Park Seo-Joon's newest leading lady is a former beauty queen!
"Who's the lucky girl?," "Ate gurl please... Uso po social distancing charot," "Who’s that girl?! Are you cheating on me and 900k others?!" These were just some of the reactions from netizens when Park Seo Joon's newest commercial for a telco company was released two days ago, showing the Korean star with a Pinay-looking model.
But as it turns out, this model is actually Burmese! Some fans left comments saying she's an actress from Myanmar and that her name is May Myat Noe.
If you're curious about her, we did some digging and found some interesting facts about the actress. Check them out below!
She is Burmese
May Myat Noe or That Htet Aung, was born in October 13, 1998 in Yangon, Myanmar. She attended elementary school in Myanmar, and studied high school in Singapore when her family moved.
View this post on InstagramMy family’s just the right mix of chaos and Love ?
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She is a former beauty queen
At 15, Noe was crowned 2014 Miss Asia Pacific World, which was held in Seoul, South Korea. That win was also Myanmar's first win in an international beauty contest, since their country only emerged from a half-century military rule and self-imposed isolation rule in 2012.
She was caught in a beauty pageant controversy
Just three months after her coronation as 2014 Miss Asia Pacific World, Noe was stripped of the title. The organizers of the pageant "accused her of lying and [being] disrespectful to pageant officials and fans," Myanmar Times reported. She was also accused of theft for secretly escaping with the bejeweled Swarovski tiara (valued anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000) after learning the news and also revealed that she was given by the organizers $10,000 to get breast implants but they are not sure if she did the surgery.
Noe denied these claims and instead revealed she was asked to give sexual favors to South Korean businessmen and VIPs and was pressured to undergo extensive plastic surgery, as reported by The Nation Thailand. All claims made by Noe were proved true according to a fact-finding panel formed by the organizer of the Miss Asia World beauty pageant.
"I'm very happy that everyone knows the truth now. I'm carrying out my activities in the entertainment industry at the moment," said May Myat Noe. She handed the crown to Burmese authorities, but was firm in not returning it to the pageant organizers until they give a formal apology to her and her country.
She was a finalist in Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 4
Noe is also a professional model. In 2016, she joined Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 4 and placed seventh. She was the youngest contestant of the said cycle at that time, joining Filipino models Gwen Ruais, Julian Flores, and 2020 Miss Davao Alaiza Malinao.
“I can be Asia’s next top model because I’m fierce, I’m sexy, I’m strong, I’m cute, I have a talent and I can sing,” Noe says in an ad for the show.
She was training to be a K-pop star
Noe began her singing career in 2011. She joined a Burmese singing competition called Eain Met Sone Yar, and became the seventh runner-up in the 6th season. She also released singles and music videos namely, Single is the best, Tagal Ma Chit Yin, and Oh Boy.
At 16, she was training to become a Korean pop star in South Korea after winning Miss Asia Pacific World, a Korea-based beauty pageant, but was held to a pause after the beauty pageant scandal.\
She starred in several films
The 22-year-old model gave a try into acting, appearing in multiple Burmese movies and videos like, Ti Kyat, Pawa Ma Shu Yay Ma Ku Kyay, Professor Dr.Seik Phwar, Charm Series, Motor and Fan, Achit Pincin Essay, Palat Kywat Thwar Tat Achit, A Phyu Htal Lu Mike Gyi, Akhar Taw and Khyay Kyi Tal.
Her recent one is an American film called Invincible (2020) by director Daniel Rizilli, starring Johnny Strong.
View this post on InstagramWith the legend ✌️#INVINCIBLE @teamjstrong #comingsoon
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Banner image from May Myat Noe's Instagram (@maymyatnoe_may) and screenshot from Smart commercial