Kim So-yeon is a South Korean actress who was born on November 2, 1980. She is best known for her roles in the television dramas All About Eve (2000), Iris (2009), Prosecutor Princess (2010), Happy Home (2016), and The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021).
Career
At the age of 14, Kim So-yeon entered the Miss Binggrae beauty pageant without the permission of her parents. She didn't have any makeup on, so she used a marker pen as eyeliner and won first place, launching her entertainment career. She made her debut in the SBS drama Dinosaur Teacher and later appeared in popular TV shows such as Reporting for Duty (1996) and Soonpoong Clinic (1998). She also hosted the music programme Inkigayo and appeared in numerous commercials, becoming the first Korean teen star to earn more than ₩100 million from commercial modelling. She was frequently cast in older roles because of her preternaturally mature looks and poise, most notably as a manipulative, villainous anchorwoman in All About Eve, which drew a peak viewership rating of 45.2% when it aired in 2000.
However, being typecast as prim, cold-hearted characters harmed Kim's career, and her star began to fall in the mid-2000s. Her attempts to break into China through Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's wuxia film Seven Swords (in which she played a Joseon noblewoman-turned-slave) and the Chinese dramas Just Like a Beautiful Flying Butterfly and Anhui Merchants both failed. Kim took a three-year hiatus, questioning whether she wanted to continue her career as an actress. Gourmet (adapted from Huh Young-titular man's manhwa) marked her return to television in 2008.
Kim's career resurrected a year later with the 2009 high-budget series Iris. She cut her trademark long hair and worked hard on her action scenes to look convincing in her role as a North Korean spy, earning praise for her portrayal of a tough woman torn between her country's loyalty and her love for a South Korean agent. Kim later reprised the role in Iris the Movie, the series' spin-off Athena: Goddess of War (2010), and the sequel Iris II (2013).
In 2010, Kim was cast as the lead in the romantic comedy Prosecutor Princess, in which she demonstrated her versatility by playing a Legally Blonde-inspired newbie district attorney who initially prefers shopping and dating but surprises her colleagues with her intelligence and learns to strive for justice. Kim compared the cheerful, unpredictable character to her own real-life personality. Later that year, she portrayed a strict doctor in the sports drama Dr. Champ.
Kim starred in Gabi, a 2012 film based on Kim Takhwan's historical fiction novel, as a royal barista embroiled in a plot to assassinate Emperor Gojong. Even before filming began, she spent months studying Russian and brewing coffee. Gabi was Kim's first Korean feature film in 15 years, following 1997's Change. This was followed by another period drama, The Great Seer, in which she played a Goryeo healer.
In Two Weeks (2013), Kim reunited with Prosecutor Princess screenwriter So Hyun-kyung, playing a prosecutor who teams up with a fugitive to bring down a corrupt politician and her gangster henchman. In I Need Romance 3, she played a fashion merchandiser who falls for her much younger childhood friend. Kim later appeared in the "Female Soldier Special" episode of the military boot camp reality show Real Men.
She starred in her second cable series, Beating Again, in 2015, about a businessman who falls in love with his secretary after receiving a heart transplant. Kim also appeared in the fourth season of We Got Married, alongside Kwak Si-yang.
Kim appeared in MBC's weekend drama Happy Home in 2016, playing a mother who lost her son in an accident.
Kim left her previous agency, Namoo Actors, in March 2018 and signed an exclusive contract with J Wide Company on April 3, 2018. After that, she was cast in the SBS weekend drama Secret Mother.
Kim returned to the small screen in March 2019 with the KBS weekend drama Mother of Mine.
In 2020, she appeared as a wicked but famous soprano and musical school director in the SBS TV series The Penthouse: War in Life. "The goal for this drama is that when people think of a female villain, they think of Cheon Seo-jin, just like how Heo Young-mi was remembered," Kim said of her famous villain role in All About Eve 20 years earlier. The series had a national peak viewership rating of 28.8% and was renewed for two more seasons, with Kim reprising her role. Kim also received the Award for Best Actress - Television at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, as well as the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 2021 SBS Drama Awards.
Private life
In June 2017, Kim married actor Lee Sang-woo. In 2016, they began a romantic relationship. On the set of MBC's weekend drama Happy Home, the two met.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Change | Ko Eun-bi | |
| 2005 | Seven Swords | Luzhu/Green Pearl | |
| 2007 | The Pictures | Photographer | Short film |
| 2010 | Iris the Movie | Kim Seon-hwa | |
| 2012 | Gabi | Tanya | |
| 2015 | Love Forecast | Kang Joon-soo's ex-girlfriend 1 | Cameo |
| 2022 | It's Alright | TVING Shorts Film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dinosaur Teacher | ||
| Daughters of a Rich Family | Hye-ri (Kwon Il-ryung's daughter) | ||
| 1995 | Drama Game – Min-woo vs. Min-woo | ||
| Drama Game – Their Summer | |||
| 1996 | You Can't Stop Mom | Eldest daughter | |
| Drama Game – Come Back Home | Park Mi-kyung | ||
| City Men and Women | Yoo Won-hee | ||
| 1.5 | |||
| Reporting for Duty | Woo Ji-soo | ||
| Open Your Heart | Jung Yoo-kyung | ||
| Seven Spoons | Hye-joo | ||
| 1997 | Because of Love | ||
| Drama Special – Christmas in May | |||
| Yesterday | Lee Seung-hye | ||
| Friday Night Theater "On Her First Night" | |||
| 1998 | Soonpoong Clinic | Oh So-yeon | |
| I Love You, I Love You | Lee Soon-young | ||
| Winners | Kim Seo-joo | ||
| 1999 | Sunday Best "Pickpocket by Name" | Kim Ji-hyun | |
| We Saw a Little Lost Bird | Seo Ga-hee | ||
| Ad Madness | Lee Ye-rin | ||
| 2000 | All About Eve | Heo Young-mi | |
| Mom and Sister | Noh Seung-ri / Jang Yoo-kyung | ||
| 2002 | Sunlight Upon Me | Kim Yeon-woo | |
| Trio | Choi Seo-young | ||
| 2004 | 2004 Human Market | Hong Si-yeon | |
| Just Like a Beautiful Flying Butterfly | Jin Zhi Xiu | ||
| 2005 | Autumn Shower | Lee Kyu-eun | |
| 2007 | Anhui Merchants | Hu Yu Ling | |
| 2008 | Gourmet | Yoon Joo-hee | |
| 2009 | Iris | Kim Seon-hwa | |
| 2010 | Prosecutor Princess | Ma Hye-ri | |
| Dr. Champ | Kim Yeon-woo | ||
| Athena: Goddess of War | Kim Seon-hwa | Cameo (Episode 17 & 19) | |
| 2012 | The Great Seer | Hae-in | |
| 2013 | Iris II | Kim Seon-hwa | Cameo (Episode 20) |
| Two Weeks | Park Jae-kyung | ||
| 2014 | I Need Romance 3 | Shin Joo-yeon | |
| 2015 | Beating Again | Kim Soon-jung | |
| 2016 | One More Happy Ending | Divorced woman | Cameo (Episode 1) |
| Happy Home | Bong Hae-ryung | ||
| 2017 | 20th Century Boy and Girl | Director Kim | Cameo |
| 2018 | Secret Mother | Kim Lisa | |
| 2019 | Mother of Mine | Kang Mi-ri | |
| 2020–2021 | The Penthouse: War in Life | Cheon Seo-jin | Season 1–3 |
| 2023 | Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 | Ryu Hong-joo |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | High-End Crush | Entertainment news anchor | Cameo |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Inkigayo (Popular Music) Best 50 | Host | |
| 1998–2000 | Inkigayo (Popular Music) | ||
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards | ||
| 2014 | Real Men: Female Soldier Special - Season 1 | Cast member | |
| 2015 | We Got Married - Season 4 | ||
| 2016 | King of Mask Singer | Contestant | As "Nice to Meet You Squirrel" (Episode 77) |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Why Is the Sky" | Lee Ji-hoon |
| 1997 | "Beautiful Goodbye" | Jung Jae-wook |
| 1998 | "Endless Sorrow" | Sa Joon |
| 2008 | "Classic" | KCM |
| "Diary of a Day" | ||
| "Fluttering" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Hamlet | Ophelia |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APAN Star Awards | 2013 | Excellence Award, Actress | Two Weeks | Won |
| 2016 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Happy Home | Won | |
| 2022 | The Penthouse: War in Life 2 and 3 | Nominated | ||
| Asia Model Awards | 2011 | Asia Special Award | Kim Soo-yeon | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2010 | Best Actress – Television | Iris | Nominated |
| 2021 | The Penthouse: War in Life | Won | ||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 1998 | Best New Actress | Change | Nominated |
| Broadcast Advertising Festival | 2022 | CF Star Award | Kim So-yeon | Won |
| Busan International Film Festival | 2013 | Female Fashionista Award | Won | |
| Grimae Awards | 2021 | Best Actress | The Penthouse: War in Life | Won |
| Herald-Donga TV Lifestyle Awards | 2013 | Best Style Award | Kim So-yeon | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 1995 | Best Young Actress | Daughters of a Rich Family Drama Game Minwoo vs. Minwoo What Summer of Two Girls | Won |
| 2009 | Popularity Award, Actress | Iris | Won | |
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Mother of Mine | Won | |
| Korean Broadcasting Awards | 2021 | Popularity Award | The Penthouse: War in Life 1,2 | Nominated |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2016 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Happy Home | Won |
| Star of the Year | Won | |||
| Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | 2012 | Best Actress (Film) | Gabi | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2000 | Viewer's Favorite Character (Actress) | All About Eve | Won |
| 2013 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Two Weeks | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Happy Home | Nominated | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in Serial Drama | Won | |||
| Best Couple Award | Kim So-yeon (with Lee Sang-woo) Happy Home | Nominated | ||
| MBC Entertainment Awards | 2015 | Top Excellence Award for Variety Show | We Got Married | Won |
| Miss Binggrae Pageant | 1994 | Miss Binggrae June | Kim So-yeon | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 1994 | Best Young Actress | Dinosaur Teacher | Won |
| 1998 | Popularity Award, Actress | Soonpoong Clinic Winners I Love You, I Love You | Won | |
| 2008 | Best Supporting Actress in a Special Planning Drama | Gourmet | Won | |
| 2010 | Top 10 Stars | Prosecutor Princess, Dr. Champ | Won | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama | Dr. Champ | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | Prosecutor Princess | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | The Great Seer | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Daily/Weekend Drama | Secret Mother | Won | |
| 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-Length Drama | The Penthouse: War in Life | Won | |
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | The Penthouse: War in Life 2 and 3 | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Kim So-yeon (with Um Ki-joon) The Penthouse: War in Life 2 and 3 | Nominated | ||
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Korean Actress | The Penthouse: War in Life | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Nominated |
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes | 2021 | Korea Power Celebrity | 24th |
| 2022 | 23th |
| Popular As | N/A |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Age | 42 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Born | 2 November 1980 |
| Birthday | 2 November |
| Birthplace | Seoul, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korea |
| Physical Status | |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.67 m |
| Family | |
|---|---|
| Husband | Lee Sang-woo (m. 2017) |
| Net Worth in 2022 | $1 Million - $5 Million |
| Source of Income | Actress |
,-Biography,-Wiki,-Age,-Boyfriend-&-More-134.jpg "Surabhi-Samriddhi Mehra (Chinky Minky), Biography, Wiki, Age, Boyfriend & More")
