A student plunged 200ft to her death after jumping in the air for a photograph on a crumbling clifftop, an inquest was told.

Hyewon Kim, 23, had asked a stranger to take her picture but lost her footing as she landed and toppled over the Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex.

The South Korean, who had come to Britain to improve her English, suffered catastrophic head injuries in the fall.

Photographs found on her mobile phone showed the student happily posing with her back to the cliff-edge in the seconds before her death.

South Korean student Hyewon Kim, 23, plunged 200ft to her death after jumping in the air for a photograph on a crumbling clifftop, an inquest was told

Hyewon Kim had asked a stranger to take her picture but lost her footing as she landed and toppled over the Seven Sisters cliffs (pictured, sightseers pose by the cliffs today)

The site in East Sussex has become a hot-spot for thrill seekers and despite numerous signs warning of the dangers, tourists regularly teeter on the edge for photographs. Above, people taking risky selfies today at the cliffs

The cliffs at Birling Gap have experienced possibly the worst coastal erosion in the UK. In 2005 it was noted they had retreated nearly 300 feet from where they had stood in 1873. Above, another person seems oblivious to the danger

More than 350,000 people visit the cliffs at Birling Gap and Seven Sisters cliffs each year.

The site has become a hot-spot for thrill seekers and despite numerous signs warning of the dangers, tourists regularly teeter on the edge for photographs.

Detective Sergeant Tod Stewart from Sussex police told an inquest in Eastbourne: 'There were six photos of her 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.’

Coroner Alan Craze said: ‘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.

'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.

‘If people do things which put them in extreme and obvious danger, there is a limit to which they can be stopped.’

A statement by witness 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.

Over the years, several cottages have disappeared as the cliffs have gradually been eroded. Earlier this month the steps leading down to the beach below the iconic chalk cliffs were closed due to a recent increase in cliff falls

‘As I was taking photos, she fell down. We all tried to find someone to call 999. After the 999 call, I called the Korean Embassy.’ Jin Gyeong Jang, another witness, said: ‘I saw her standing then heard sound of a bang, then she was not there. At the space where she was standing, there was just a bag.’

Fireman Richard Harrison revealed what he saw when he attended the scene. He said: ‘We discovered the body of a young female, face down. I estimated the cliffs to be between 150 to 200ft high.’

A post-mortem examination concluded that Miss Kim died from catastrophic head injuries on June 22.

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

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 he would welcome further research into methods of preventing further deaths at the tourist spot.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Mr Craze said: ‘This death is not unique.

The South Korean, who had come to Britain to improve her English, suffered catastrophic head injuries after falling from these cliffs (tourists walk by the cliff edge, today)

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

He said he would encourage the National Trust, who own the stretch of cliffs, to look into improved warnings and fencing along the edge.

The cliffs at Birling Gap have experienced possibly the worst coastal erosion in the UK.

In 2005 it was noted they had retreated nearly 300 feet from where they had stood in 1873.

Over the years several cottages have disappeared as the cliffs have gradually been eroded.

Earlier this month the steps leading down to the beach below the iconic chalk cliffs were closed due to a recent increase in cliff falls.

It was hoped the step leading down to the beach at Birling Gap, near Beachy Head - which were completed just four years ago - would provide access for the visitors for decades to come.

But a mixture of storms and high seas has seen the chalk face cliffs disappear beneath the waves.