loading

PEOPLE

menu prev share search

search-close

Film Search

   
  Search

People Search

  Search

Companies Search

  Search

social-close

KIM Yun-jin  
KIM Yun-jin
Actress

Add to My FavoritesAdd to My Favorites

Gender : Female

Nationality : South Korea

Company : Zion Ent Inc.

Website : http://www.zionent.co.kr

Kim Yunjin is a Korean-American actress best known for her work is US television series. Born in Seoul in 1973, she moved with her family to New York when she was 10. Having joined the drama club when she was in middle school and having even dabbled in musicals, she went to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and later received a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from Boston University. First active as an off-Broadway actor, she made a splash in Korea when she starred in the Korean TV series <Splendid Holiday> (1996), her cultural background and proficiency in both Korean and English making her the perfect choice to play a victim of sexual abuse during the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising who is trying to start a new life in the US. She appeared in a few other series, including <Wedding Dress> in which she played again a character living in the US, before making her first film appearance in <Film-making> (1997). Her breakthrough came in what many consider Korea’s first action blockbuster, <Swiri> (1999), in which she plays a secret agent from North Korea. The role, which Director Kang Jekyu offered her after discovering her through <Wedding Dress>, earned her huge popularity as well as the Grand Bell Award for Best New Actress. Staying true to her image of a strong woman, she worked again with Kang in his next project, fighting against the world in <The Legend of Ginko> (2000).
She decided to break away from that image by taking the lead role in the drama <Ardor>. Her performance as Miheun, the woman cheating on her husband as revenge for his infidelity but ending up desiring more as the relationship developed. Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Actress.
In 2003, turning her eyes to Hollywood, Kim signed a contract with a major management firm in the US. Soon after, she landed a role in the popular ABC TV series <Lost>, making her the first Korean actor to ever star on American television. In the show, Kim played Sunny, the Korean woman who is among the few survivors of a plane crash finding themselves stranded on a mysterious island. It was around that time that she also applied and eventually received US citizenship, a decision she took in order to remove the hurdles she was facing as a foreign actor. The hit show would run for six seasons until 2010, with a tight schedule that left her few occasions to take other roles, her most notable credit in film during that period being <Seven Days> (2008). After that, she was cast as one of the leads in another series produced by ABC, <Mistresses> (2013-2016). In 2014, she played opposite Hwang Jungmin in JK Youn’s smash hit blockbuster, globe-hopping melodrama< Ode to My Father> (2014), which became one of Korea’s most successful films of all time. After she took top billing for the supernatural thriller <House of the Disappeared> (2017), she made her comeback on Korean television when she starred as the title character in the 2018 series <Ms Ma, Nemesis>. In 2022, she could be seen in <Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area> (2022), le Korean spin-off of the Spanish series sensation <Money Heist>, and the crime thriller film <Confession> (2020).
Any copying, republication or redistribution of KOFIC's content is prohibited without prior consent of KOFIC.

Related Photo

Filmography

Filmography  
Dog Days (2024)
Actress
Filmography  
Confession (2022)
Actress
Filmography  
Pawn (2020)
Actress
Filmography  
House of the Disappeared (2017)
Actress
Filmography  
Ode to My Father (2014)
Actress
Filmography  
The Neighbors (2012)
Actress
Filmography  
Heartbeat (2011)
Actress
Filmography  
Harmony (2010)
Actress
Filmography  
Farmer’s Song (2008)
Actress
Filmography  
7 Days (2007)
Actress
Filmography  
Bystanders (2005)
Actress
see all

Related News

  1. ·  Escape from Mogadishu, Won the Best Film at the 42nd Fantasporto International Film Festival
    Apr 15, 2022
  2. ·  CONFESSION and LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL to Premiere in Competition at 36th Fribourg Film Festival
    Mar 11, 2022
  3. ·  Yoo Haejin Joins JK Films’ DOG DAYS
    Nov 15, 2021

Related Kofic News

  1. ·  Korean Film Night Reception Ends Successfully in Berlin
    Feb 11, 2015

Related Reports

  1. ·  Confession, Topping the Weekend Box Office for 2 Weeks After Released
    Nov 07, 2022
  2. ·  Confession, Starring So Jisub & Kim Yunjin, Topped the Box Office on Its Release Weekend
    Nov 01, 2022
  3. ·  An Unexpected Jackpot
    Feb 06, 2018

Awards and Invitation

  1. · <7 Days> DAEJONG FILM AWARDS (2008) - Best Actress
  2. · <7 Days> Maxmovie Best Film Award (2008) - Best Actress
  3. · <Ardor> Director's Cut Awards (2002)
  4. · <Ardor> The Blue Dragon Awards (2002) - Best Actress
  5. · <Swiri> Korea Gold Awards Festival (1999) - Best New Actress
  6. · <Swiri> DAEJONG FILM AWARDS (1999) - Best New Actress
top button