Kim finished with a total of four-under 212. However, the 19-year-old Park, who had a four-stroke cushion going into the final round, shot an even par round yesterday.

"This was exactly what I had planned to do. To get a good cushion and avoid any kind of pressure to affect my game in the final round," she said.

Park, who pocketed the first prize money of $15,000, showed her frustration on at least seven holes where she missed birdie putts from short distances. However, she did come under a little bit of pressure early in the round when Kim started making birdies to narrow her lead to two strokes.

Kim, who turned in a two-under 70 card yesterday, got into trouble with her driver, denying her to close ranks with the leader.

Kim, who is ranked No-6 on the Korean LPGA money list, said, "I was moving very well and suddenly lost confidence with my driver when the winds got pretty strong, but I held on and I am quite happy to have finished second."

"I want to make considerable progress in the Korean LPGA that begins next month," Park said, adding that she was happy to see all her compatriots playing well.

"It's not just in the Ladies Asian Tour but also in the other tours."

On the possibility of making it to the LPGA Tour, Park said: "It gives me something to pay attention to. It's a big deal - whether you are young or old, you want to be on that tour. And there's a chance I might be there if my level of game is good enough."

The 1,000-odd Thais who turned out to watch the final day's play had something to cheer about when one of their favourites, Porani Chutichai, finished third.

Porani, 20, played well to make the turn at two-under but also experienced problems with the driver as crosswinds hit the course.

"I'm happy with my game and to have finished in this position is just fine," she said after signing for a one-under 71 for a total of two-under 214.

In contrast, her compatriot Pornanong Phetlum, who made her debut as a professional in this tournament, failed to make a solid impact after winning the first event in Hong Kong two weeks ago.

She finished joint 18th with three other players to be content with $1,470.

"I was certainly excited. I must admit that there were high expectations from me and I felt a little nervous as I saw the crowd following my flight," she said.

Another Korean, Park Won-mi, finished fourth, while China's Wang Chun was fifth with total scores of 215 and 216 respectively.

FINAL LEADING SCORES:

209 - Park Hee-young (Kor) 68-69-72

212 - Kin Hae-jung (Kor) 69-73-70

214 - Porani Chutichai (Tha) 71-72-71

215 - Park Won-mi (Kor) 69-72-74

216 - Wang Chun (Chn) 71-73-72

217 - Na Da-ye (Kor) 72-73-72; Shin Eun-jung (Kor) 72-70-75; Shin Ji-yai (Kor) 68-74-75.