Taiwanese media spotlights online buzz; netizens ask 'Who is that guy?'

[SBS screen capture]
[SBS screen capture]

The interpreter for South Korea's national baseball team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has drawn unexpected attention abroad for his striking looks.

Taiwanese outlet Jin Ri Xin Wen ran a story Thursday (local time) under the headline "I thought he was a K-drama lead," spotlighting the interpreter working for the Korean baseball team after he became a talking point online.

The outlet referenced the Sept. 21 game between Taiwan and South Korea, writing that "the thrilling match itself generated buzz, but the Korean team's interpreter unexpectedly stole the spotlight with his remarkable looks. Many netizens mistook the broadcast footage for a scene from a K-drama and took screenshots, asking 'Who is that guy?'"

The outlet then revealed his identity, reporting that "the handsome man turned out to be a KBO national team staff member named Baek Deok-yeol."

"Because of his dazzling appearance, all attention to the game vanished and people were just waiting for the camera to pan back to him," the outlet wrote. "Ironically, when a team coach stepped in front of him and blocked the view, netizens joked, 'Could you move? You're blocking the handsome guy.'"

The outlet added that the broadcast clip, which looked "as if a celebrity were filming a K-drama," spread rapidly on social media. "Many netizens tracked down the real identity of this good-looking man," it said. "He is a KBO employee named Baek Deok-yeol, serving as manager and interpreter for the head coach of the Korean national team. He is simply an ordinary person with exceptional looks — not a celebrity or a model."

Baek was caught on the broadcast camera during South Korea's 5-0 victory over Taiwan in the Group B opener on Sept. 21. He was serving as manager and interpreter for Korean national team manager Ryu Ji-hyeon.


jshan@heraldcorp.com