Known as "Queen Yuna" to her legions of fans, the (20-year old) is far from the haughty ice maiden that moniker might suggest.
She fronts sellout ice dancing shows and has a plethora of advertising deals that cash in on her wholesome image. She is also the host of TV show "Kiss and Cry" -- a South Korean version of "Dancing with the Stars" on ice -- that she (hopes) will popularize the sport in South Korea.
"When I see those participants enjoying themselves, it is a great joy to me," she said. "Although some of them get hurt once in a while, they enjoy it (a lot) and I hope the show makes the viewers want to give it a try." Named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2010, she has trained as an ice skater since (she was 5), moving to Toronto at the age of 16 in order to pursue her Olympic ambitions.
Her work paid off at the Vancouver Olympics last year, (where) she scored a record 228.56 points to win gold in women's figure skating. The highest score since the International Skating Union (ISU) judging system began, she beat her own world record and eclipsed her closest rival, Mao Asada of Japan, by a massive (23.06 points).
