▲ Son Ji-hoon (L), Lee Young-eun (C) and Kim Gye-hee, South Korean winners of the 2023 International Tchaikovsky Competition in the categories of voice, cello and violin, respectively, are seen in these photos captured from the competition's homepage. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Kim Gye-hee (L), Lee Young-eun (C) and Son Ji-hoon (L), South Korean winners of the 2023 International Tchaikovsky Competition in the categories of voice, cello and violin, respectively, are seen in these photos captured from the competition's homepage. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Tchaikovsky competition-winners

(LEAD) Three S. Koreans win Tchaikovsky Competition in violin, cello, voice

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, background in paras 3-5; ADDS photos)

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Three South Koreans have won first prizes in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in the categories of violin, cello and voice, its website showed Friday.

Kim Gye-hee and Lee Young-eun clinched the gold medals in violin and cello, respectively, becoming the first Korean laureates in the competition's instrumental music categories.

Tenor Son Ji-hoon was named the winner of the voice category.

Founded in 1958 in Russia, the classical music competition is held once every four years and features six categories: piano, violin, cello, voice, brass and woodwind, which musicians aged between 16 and 32 years of age can enter.

It is considered one of the most respected music competitions in the world, but its reputation has been tarnished after being excluded from the World Federation of International Music Competitions in April 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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