Advertisement

DNA test finds the brother adopted Korean competitive eater never knew. Birth parents next

  • Adoptee Mary Bowers found her adoptee brother via DNA tests. Now they are trying to uncover the truth about their murky adoptions in Korea

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Korean Mary Bowers at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York in July 2024. The competitive eater is on a mission to discover the truth about her adoption from Korea, having found her brother, also adopted, through DNA testing. Photo: X/@EatBeMary

By Lee Hyo-jin

Advertisement

Mary Bowers, a Korean adoptee to the United States, recently competed in the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, representing Korea.

This was her ninth time taking part in the competition, held annually on July 4, and the second time representing Korea, following the restoration of her Korean citizenship in 2023.

Bowers, whose Korean name is Jung Nayoung, describes herself as a “messy eater” since childhood with an insatiable appetite – one that has led her to pursue a career as a competitive eater over the past decade.

It was Bowers’ second time representing Korea at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, following the restoration of her citizenship in 2023. Photo: Facebook / Eat! Be Mary!, Inc.
It was Bowers’ second time representing Korea at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, following the restoration of her citizenship in 2023. Photo: Facebook / Eat! Be Mary!, Inc.

Her impressive feats include eating 80 chicken wings in 10 minutes, 65 gyoza dumplings in 10 minutes, and 14 doughnuts in eight minutes.

Advertisement

She placed in the top 10 in the latest women’s hot dog eating competition by consuming seven and a quarter hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Advertisement