"Netizens wittily suggest that President Moon Jae-in has hired 'good-looking' professionals ... as the attractive public face of the new administration," observed journalist Eom Da-sol in an article for the Korea Times.
"The first person responsible for the suggestion is Moon himself. Photos of the handsome younger Moon went viral on social media when his campaign camp first released them in 2012. "One person commented: 'He will be the first handsome president of Korea'."
The handsome brigade
The cluster of good looking people President Moon has surrounded himself with has been variously dubbed "the handsome brigade" and the "reign of beauty".
Members include Im Jong-seok, the new chief of staff at the presidential residence, whose popularity with the opposite sex can be traced back to his college days.
Former classmates say Im was quite the heartthob at Hanyang University, so much so that when he ran for campus president, female students would steal so many of his campaign posters that he was forced to have hundreds more copies printed.
New senior presidential civil affairs secretary Cho Kuk is also part of the "handsome brigade".
Years ago, during his days as a law professor at the Seoul National University, Cho was constantly fending off besotted students, who would leave him unsolicited gifts.
"I felt uncomfortable about my popularity when I was an undergraduate student," he told the Busan Daily in 2012.
"Dairy drinks or chocolate snacks were piled on my school library seat almost every day."
However, there is no doubt that the buzz surrounding Choi Young-jae leaves Cho, Im and even the viral pictures of "young hot President Moon", in the shade.
After photographs of the bodyguard sent social media into meltdown all over the world at the weekend, President Moon's office issued a - rather coy - public statement.
It said Choi was a former officer with Korea's Special Warfare Command before adding that he was "unfortunately" married with two daughters.
The fact that Choi is taken has in no way dulled his appeal to fan girls and boys who continue to gush over pictures of him online, posting lines such as "I surrender to this 'reign of beauty' with no objections."
Here's how the social media hysteria unfolded over the weekend:
