In late 2005, a YouTube video showing a mysterious guitarist attracted huge attention with more than 7 million views. The guy in the video played a difficult rock version of Pachelbel's Canon in a room with his face obscured by a baseball cap and sunlight pouring behind him.

After eight months, an article in the New York Times finally revealed that he was Korean Lim Jeong-hyun who was studying at Auckland University in New Zealand. In the article titled "Web Guitar Wizard Revealed at Last," the reporter Virginia Heffernan wrote that Lim's virtuosity made him to "find beauty in the speed and accuracy that the new internet world demands."

"The New York Times article was a trigger," recalled Lim, 25, who is currently in Seoul preparing for the next semester at Yonsei University as an exchange student.

"I had no intention to hide my identity. I just wanted to hide my ugly hair that day," he said with a smile. "I didn't know much about YouTube at that time and couldn't understand the situation that an ordinary person like me can be spotlighted that much." The video was copied and posted on YouTube by a fan from a Korean music site where Lim originally uploaded it in October, 2005.

After the revelation about his real identity, he was interviewed by several international newspapers and television channels such as the Los Angeles Times, Reuters and CNN.

As one of the site's most-viewed videos, Lim's guitar playing video is widely considered an early example of the social impact of YouTube and the viewing number is still growing -- surpassing 53 million as of December.

Even though the comments and videos linked to the video are all about praise and admiration, he said he is more attracted by some harsh criticism on his fingering. "The main reason for my filming videos is to show my playing to people and listen from them," he said.

After first picking up a guitar eight years ago when he was a high school student, he has completely self taught -- except for one month of guitar lessons. It took three weeks for him to master the "Canon Rock," arranged by a Taiwanese guitarist Jerry Chang, which demands a player's high dexterity.

Thanks to the popularity he gained through the YouTube video, he has held several concerts at home and abroad over the last three years, and released his first song "Mission," which was inspired by his tour around the world in 2007.

In November, his dream came true when he staged with Joe Satriani, legendary American guitarist who was a lead guitarist for famous bands like the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. In preparation for YouTube Live, which featured a variety of YouTube celebrities, the concert organizer asked Lim to submit a list of musicians who he wanted to play with.

"Of course, on the top of the list was my favorite guitar master Jo Satriani. And they made it. It was a superb stage," Lim said, "I was a little nervous though. The concert was streamed live in San Francisco and Tokyo to the world. You never knew how many people were watching my performance."

On the stage he played a Korean Peninsula-shaped guitar with the country's national flag engraved on it. "I also wanted to introduce Korea to the world," he said.

So far, Lim has released four digital singles in Korea and is often asked to become a professional musician. But he has never thought about it.

"I feel no need to choose one thing and give up another. I want to have a job related to my major, information science, and continue music. It will be great though, if it's about music," he said. "When I'm fully ready, I hope to release my regular album containing songs that I create."

"The most important thing that I can earn from my YouTube popularity is I have found my own color in everything. I have become much more confident and energetic.

"I feel great when people say they become interested in guitar or they start guitar again after watching my video. And more broadly I would like to be a person who can inspire other people especially youngsters to try new things and have a dream," he said.