--- title: Korean President's 'Hot Bodyguard' Baffled by Fame description: Choi Young-jae, who was by President Moon Jae-in's side during the election race, has become a star in his own right — he doesn't know why. canonical: https://time.com/4785535/korean-bodyguard-hot-choi-young-jae-president/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-19T05:32:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:32.052Z og:title: That Hot Korean Bodyguard Is Baffled by His Fame og:description: "I don't want to steal the limelight," says Choi Young-jae og:url: https://time.com/4785535/korean-bodyguard-hot-choi-young-jae-president/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt347969fb3c281291/6988ce07cf40a82e52c47c38/ap_17129572833514.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Moon Jae-in and bodyguard og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: That Hot Korean Bodyguard Is Baffled by His Fame twitter:description: "I don't want to steal the limelight," says Choi Young-jae twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt347969fb3c281291/6988ce07cf40a82e52c47c38/ap_17129572833514.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Internet Is Swooning Over a Hot Korean Bodyguard. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: South Korean TV Station Turns Moon Jae-In Into a Game of Thrones Character [Watch (HLS stream): South Korean TV Station Turns Moon Jae-In Into a Game of Thrones Character](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZkimLK4n.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2017-05-09. South Koreans didn't need to be bored by hours of vote-counting and punditry that fill airtime ahead of the announcement of a winner in the country's presidential election._ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman May 19, 2017 5:32 AM UTC  In this Wednesday, May 10, 2017, photo, bodyguard Choi Young-jae is visible behind then candidate, now president, Moon Jae-in as Moon greets supporters in Seoul, South Korea. In this Wednesday, May 10, 2017, photo, bodyguard Choi Young-jae is visible behind then candidate, now president, Moon Jae-in as Moon greets supporters in Seoul, South Korea. Ahn Young-joon—AP by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman May 19, 2017 5:32 AM UTC The bodyguard who shadowed recently elected South Korean President [Moon Jae-in](http://time.com/4766618/moon-jae-in-the-negotiator/) during the country’s presidential campaign has become a star in his own right, and he doesn’t know why. Pictures of 36-year-old Choi Young-jae on the campaign trail with Moon caught the Internet’s attention, and his “stunning handsomeness” has gone viral in the form of widely shared photos and screenshots, [reports](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/05/356%5F229580.html) the _Korea Times_. Choi, however, is baffled by the attention, he revealed in [an interview](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/05/356%5F229580.html) with the _Times_. All that focus “does not feel real yet,” Choi said. “Attention should be paid to the president, not me. I don’t want to steal the limelight,” he added. The former commando — he served 10 years in the country’s Special Warfare Command — revealed that he and Moon’s other bodyguards were all volunteers. “I just wanted to play a small role in helping Moon accomplish his long-cherished dream of rebuilding the country,” he told the _Times_. > [](https://twitter.com/elena%5Fyip/status/863030536377446401) The _Times_ reports that, with Moon in the hands of South Korea’s presidential security detail now, the erstwhile bodyguard is taking a well-deserved break — much to the disappointment of his many admirers. Read the full interview [here](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/05/356%5F229580.html). ## Transcript [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ FOREIGN ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4785535/korean-bodyguard-hot-choi-young-jae-president/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4785535/korean-bodyguard-hot-choi-young-jae-president/"},"headline":"The Internet Is Swooning Over a Hot Korean Bodyguard. 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