Han Hyun-Min, 16, has a Nigerian father in a society where racial discrimination is widespread and people of mixed race are commonly referred to as "mongrels".
"A dark-skinned fashion model like Han was unheard of in South Korea, so recruiting him was a big gamble," said agent Youn Bum.
Now Han is posing for top glossy magazines as the country's first black fashion model.
South Korea has for years sought to foster the image of a modern, sophisticated and tech-savvy nation whose pop culture has made waves across Asia.
But behind the facade of an economic and cultural powerhouse lies a deeply-rooted racism.
"When I was playing with other kids at school, some mothers whisked them away from me, saying things like, 'Don't play with a kid like that'," he told AFP.
He was regularly stared at in public, with an elderly woman once asking him: "What are you doing in someone elses country?"
"I wanted to become invisible," he said. "I hated my looks that stand out from everyone else," he said.
He found his escape in fashion, taking part in modelling auditions and posting his photos on social media until Youn spotted the images.
After seeing the then 14-year-old demonstrate his "electrifying" stride on a Seoul street for five minutes, Youn signed him up immediately.
"Being a fashion model helped build my confidence tremendously," said Han. "Now I enjoy being looked at by other people, instead of being ashamed or embarrassed."
The duo were initially stonewalled by designers and magazine editors, some of whom openly dismissed the dark-skinned model as "bad luck" and urged Youn to recruit whites instead.
"Some of them told me, 'We don't do dark-skinned models,' or, 'For us, non-Korean models mean white models with blue eyes and blonde hair'," Youn said.
But a handful of designers found Han's look unique and charismatic, and he hit the runways at more than 30 shows at the two Seoul Fashion Weeks after his debut last year -- an unusually high number for a novice.
SBS Korean program has more.
