Kim Ye-ji: "Grateful to be a 'Fashion Icon' but I am a Shooting Athlete"

Interview with CNN... "It Hasn't Changed Much Since the Olympics"

Kim Yeji (32, Imsil County Office), who emerged as a star of the 2024 Paris Olympics, said she will not forget her duties as a shooting athlete.

On the 13th (local time), Kim Yeji emphasized in an interview with CNN that "not much has changed after the Olympics." During the interview, Kim was seen taking out the silver medal she won at the Paris Olympics from a corner of her bag, rather than from a fancy case.

Looking back on the Paris Olympics, she cited the gold medal showdown against Oh Yejin (IBK Industrial Bank) in the 10m air pistol final as the most memorable moment. Although she had to settle for the silver medal, trailing by 1.9 points, Kim recalled, "I wasn’t nervous because it was the Olympics. I really enjoyed the competition. Of course, there were some regrets about the match, but not because I didn’t win the gold medal, rather because I didn’t perform as well as I could have."

On the morning of the 13th, Kim Ye-ji, the silver medalist of the Paris Olympics, competed in the preliminary round of the women's 10m air pistol event at the 105th National Sports Festival held at Changwon International Shooting Range in Changwon, Gyeongnam.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Kim Yeji made headlines when she received a shout out from Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, during the Paris Olympics. Musk said Kim should be cast in an action movie, and subsequently, she was cast in a spin-off short form of the movie "Asia." Additionally, fashion magazine W Korea shot a fashion pictorial featuring Kim as a model alongside the world-renowned luxury brand Louis Vuitton.

Regarding her rapid rise as a star attracting global attention, Kim said, "As an athlete, I never even thought about acting in movies," but added, "If it gives more people a chance to be exposed to shooting, I would gladly appear." However, she stated, "I'm grateful to be called a fashion icon, but I am a shooting athlete," and "The photo shoots are just one aspect of me."

Kim also shared a conversation with her six-year-old daughter, saying she aims to win a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She smiled and said, "I have to start preparing now for the Olympics. My daughter told me, ‘You have to win the gold medal next time.’ So I promised her I would win the gold."