Olympic shooter Kim Yeji signs with casting agency, set for Louis Vuitton photo shoot

Kim Yeji (32), a silver medalist in shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics and representing Imsil County, has officially signed with an acting casting agency.

On August 19, the casting platform “Plfil” announced on Facebook that it has taken on the official management of Kim Yeji as her agency.

According to Plfil, Kim Yeji is set to participate in a photo shoot for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton following the agency contract.

Plfil stated, “As we are currently an acting platform, we took time to carefully consider whether we could effectively manage a sports athlete,” but added, “We believe that our platform, short-form content production capabilities, and global network can contribute significantly to sports management as well.”

The agency continued, “We concluded that we could support Kim Yeji in expanding her presence on larger stages,” and added, “The more we communicated, the stronger our confidence in managing her grew, and our desire to grow together increased.”

Plfil also mentioned, “Based on our experience in managing actors and entertainers, we plan to support Kim Yeji’s domestic and international activities and actively ensure that she shines on various stages.”

Kim Yeji won the silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol final at the Paris Olympics on July 28. Her performance garnered significant attention on social media both domestically and internationally.

Her image, with a stoic expression while donning a white baseball cap emblazoned with the Korean flag, along with her shooting glasses and blinders, captivated audiences, earning her nicknames like “Korea’s John Wick” and “Sci-fi Assassin.”

Additionally, a video from the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, last May resurfaced, drawing renewed attention. In the video, Kim Yeji, wearing a black baseball cap backward, maintained a calm demeanor while shooting, setting a world record with an expressionless face as she lowered her gun, thrilling viewers worldwide.

Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on the video, praising her, saying, “(Kim) should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!”

However, in an interview with the LA Times, Kim Yeji distanced herself from pursuing opportunities outside of shooting.

When asked if she would consider a cameo as a sharpshooter in a film like “John Wick,” she responded, “I haven’t given it much serious thought. I’ve gotten requests to appear on television already, but I don’t know. For the most part, I think I need to focus on my primary commitment, which is shooting. And I also feel that people want to see Kim Ye-ji the shooter, not another version of me.”

During the interview, she also expressed gratitude to Musk for bringing attention to the sport of shooting.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeji was selected as one of NBC’s “Top 10 Stars of the Paris Olympics” and one of the “Top 5 Athletes Who Made an Outstanding Olympic Debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics” by the South China Morning Post.

BY SUYOUNG HA, YOUNGNAM KIM [ha.suyoung@joongang.co.kr]