# Keum Sae-rok

Keum Sae-rok (Korean: 금새록; born September 6, 1992) is a South Korean actress. After appearing in a number of television commercials and short films, she had her first feature in mainstream films, The Silenced (2015), and gained wider recognition for her prominent role in the comedy-drama series The Fiery Priest (2019), which brought Keum the Best New Actress at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards. She subsequently starred in the Youth of May (2021), The Interest of Love (2022–2023), and Soundtrack #2 (2023).

## Early life and education

Keum Sae-rok was born on September 6, 1992 in Dong District, Daegu, South Korea. She graduated from the Seoul Institute of the Arts with a degree in acting.

## Career
### 2011–2018: Early career beginnings

Keum's career began with her appearing in television commercials and short films before landing minor roles in mainstream films The Silenced (2015), Assassination (2015), and Love, Lies (2016). In 2017, she was cast in a supporting role in the hit thriller Believer (2018). In 2018, she first drew notice as one of the daughters in the family drama Marry Me Now (2018).

### 2019–present: Rising popularity and transition to leading roles

Her subsequent performance as a tough rookie detective in the comedy television series The Fiery Priest (2019) brought her wider recognition and won her Best New Actress at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards. Later that year, Keum joined the film The King's Letters (2019).
In 2020, Keum joined tvN's Drama Stage Season 3: Everyone Is There.
In 2021, Keum joined the SBS drama Joseon Exorcist, but it only aired 2 episodes. It was canceled due to historical distortions, which caused Keum to write an apology letter. Keum later joined the KBS drama Youth of May, which was based on the Gwangju Uprising. Later, Keum joined the SBS variety program Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant. In July, Keum joined the cast of the film Open the Door.
On December 10, 2021, it was reported that Keum had terminated her contract with UL Entertainment and decided not to renew the contract after 5 years. On December 20, 2021, it was announced that Keum had signed a contract with History D&C.
In January 2024, Keum signed with new agency BH Entertainment.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | The Silenced | Oyama Naoko | |
| 2015 | Assassination | Perfume salesman | |
| 2016 | Love, Lies | Adult gisaeng | Cameo |
| 2016 | The Last Princess | Park Joo-ok | |
| 2016 | The Age of Shadows | Dining section bartender | Cameo |
| 2016 | Han River | Nurse 3 | |
| 2017 | The King | Jun Hee-sung's friend | |
| 2018 | Believer | Soo-jeong | |
| 2018 | The Spy Gone North | President's Bodyguards Female Officer 3 | |
| 2019 | The King's Letters | Jin-ah | |
| 2019 | Our Body | Hee-jung | |
| 2022 | Cabriolet | Jia | It will premiere at the 26th BIFAN. |
| TBA | Open the Door | | |
| TBA | 7 O'Clock Breakfast Meeting for the Heartbroken | TBA | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2018 | Marry Me Now | Park Hyun-ha | |
| 2019 | The Fiery Priest | Seo Seung-ah | |
| 2019 | Class of Lies | Ha So-hyeon | |
| 2020 | Drama Stage: "Everyone Is There" | Kang Il-young | Season 3 – one-act drama |
| 2021 | Joseon Exorcist | Hyeum | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Youth of May | Lee Soo-ryun | |
| 2022–2023 | The Interest of Love | Park Mi-kyung | |
| 2024 | Iron Family | Lee Da-rim | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2016 | Game Development Girls | Cosplay party 2 |
| 2023 | Soundtrack 2 | Hyun-seo |
| TBA | People of the Blue House | Second daughter |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant | Co-host | Episodes 169–200 | |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best Supporting Actress | Youth of May | Nominated |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2021 | Rising Star Actress | Keum Sae-rok | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2018 | Best New Actress | Marry Me Now | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Best New Actress | Youth of May | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Best Supporting Actress | Youth of May | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2024 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Iron Family | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2024 | Popularity Award, Actress | Iron Family | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2024 | Best Couple Award (with Kim Jung-hyun) | Iron Family | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Best New Actress | The Fiery Priest | Won |
| SBS Entertainment Awards | 2021 | Rookie Award in Variety | Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant | Won |