Hanbok goddess Choi Eun-ji to serve as ambassador for celebrity baseball tournament

Known as the 'Hanbok Goddess,' Choi Eun-ji is continuing her journey in cultural content by bridging traditional culture and sports as the newly appointed ambassador for a celebrity baseball tournament.

Choi will serve as the ambassador for the 20th Hanstar Celebrity Baseball Tournament, which opens on the 24th at Incheon Seonhak Baseball Stadium. This year's tournament features 10 celebrity baseball teams, including the defending champions Albatross, as well as Gongnoriya, Bromance, Stars, Intermission, Jomajoma, Cheonhamujeok, Crusaders, BMB, and POM.

Choi first gained public recognition after winning the grand prize at the '2020 Republic of Korea Hanbok Model Contest.' Since then, she has consistently worked to promote the aesthetics of *hanbok* and traditional culture, earning the title of 'Hanbok Evangelist.'

Upon her selection as ambassador, Choi stated, "I sincerely congratulate the hosting of the 20th Hanstar Celebrity Baseball Tournament. I ask for much interest and support for the opening ceremony held on Monday, August 24, at Incheon Seonhak Baseball Stadium."

She concluded her congratulatory message by wishing for great games from the celebrity baseball players and the safe operation of the tournament, adding the message, "On Mondays when there is no professional baseball, it's celebrity baseball!"

Choi's current role as an ambassador is drawing attention as an expansion of her long-standing work in the cultural content sector. While she has focused on promoting traditional culture and tourism content centered around *hanbok*, she is now creating a point of intersection with the realm of popular culture through sports.

Notably, Choi previously appeared on actress Han Ga-in's YouTube channel, 'Free Woman Han Ga-in,' to introduce the beauty of *hanbok*. In the video, where she showcased *hanbok* alongside Han Ga-in against the backdrop of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the two women's different vibes harmonized with the traditional attire, drawing significant buzz. The footage also captured foreign tourists watching the two women in their glamorous *hanbok*, demonstrating how *hanbok* is consumed as a representative cultural content of Korea.

Choi has not remained merely a *hanbok* model but has expanded her professional scope into content production and cultural planning. While working as a *hanbok* creator and reporter, she also serves as the CEO of the media company 'Yeougom,' building connections with the public through various fields such as sports reporting, clothing modeling, and travel vlogging.

In 2023, she established the content production company 'Yeougom' and fully entered the cultural content business. Currently, while operating the YouTube channel 'Yeougom Channel,' she is developing businesses in cultural exchange and content production, including tourism fairs, traditional clothing fashion shows, and domestic and international video promotions.

It is noteworthy that Choi's sphere of activity, which began in the relatively specific cultural niche of traditional clothing, is expanding into sports, tourism, and media content. Rather than consuming *hanbok* simply as a legacy of the past, she is combining it with contemporary popular culture such as broadcasting, video, fashion, tourism, and sports.

This celebrity baseball tournament is expected to serve as another stage for Choi to create a cultural intersection. As her public recognition built through traditional cultural content combines with a major sports event, interest is growing regarding how she will continue to expand the boundaries of cultural content in the future.