# Kim So-eun

Kim So-eun (born September 6, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2009 in the popular television drama Boys Over Flowers. She has since starred in Happiness in the Wind (2010), A Thousand Kisses (2011–12), Liar Game (2014), Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015), Our Gap-soon (2016–17), Evergreen (2018), and Three Bold Siblings (2022–23). She has won various accolades such as Best New Actress, Special Acting Award and was nominated in different years for Excellence Award and Best Actress in A Special.

## Career
### 2004–2009: First films and rising popularity

Kim So-eun made her acting debut with a bit part in the 2004 film Two Guys, when she was in junior high school. She then appeared in minor roles on TV and film, including Sisters of the Sea and The Show Must Go On (where she played Song Kang-ho's daughter).
Kim rose to fame in 2009 with her supporting role as the heroine's best friend in the hit drama Boys Over Flowers. The same year, Kim gained praise for her versatility since for her portrayal of Chae Shi-ra's childhood counterpart Hwangbo Soo in the period epic Empress Cheonchu, for which she learned how to ride a horse and shoot with a bow and arrow. Kim then portrayed an older mid 20s woman in the romantic comedy series He Who Can't Marry, a remake of Japanese drama Kekkon Dekinai Otoko.

### 2010–2012: Transition to leading roles

Kim landed her first leading role in the 2010 daily drama Happiness in the Wind (also known as A Good Day For The Wind To Blow), which further raised her Korean Wave profile.
She then starred in weekend drama A Thousand Kisses (2011-2012), which explored age differences in relationships.
In 2012, she starred in the ten-episode Chinese drama Secret Angel (Chinese: 秘密天使), which aired on the portal website Sohu.com. She returned to Korean television in the cable drama Happy Ending. That same year, she also appeared in Music and Lyrics, a reality show in which an actress and a male musician are paired together to collaborate, as lyricist and composer respectively, in creating a song. Kim and Lee Junho (from boyband 2PM) composed the song "Love is Sad," which Lee also recorded; it was released as a single and featured on the soundtrack of Feast of the Gods.
After playing Princess Sukhwi in the period epic Horse Doctor (also known as The King's Doctor, 2012–2013), Kim starred in After School: Lucky or Not (in the Korean title, bokbulbok refers to a game of chance, literally meaning "Luck, No Luck"), opposite the 5 members of actor-idol group 5urprise, which was distributed via SK Telecom's online and mobile portals.
She and Victoria Song (member of girl group f(x)) were also chosen to host Glitter, a variety show on the lives of trendy twenty-somethings.

### 2014–present: Return to screen television

In 2014, Kim starred in the horror film Mourning Grave, playing a ghost girl who forms a friendship with a ghost-seeing high school boy Kang Ha-neul. This was followed by a leading role in Liar Game, a Korean drama adaptation of the titular Japanese manga by Shinobu Kaitani. Kim also joined the fourth season of reality show We Got Married, where she was paired with Song Jae-rim in a "virtual" marriage; it boosted their popularity as a couple and as individual celebrities.
In 2015, Kim starred in the webtoon adaptation Scholar Who Walks the Night, playing dual roles as a nobleman's daughter and a vampire's past love. She was set to launch her activities in China through the romance film Sky Lantern (also known as Lover of Days Past), a Korean-Chinese co-production film in which she stars opposite Taiwanese singer-actor Aaron Yan. The same year, she starred in the web drama Falling for Challenge alongside Xiumin.
In 2016, Kim signed with new management agency Will Entertainment.
From 2016 to 2017, she starred in the family drama Our Gap-soon as the title character.
In 2017, Kim starred in the KBS Drama Special You're Closer than I Think together with actor Lee Sang-yeob. The same year, Kim confirmed her return to the silver screen with romance fantasy film Are you in love? opposite Sung Hoon.
In 2018, Kim starred in the romance comedy series That Man Oh Soo with CNBLUE's Lee Jong-hyun.
In August 2021, Kim signed with new agency Ascendio Reserve.

## Other activities

As a child, Kim trained professionally as a national athletic skier. Her training was put on indefinite hold after being scouted as a professional model in a 2003 junior advanced skiing and snowboarding competition in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. She retained her interest in the sport, appearing in 2012 instructional videos for Hongcheon's Vivaldi ski resort.
Kim has endorsed various products, and has appeared in magazines such as Allure Korea, High Cut, Vogue Korea, InStyle Korea, Elle Girl Korea, Harper's Bazaar, CeCi, L'Officiel, Esquire Korea, and Nylon Korea.
A regular advocate of art films, youth activism, and eco-living, she served as the goodwill ambassador for the 2009 Korea International Youth Film Festival, the 2009 University Fashion Week, the 2011 Jeonju International Film Festival, the Golden Cinema Festival in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 Green Film Festival.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Two Guys | 투가이즈 | — | bit part |
| 2006 | Family Matters | 모두들, 괜찮아요? | Su-jeong | |
| 2006 | Fly, Daddy, Fly | 플라이대디 | Jang Da-mi | |
| 2007 | The Show Must Go On | 우아한 세계 | Hee-soo | |
| 2007 | Someone Behind You | 두 사람이다 | Kim Ga-yeon | |
| 2014 | Mourning Grave | 소녀괴담 | Se-hee | |
| 2014 | Entangled | 현기증 | Kkot-nip | |
| 2015 | Sky Lantern | 풍등 | Mei Lin | |
| 2020 | Are We In Love? | 사랑하고 있습니까 | So-jung | |
| 2022 | The Distributors | 유포자들 | Im Seon-ae | waave film |

### Television series

| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Sisters of the Sea | 자매바다 | young Song Jung-hee | |
| 2005 | Sad Love Story | 슬픈연가 | young Park Hye-in | |
| 2006 | First Love | 드라마 시티 | Jung-hee | Drama City |
| 2007 | Chosun Police 1 | 별순검 | Soo-hee | Cameo appearance (episode 9) |
| 2009 | Empress Cheonchu | 천추태후 | young Hwangbo Soo | |
| 2009 | Boys Over Flowers | 꽃보다 남자 | Chu Ga-eul | |
| 2009 | He Who Can't Marry | 결혼 못하는 남자 | Jeong Yoo-jin | |
| 2010 | Happiness in the Wind | 바람 불어 좋은날 | Kwon Oh-bok | |
| 2011 | A Thousand Kisses | 천번의 입맞춤 | Woo Joo-mi | |
| 2012 | Happy Ending | 해피엔딩 | Kim Eun-ha | |
| 2012 | The King's Doctor | 마의 | Princess Sukhwi | |
| 2014 | Liar Game | 라이어 게임 | Nam Da-jung | |
| 2015 | The Scholar Who Walks the Night | 밤을 걷는 선비 | Choi Hye-ryung / Lee Myung-hee | |
| 2016–2017 | Our Gap-soon | 우리 갑순이 | Shin Gap-soon | |
| 2017 | You're Closer Than I Think | 당신은 생각보다 가까이에 있다 | Hong Tae-ra | Drama Special |
| 2018 | Evergreen | 그남자 오수 | Seo Yoo-ri | |
| 2020 | Lonely Enough to Love | 연애는 귀찮지만 외로운 건 싫어! | Lee Na-Eun | |
| 2021 | Monthly Magazine Home | 월간 집 | Cutie Pie | Cameo appearance (episode 8–9) |
| 2022 | The Distributors | 드라마 스페셜 :유포자들 | Im Seon-ae | Drama Special |
| 2022–2023 | Three Bold Siblings | 삼남매가 용감하게 | Kim So-rim | |

### Web series

| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role |
| 2012 | Secret Angel | 시크릿 엔젤 | Angel L |
| 2013 | After School: Lucky or Not | 방과 후 복불복 | Kim So-eun |
| 2015 | Falling for Challenge | 도전에 반하다 | Ban Ha-na |
| 2016 | Thumping Spike 2 | 두근두근 스파이크 2 | Han Da-woon |

### Television show

| Year | English Title | Korean Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | Music and Lyrics | 그 여자 작사 그 남자 작곡 | | with Lee Junho |
| 2013 | Glitter | 글리터 글리터 | MC | with Victoria Song |
| 2014-2015 | We Got Married Season 4 | 우리 결혼했어요 시즌4 | Cast Member | with Song Jae-rim |
| 2017 | Battle Trip | 배틀트립 | Contestant | Episode 59–60; with Jo Bo-ah |
| 2019 | Wednesday Food Talk | 수요미식회 | Panelist | (Episode 204 - Present) |
| 2021–2023 | Style Me | 스타일미 | Host | Season1–2,4–5 |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song Title | Korean Title | Artist | Co-star |
| 2005 | "Let's Separate" | 헤어지자고 | Yoon Gun | |
| 2005 | "Bye Bye Bye" | | Monday Kiz | Monday Kiz |
| 2009 | "Bodyguard" | 보디가드 | Shinee | Kim Bum, Boom |
| 2009 | "Goodbye My Love" | 잘가요 내사랑 | 8Eight | Jeong Jinwoon, Jung Gyu-woon |
| 2012 | "First Love's Melody" | 첫사랑의 멜로디 | Acoustic Collabo | Lee Hyun-woo |
| 2013 | "Spring Expectation" | 봄에게 바라는 것 | The Position | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2009 | Mnet 20's Choice Awards | Hot New Star | Boys Over Flowers | Nominated |
| 2009 | Arirang TV 1000th Episode Poll | Best Couple Award (with Kim Bum) | Boys Over Flowers | Won |
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Boys Over Flowers, He Who Can't Marry, Empress Cheonchu | Won |
| 2010 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Daily Drama | Happiness in the Wind | Nominated |
| 2011 | MBC Drama Awards | Best New Actress | A Thousand Kisses | Nominated |
| 2012 | MBC Drama Awards | Best New Actress | The King's Doctor | Won |
| 2014 | Korean Wave Awards | Popular Culture Award | — | Won |
| 2014 | MBC Entertainment Awards | New Star of the Year | We Got Married | Won |
| 2014 | MBC Entertainment Awards | Best Female Newcomer | We Got Married | Nominated |
| 2014 | MBC Entertainment Awards | Best Couple Award (with Song Jae-rim) | We Got Married | Won |
| 2016 | SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Our Gap-soon | Won |
| 2016 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award with Song Jae-rim | Our Gap-soon | Nominated |
| 2022 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Actress in Drama Special/TV Cinema | The Distributors | Nominated |
| 2022 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Three Bold Siblings | Nominated |
| 2022 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award with Kim Seung-soo | Three Bold Siblings | Won |