BUENOS AIRES, Argentina?Two South Koreans clinched first and third place in the First International Violin Competition Buenos Aires, which closes late Wednesday with a concert conducted by Israeli violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz.

The winner of the biannual competition was Jinjoo Cho, followed by 20-year-old American musical prodigy Nigel Armstrong, South Korea's Hyuk Joo Kwun in third place, and Xavier Inchausti of Argentina in fourth.

Special mentions included South Korea's Soh-yon Kim and Italy's Francesca Dego.