Shin Min-a
Shin Min-a (; born 5 April 1984) is a South Korean model and actress best known for starring in television dramas "A Love to Kill" (2005), "My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox" (2010), "Arang and the Magistrate" (2012), "Oh My Venus" (2015), "Tomorrow, With You" (2017), and "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021). Career. Modelling. Shin began her career as a model for teen magazine KiKi in 1998. Since then, she became one of the most in-demand and highest paid commercial endorsers in South Korea. Notable among her forays into branded entertainment is the 2008 multi -episode "Summer Days" opposite Hyun Bin and Ryoo Seung-bum for LG Xnote featuring music by You Hee-yeol, as well as "Friends & Love", a movie-style extended advertisement for Giordano in 2011 costarring Jung Woo-sung and So Ji-sub. In 2009, Shin went to Milan, Italy to shoot a photo spread for "Elle Korea" with Calvin Klein model Jamie Dornan. In 2011, she was chosen as the first Asian model for the "DIY Project" ad campaign of American clothing brand Rag & bone, then was subsequently featured in "The New York Times"'s "T Magazine". Acting. Shin appeared in  several music videos for K-pop boyband g.o.d, until her acting debut in 2001 with a supporting role in popular melodrama, "Beautiful Days". The newcomer quickly rose to stardom, through the high school martial arts comedy film "Volcano High" with Jang Hyuk, and the college romance movie "Madeleine" with Jo In-sung. She then took on a supporting role in Kim Jee-woon's noir film "A Bittersweet Life", reuniting her with previous co-star Lee Byung-hun. She then portrayed a deaf character in "Sad Movie". This was followed by leading roles in the melodrama "A Love to Kill  with Rain, romantic comedy series The Beast and the Beauty" with Ryoo Seung-bum, and psychological thriller "The Devil" with Uhm Tae-woong and Ju Ji-hoon. In the 2007 film "My Mighty Princess", Shin simultaneously played two characters. As Shin entered her mid-twenties, she began showcasing more maturity in her choice of roles. In "Go Go 70s", Shin played a sexy counterculture singer and won numerous accolades for her portrayal. She then acted as an unfaithful wife in "The Naked Kitchen", and a cynical young woman in search of her father in "Sisters on the Road", a critically  acclaimed indie film which also stars fellow actress and close friend Gong Hyo-jin. But Shin became best known for her portrayals of supernatural horror icons revamped into endearingly innocent yet spunky heroines in the rom-com "My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox" (2010), and the historical drama "Arang and the Magistrate" (2012). After appearing in "The X", a 2013 spy thriller short film directed by Kim Jee-woon, Shin returned to the big screen in 2014 in "Gyeongju", an introspective arthouse romance opposite Park Hae-il. This was followed by romantic comedy "My Love, My Bride", in which  she and Jo Jung-suk played a newly married couple; it was a remake of the same-titled 1990 hit which starred Choi Jin-sil and Park Joong-hoon. In 2015, Shin and So Ji-sub were cast in the romantic comedy series "Oh My Venus". For her character, an overweight lawyer, Shin underwent a three-hour makeup/prosthetic session every shoot. In 2016, Shin is cast opposite Lee Je-hoon in fantasy melodrama, "Tomorrow, With You", portraying a 30-year-old amateur photographer who finds out that her better half can time travel. The drama was fully pre-produced  and premiered in February 2017. In 2018, Shin was cast in the mystery film "Diva", playing a diver who lost her memory after an accident. In 2019, Shin was cast in the political drama "Chief of Staff" opposite Lee Jung-jae; as a lawyer turned politician. In 2021, Shin starred in "Hometown-Cha-Cha-Cha" alongside Kim Seon-ho, where she played the role of a self-made dentist who moved from the city to open a clinic in the seaside village of Gongjin. The series became a domestic and international hit with audience ratings peaking at 13.322% and went  on to become one of the highest-rated television series on Korean cable television history. Shin is set to appear in the upcoming drama "Our Blues" which will premiere in April 2022. Others. After her travels were documented on the cable channel O'live in 2008, Shin published a book titled "Shin Min-a's French Diary" in 2009. She has also contributed her vocals to several singles and soundtracks. Personal life. Since May 2015, Shin has been in a relationship with model-actor Kim Woo-bin. Philanthropy. In 2010, Shin donated 50 million won to build Korea's first multicultural  school in Ansan. In August 2014, she participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a fundraising campaign underway by US ALS Association to develop treatments for ALS and to help patients. In 2015, it was reported that Shin had donated a total of 1 billion won over past 7 years through 'Fruit of Love', a social welfare community chest and 'Good Friends' an association that helps North Korean defectors. In November 2016, she participated in 'Let's Share the Heart' talent donation: a campaign to raise funds for Hallym Burn Foundation. In September 2019, Shin donated 50 million won to Seoul  National University Children's Hospital. On October 29, 2019, at 4th Finance Day Commemoration Ceremony, Shin received the Presidential Citation in recognition of her consistent donations. In February 2020, Shin 100 million won to the Seoul Community Chest of Korea (Seoul Fruit of Love) to be used for medical staff and vulnerable groups who are working hard to prevent the spread of COVID-19.In August, she donated 50 million to the Fruit of Love to help the victims of torrential rain. In December 2020, Shin donated 100 million won through the Hallym Burn Foundation, which she had been practising every year  since 2015. In December 2021, it was reported that she has donated 100 million won each to the Hallym Burn Foundation, Seoul Asan Hospital and to the Korean Developmental Society for psychological treatment of children suffering from the prolonged COVID-19 infection. In March 2022, Shin donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.