These are the winners of the junior division of this year's Ysaye International Music Competition of Belgium, which was held in Seoul in a first for Korea. Lee Sena from Korea (top right) was runner-up. (Competition's official Facebook page)

By Uyen Nguyen

The Ysaye International Music Competition, an international contest for young violinists, has held its final in Korea for the first time, with Lee Sena, 11, named runner-up in the junior division.

Founded in Belgium, the event honors the artistic legacy of Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye (1858-1931).

This was Korea's first hosting of the final of an international music competition founded abroad. The organizing committee said it will hold the final in Korea again next year and jointly host the contest with Belgium every other year from 2028.

The committee called Korea "a country with the most dynamic audiences and outstanding performers in classical music."

From July 10-11 at Icheon Art Hall in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, three Koreans were among the 20 contestants from around the world in the finals including Europe, China, Japan and the U.S.

Jin Yalan of China, 13, won the junior division ahead of Lee, who was the youngest contestant in the concours and finished with the highest ranking among Korean participants.

The senior division was claimed by Korean American Christina Jihee Nam, 24, followed by runner-up Tetsutaro Nakatani of Japan, 17, and Vilmos Csikos of Belgium, 30.

uyen81@korea.kr