Shooter Kim Ye-ji poses next to the logo of Tesla. Screenshot from Kim's Instagram
“The winner takes it all” seems to be a thing of the past when it comes to shooter Kim Ye-ji, who garnered the silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air pistol at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July after losing to her younger team member, Oh Ye-jin.
During the summer games, Kim became an overnight sensation as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is also the owner of X, praised her signature composure on his social media platform, saying, “She should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!”
After shooting to stardom, the 32-year-old has continuously hit the headlines with her extracurricular activities, such as being cast as an assassin in “Crush,” a spinoff, short-form series of the film “Asia,” and taking magazine photo shoots for Louis Vuitton and Givenchy Beauty.
Earlier this month, the shooter became Tesla Korea’s first brand ambassador.
Plfil, a local talent agency that signed with her in August, attributed the achievement to Musk’s comment on Kim.
“I’m so glad that I can work with Tesla,” Kim said. “I hope to deliver meaningful messages with Tesla.”
BGF Retail, the operator of CU convenience stores, also decided to roll out 13 types of food and beverage products in collaboration with the shooter. The products include "onigiri" (Japanese rice ball), chicken breast sausage, coffee, packaged fruits and dietary supplements.
The company claimed that the products would help its customers enhance the power of concentration, just as Kim focused on her targets at the Paris Olympics.
Part of the profits from the products will also be donated to the Korea Shooting Federation to support unpopular sports, according to the convenience store operator.
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“We expect our customers to like the products we rolled out in collaboration with Kim, who fascinated Koreans last summer,” a BGF Retail official said.
Kim said she would remain open to doing activities away from the range as long as they can promote her sport.