The Korea Herald

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What’s next for Moon Jae-in’s handsome bodyguard?

By Lim Jeong-yeo

Published : May 15, 2017 - 18:33

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For those who have been fiercely following President Moon Jae-in’s picture-perfect Korean bodyguard, prepare to be crushed.

Choi Young-jae is not single. And he’s not likely to be seen much in public either.

The 36-year-old caught the media’s attention last week when he was spotted by the new president’s side on Election Day. 

(AFP) (AFP)

Foreign media such as Quartz, Vice, Huffington Post and Allure rushed to report about the then obscure Korean bodyguard, sending him toward the path of online celebrity.

Choi soon found himself on the receiving end of more than 22,000 tweets swooning over his good looks.

Koreans have gone so far as to call him “Face Hegemony,” referring to the power of his good looks fitting the image of a new leader in Korea.

Choi‘s overnight online stardom led to a slew of comments and jokes. 

(Twitter @elena_yip) (Twitter @elena_yip)

“If I charge towards the South Korean president, will this bodyguard tackle me?” wrote a Twitter user named Laura.

Unfortunately for his fans, Choi is happily married and has two daughters, according to sources who work at the presidential Blue House.

On top of this, there might not be any more public sightings of Choi since his service was temporary, only for the period when Moon was campaigning as a candidate.

(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

Although Choi does not belong to the official presidential bodyguard team, some of his fans hope that he will continue to work for President Moon in the presidential office.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)