Seoul man - Ambassador by day, samba sensation by night

Brazil's latest music sensation grinned from ear to ear as he moseyed down Copacabana beach contemplating his unusual rise to fame.

- Tom Phillips

"Samba brings me joy and makes me happy," the 59-year-old crooner said in Portuguese, as he posed for photos in the shade of palm trees.

The entertainer in question isn't your average Rio samba star. In fact, he's a South Korean diplomat from a very different seaside metropolis on the other side of the globe. But Lim Ki-mo, Korea's Busan-born ambassador to Brazil, has sung his way to stardom since being posted to the South American country three years ago, with a series of viral performances in which he has belted out Brazilian hits.

Last month, Lim's singing career hit new heights as he took the stage at one of Rio's most illustrious samba spots, Renascença Clube, to perform with one of its top samba groups. Hundreds of samba connoisseurs danced euphorically as Seoul's man in Brasília sang tracks by the legendary composer Adoniran Barbosa and the chart-topping combo Grupo Revelação.

"The crowd went berserk," said Gabriel Cavalcante, the singer who invited ambassador Lim to perform with his group, Samba do Trabalhador.

Footage of the diplomat's impassioned presentation exploded on social media with critics giving him a unanimous thumbs up. "His performances... are filled with emotion and energy," said Rio broadsheet O Globo.