Viral Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji becomes Tesla Korea's brand ambassador after Elon Musk's fanboy moment

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji became Tesla Korea’s brand ambassador after receiving praise from Elon Musk, CEO of the Texas-based carmaker.

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji has been named as a brand ambassador for Tesla Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji became Tesla Korea’s brand ambassador after receiving praise from Elon Musk, CEO of the Texas-based carmaker.

“The relationship between Kim Ye-ji and Tesla developed after Elon Musk mentioned her,” the Olympic star’s agency, Plfil, said Friday. The company said that Kim is Tesla Korea’s first brand ambassador. “I’m very excited to work with Tesla, who have recognized me,” Kim said in a press release. “I hope to convey a positive message together with Tesla.”

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji has been named as a brand ambassador for Tesla Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE] [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Clips of Kim went viral after she won silver in the women’s 10-meter air pistol, particularly for her unique shooting glasses and casual stance during her performance.

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji has been named as a brand ambassador for Tesla Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji has been named as a brand ambassador for Tesla Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Musk replied to a tweet from Kim that also gained traction, commenting that the shooter "should be cast in an action movie."

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji has been named as a brand ambassador for Tesla Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The video of Kim competing at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in May in Baku, Azerbaijan, has garnered 53.5 million views and 356,000 likes as of Friday, while Musk’s tweet has received 857,000 views.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]