Who is Kim Ye-ji? Elon Musk hyping the South Korean Pistol shooter's "Main Character Energy" post goes viral online

Olympian and South Korean 10M Pistol Shooter, Kim Ye-ji, was lauded by Elon Musk and BAFTA committee member, Del Walker, for her "main character energy." On August 1, 2024, Del Walker posted a clip of Kim Ye-ji from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan (May 2024), on his official X account.

For the unversed, Kim Ye-ji is a 31-year-old pistol shooter from South Korea and a representative of the Imsil County Office at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The video received over 30 million views and shows the South Korean shooter, wearing a black South Korea National Team jersey with a cap, discharging a handgun. As she examined the target with a calm look, she fired her last shot, set down her gun, raised the blinder covering her left eye, and looked off-stage as though to check the score.

To the online users, however, it appeared as though she was coldly assessing an unidentified target, which further made the post go viral online. Del Walker praised the sportsperson for breaking the world record during the tournament and wrote,

"The most "Main Character Energy" I've ever seen in my life."

GQ magazine and Glamour magazine hailed her as a cyberpunk fan-fic assassin, however, the online consensus hailed her for being the "coolest" shooter ever.

Kim Ye-ji's nonchalant expression caught the attention of popular celebrities and public figures, such as Elon Musk, who commented that she should be cast in an action film. Some even wrote that she would've stopped John Wick on the first try.

Elon Musk wrote in his tweet,

"She should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!"

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Kim Ye-ji: The 31-year-old South Korean Olympian sharpshooter

On July 28, 2024, Kim Ye-ji lost to a fellow South Korean sharpshooter in the 10-meter air pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won a silver while Oh Ye-jin took the gold medal. The event was at the Châteauroux Shooting Center. The event's final will be on August 3, 2024.

South China Morning Post reported that after the 10-meter pistol competition, she expressed her satisfaction with her silver medal to AP. She said that she was as thrilled as Oh Ye-jin, who took home the gold.

"I was extra happy. I do not view her as my rival. This is a big stage, the Olympics, and we won the gold and silver. When we won these medals, we were so proud we are Koreans. I thought it did not matter who won the gold."

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post reported that not much is known about Kim Ye-ji, who recently went viral online after her two-month-old ISSF video clip resurfaced. However, reportedly, the 31-year-old hails from Danyang, South Korea, and has a 5-year-old daughter.

According to her biography, she began shooting in middle school just out of curiosity and is a first-time Olympian to take home a gold. She is to participate on August 2 at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 25-meter pistol accuracy qualification.

As quoted by the South China Morning Post, Kim Ye-ji declared,

"I am always confident. At worst, I will try to win one gold medal."