Choi Hye-seon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Choi Hye-seon | |
|---|---|
.png) Choi in 2024 | |
| Born | June 21, 1998[1] South Korea |
| Other names | Hazel Choi |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Model |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Modeling information | |
| Agency | Mood Brand Consulting[3] |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최혜선 |
| RR | Choe Hyeseon |
| MR | Ch'oe Hyesŏn |
Choi Hye-seon (Korean: 최혜선; born 1998) is a South Korean model. She gained attention through her appearance in the series Single's Inferno Season 3 (2023–2024),[4] including for the way she tearfully shared her joy and emotions,[5] her high self-esteem and honest confidence,[6] and being the most prominent name of her season, due to her social and likeable personality and skillful and intelligent behavior.[7] Later retrospectives described her as a star who drove the program's box office.[8] While on the show, her Instagram followers rose from 2,000 to 1,600,000,[9] and she was the first of the cast to reach 1,000,000 followers.[10] Following the attention she received as the show aired, she took a break from social media.[11] As of November 2024, Choi still got along well with the other contestants, often kept in touch with Yun Ha-jeong,[12] and later reunited with many others.[13] She continued to be involved in later seasons, watching the fifth season before participating in a photoshoot with other alumna.[14]
She later returned to social media, including appearances at events such as a Jujutsu Kaisen and Casetify collaboration in early 2024 where she surprised fans with her British accent.[15] Her second reality show appearance came on Game of Blood, whose production presentation she attended with the rest of the cast in Seoul.[16][17] Her season received the top spot in TV-OTT topicality ratings,[18] ranked first overall in new paid subscriptions,[19] ranked first in the non-drama topicality category,[20] and the female cast including Choi were nominated for a Blue Dragon Series Award in the category of Female Entertainer Award / Rookie Female Entertainer Award.[21]
Choi lived in the United States until middle school, and was racially discriminated against at that time,[22] before attending an all girls high school in Korea.[23] She majored in bioinformatics at the Life Sciences department of Ewha Womans University, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and previously held internships at Seoul National University's Department of Biomedical Sciences as well as Cipherome, a Silicon Valley startup.[2][24][1][25]
In Choi's early 20s she befriended Shin Ae-jin, who would die in the Itaewon Tragedy. Choi later contributed a testimonial to a book of grieving essays written by Shin's father.[26][27][28] Choi attended Durham University and as of November 2024 lived in the UK, after having obtained a master's degree in data science, bioinformatics, and biological modeling in October 2024.[29][12] She received her official diploma in January 2025.[30]
Career
Before her appearance on Single's Inferno 3, Choi modeled for Andar and Round Lab,[29][31] Joy Gryson,[32][33] Nature Republic and 29CM,[34] as well as Swarovski, Sulwhasoo and Maybelline.[35] She and the rest of the Single's Inferno 3 cast modeled for Dazed as the show was airing.[36] After her rise to fame, a 2021 modeling experience with Enhypen came to light.[37] While on the program, she notably wore a Rom&nd's lip tint which later won a 2023 Olive Young Award.[38][39] She also maintained a workout routine five days a week of weight training,[40] gym, yoga, and running, and kept a strict diet.[41] After the show ended, she started a YouTube channel that she originally intended to devote to ASMR.[42]
Choi reunited with fellow Single's Inferno 3 participant Yu Si-eun to model for Alice + Olivia after the show's finale,[43][44] and her outfit of the day looks were compared to castmate Cho Min-ji's.[45] In June 2024, Dentiste selected her as the star of their new brand campaign, launching with two videos on Dentiste's YouTube channel.[46][47] Later in 2024, she modeled for lululemon[48][49] before being selected as ambassador for F&F's Sergio Tacchini brand for the rest of the year.[50][51] She also modeled for Olay, Fila, and Skin Food.[52] At the end of 2024, she was featured in volume 33 of Olive Young's My Precious editorial.[53][54]
After Choi's appearance on Game of Blood 3, she was invited to the Ganni Show at Paris Fashion Week in early 2025,[55][56] as well as the EENK show with Single's Inferno 4 participant Chung You-jin, a fellow Ewha Women's University alumna.[57] Chung and her castmate Kook Dong-ho collaborated with Choi on an avatar blind date for Esquire, during which she revealed that her Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was ENFP.[58] A later social media post from Choi attracted media attention, and comment from Chung herself.[59][60] Choi also modeled for Max Mara in Granada[61] and attended the grand launch event for the item she modeled.[62][63] Her 2025 birthday party received media coverage, including acknowledgment of her master's degree.[64]
Choi hosted the premiere episode of Olive Young's These Days All Young program along with Harimu, who appeared on the reality show Street Woman Fighter 2.[65] She later modeled for Calvin Klein[66] and was invited as Korea's representative to Longchamp's global influencer event in London,[67] before reuniting with Max Mara at their runway collection in Milan[68][69] and attending No.21's spring show.[70] As of early 2026, she worked as a data scientist consultant,[71] and was later selected to participate in HK inno.N's Zero Sugar Campaign due to showing her "confident charm" in dating entertainment,[72] before being selected as a new brand model for Allergan's Skinvive and Juvéderm due to her unique natural and healthy charm.[73][74]
Choi's candid appearances also continued to attract media attention, as in Lisbon, when her past media appearances were noted along with her contemporary natural expression and feminine silhouette.[75][76]
Philanthropy
Choi participated in a children's charity campaign for World Vision International,[29] later lending her support again for the Stop Ring Challenge to raise funds for a village in Zambia.[77][78][79] The production company that worked with her to promote that challenge also worked with Kook Dong-ho after his collaboration with Choi for Esquire.[80] In May 2024, she contributed to a Green Allure initiative that planted 4,000 jasmine trees in the Ichon area of Hangang Park.[81]
