A KOREAN student plunged 200ft to her death as she was having her picture taken at the top of crumbling cliffs popular with Asian tourists.

Hyewon Kim had asked fellow tourists to take a picture on the cliff edge and jumped for joy to pose for them when she fell back and stumbled over the edge.

Coroner Alan Craze recorded a conclusion of death by misadventure on the 23-year-old South Korean student who fell from the cliffs just east of Cuckmere Haven on June 22 this year.

“If people do things which put them in extreme and obvious danger, there is a limit to which they can be stopped,” the coroner said.

Mr Craze said: “From a language point of view, there is a difference between accident and misadventure.

“In this particular case, the right conclusion is misadventure.”

The inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall heard Hyewon Kim had handed her phone to a group of three more South Korean tourists who she did not know and asked them to take her picture at the cliff edge.

DS Tod Stewart from Sussex police CID said: “Witnesses said the female was standing on the edge having photographs taken when she fell.

“The three females were taken to the police interview room at Newhaven where they met staff from the Korean embassy who helped with taking statements.

“They confirmed they were taking photos and that they did not know her.”

The DS said police were able to access her locked iPhone when they connected it to a laptop found in her bag at the top of the cliffs.

“There were six photos of her standing extremely close to the cliffs.

“They were showing her jumping in the air extremely close to the edge.

“Her concentration is not on anything other than what she is doing.

“The expression on her face shows nothing but enjoyment,” the DS said.

The coroner said graphic photographs would not be released.

“It would be disturbing to many, many people to show pictures of her actually losing her life in the public domain,” the senior coroner for East Sussex said.

“I have given some thought to the decision.

“However, they are important to an understanding of what happened.

“She landed with one foot beyond the cliff edge and only her other foot landing on the cliff edge.

“Every one of the photos shows her looking away from the cliff edge.”

Statements from the three other South Korean students were read at the inquest.

In Young Choi, 24, said: “I went to the Seven Sisters for tourism.

“Another Korean girl, who I did not know, was there and she asked me to take photos.

“As I was taking photos, she fell down. We all tried to find someone to call 999.

“After 999 call, I call Korean Embassy.”

Jin Gyeong Jang said: “I saw her standing then heard the sound of a bang, then she was not there.

“At the space where she was standing, there was a bag.”

Seulgi Lee, 26, said: “I took the train to Seven Sisters.

“I heard the sound of a bang and was told someone fell down.

“A British person, looked like a teacher, said call 999.”

Firefighter Richard Harrison said: “We were told a young woman had fallen from the highest point of the Seven Sisters number one.

“There seemed to be a lot of people at the top of the cliffs.

“Witnesses said a young Korean woman had fallen.

“We discovered the body of a young female, face down.”

“I estimated the cliffs to be between 150ft to 200ft high.

A post mortem examination concluded Hyewon Kim died from catastrophic head injuries.

Mr Craze said: “This is a very poignant and sad case.

“I want to express my profound sympathy and condolences to her family.”

No family members or embassy staff attended the inquest.

The coroner said visitors from South East Asia were attracted to the Seven Sisters cliffs by their connection to a Chinese deity.

He said: “A lot of South East Asians like to visit because the Seven Sisters refer to the seven daughters of the Chinese deity, the Jade Emperor.”

The death came a day after a major rock fall further along the Sussex coast at Seaford.

The coroner said he would welcome further research into methods of preventing further deaths at the cliffs.

He said: “This death is not unique.

“Very sadly, whatever is done by way of signage, we should be lucky if this is the last one.”

Mr Craze said he would encourage the National Trust to look into improved signage and fencing along the Seven Sisters.