the top five – with the album selling more than her debut. However, her third album flopped after she tried to take on a sexier image, even training to belly dance for one music video.

Shim, however, would pay tribute to the World Cup in the song “Fly High” – released for the 2006 edition in Germany. Her fourth album also helped her become a star in China.

However, controversy arose after the release of her fourth album when rumours of her real age started to spread – to make up for her late start in the music industry, Shim had told fans she was born in 1978.

It soon emerged she had actually been born in 1972, prompting her to apologise to the public and her fans.

Shim’s K-Pop career began to wind down after 2009 as she shifted her focus towards social media and content creation. More than two decades after being spotted in the stands, Mina continues to attract attention online.

Ageing like a fine wine, the now 53-year-old doesn’t look a day older than the moment cameras first clapped eyes on her 24 years ago.

Her Instagram account has almost 700,000 followers, where she uploads a range of content from dance videos to fitness and weight loss advice.

A lot of her content stars her husband Ryu Phillip, who is 17 years younger than his other half. Like Shim, Ryu has a background in K-Pop and was a member of the now defunct boyband Tri:al until 2018.