By Jon Herskovitz
Seoul, South Korea - Choi Hyun-mi traded an accordion for boxing gloves, Kim Jong-il's cult leadership for capitalism and the red bandanas worn by North Korean schoolchildren for the World Boxing Association championship belt.
Choi is a teenager with a penchant for pink, fingers that fly over a cellphone to SMS's and a thundering right that sent Japanese challenger Tsubasa Tenku to the canvas twice a week ago when she defended her WBA featherweight crown.
"I have become quite good at putting on make-up to cover swelling over my eyes," Choi, 19, said in an interview a few days after her win by unanimous decision.
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Possessing the power and speed to overwhelm an opponent and a ruthless streak in the ring, Choi is known as the "Defector Boxer Girl" in South Korea, where she is a new hope for a declining sport in the country that was known for producing scrappy and fearless fighters who steadily climbed the world rankings.
"I don't mind that nickname but I want to be known for my boxing more than the fact that I defected from North Korea."
With a compelling story that includes a high-risk escape from North Korea, Choi's tough, girlish and endearing character has helped make her a budding media sensation in South Korea.
The 1.7m, Choi grew up in what would qualify for an affluent family in impoverished North Korea. Being taller than her peers she was attracted to sports and dabbled in boxing.
"I bought her a wonderful accordion to keep her out of trouble but she gave it up for boxing," said her father Choi Young-choon, who used to work for a trading company in North Korea that exported minerals such as zinc and copper.
His business took him to China and it was during one of those trips that he defected. He bribed border guards to allow his wife, daughter and son to cross into China too and join him in the escape to the South.
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