Song Yoon-ah (, born June 7, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for starring in the film Jail Breakers (2002), as well as the television dramas Hotelier (2001), On Air (2008), Mama (2014), The K2 (2016), and Show Window: The Queen's House (2021–2022).
Early life and education Song Yoon-ah was born in Seoul, but spent her childhood in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. She has two elder brothers, the first one is a doctor.
While studying cultural anthropology as a freshman at Hanyang University, she was recommended by an older schoolmate to a modeling agency. Song made her entertainment debut when she won three awards at the KBS Super Talent Contest in 1995, and began appearing in magazine advertisements and as an extra on TV shows.
Career In 1998, Song rose to fame as the antagonist in Mister Q, playing the head of the design department in an underwear company who bullies the heroine; the trendy drama was a big hit, with a peak viewership rating of 45.3%. Over the next few years, Song became well known for her roles in TV dramas such as Paper Crane (1998), The Boss (1999), and Hotelier (2001).
Her first few films did not make a significant impression at the box office. But in late 2002, Song starred in one of the bigger commercial hits of the year, Jail Breakers with actors Sul Kyung-gu and Cha Seung-won. Her energetic performance in Kim Sang-jin's comedy was recognized with Best Supporting Actress trophies from the Blue Dragon Film Awards, the Chunsa Film Art Awards, and the Grand Bell Awards. Song next played an anthropologist from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation in the 2004 horror film Face.
In 2006, she reunited onscreen with Sol Kyung-gu in Lost in Love, a low-key melodrama directed by Choo Chang-min about two college friends who drift apart and reconnect over the course of ten years. Arang followed, in which Song played a detective on the trail of a serial killer; this was her first time to get top billing over a male costar (rookie actor Lee Dong-wook). But like Face, her previous project in the horror genre, Arang was a commercial and critical failure. Song returned to television with My Beloved Sister, in the title role of a graduate art student who grew up wealthy but must suddenly take on the responsibilities as head of the family and take care of her younger brothers after their father goes bankrupt then disappears.
Her next hit drama came in 2008 with On Air, a behind-the-scenes look at the Korean entertainment industry. Song was cast in the role of scribe Kim Eun-sook's alter ego, a successful, acerbic screenwriter who clashes egos with a top actress (played by Kim Ha-neul) while falling for a TV director (played by Park Yong-ha). Then in the 2009 thriller Secret, Song played the wife of a homicide detective—she becomes the prime suspect in a brutal murder he's investigating, while in the 2010 tearjerker Wedding Dress, her character is a widowed designer who is diagnosed with cancer and begins sewing the ultimate parting gift, a special dress for her young daughter's wedding, which she will never get to see.
After getting married in 2009 and giving birth in 2010, Song went on a five-year hiatus from acting. She became an adjunct professor and part-time lecturer at Seoul Arts College in 2010, as a faculty member of the Department of Performing Arts and the Department of Broadcasting, Entertainment and Visual Arts. Apart from occasional stints as an awards ceremony host (she hosted the Korean Film Awards from 2003 to 2010), in 2011 she also joined the cooking show Food Essay on cable channel Olive, and served as a judge on the first season of talent-reality show Korea's Got Talent.
Song made her acting comeback in the 2014 drama series Mama, which revolved around a terminally ill single mother's quest to find a loving family for her son before her impending death, leading to her befriending the current wife of a former lover. Her performance won Best Television Actress at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards.
In 2016, Song played a villain in action drama The K2.
In 2017, she returned to the big screen and acted as a war correspondent in VR film Nine Days. The film is planned to exhibit in Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. The same year, she was cast in the film Stone, her first feature film in 7 years. And the film has invited to the 23rd Busan International Film Festival.
In 2018, Song was cast in SBS mystery family drama Secret Mother.
Song then starred in JTBC's 2020 pre-produced 19+ age-restricted series Graceful Friends.
Song was cast in Channel A's series for the first time with melodrama mystery Show Window: The Queen's House.
In 2023, Song reunited with Director Park Hye-ryeong for web show Song Yoon-ah by PDC.
Other activities
Philanthropy Song and her husband Sul Kyung-gu are known for their philanthropic efforts. In July 2010, they covered the entire surgical expenses for a child with congenital heart disease and personally visited her at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. They later donated through the Korean Committee for UNICEF to assist victims of the sinking of MV Sewol in April 2014. Sul expressed deep sympathy for the tragedy, stating, "I felt indescribable pain witnessing the Sewol ferry disaster. I sincerely wish for recovery." More recently, on February 13, 2023, the couple contributed another to Korea's UNICEF Committee to support children affected by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.
Personal life Song and actor Sul Kyung-gu got married on May 28, 2009, in a Catholic church in Bangbae-dong, followed by a reception at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Seoul. Both are graduates of Hanyang University and have acted together in Jail Breakers (2002) and Lost in Love (2006). Their son, Sul Seung-yoon, was born on August 3, 2010.
In 2014, Song filed a defamation suit against 57 netizens who spread online rumors her alleged extramarital affair with Sul in 2002 while he was still married to his first wife, leading to their divorce in 2006. Sul and Song have denied these rumors, stating that their relationship began in 2007.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 1818 (Profanity) Hong Se-in 1998 Zzang (The Best) Song Na-young 2000 A Masterpiece in My Life Kang Yeo-kyung 2002 Jail Breakers Hahn Kyung-soon 2004 Face Jung Sun-young 2006 Lost in Love Yeon-soo Arang So-young 2009 Secret Yoo Ji-yeon 2010 Wedding Dress Seo Go-eun 2018 Nine Days Kim Sun-joo / Park Seung-heeShort film2019Innocent Witness Kim Soo-in CameoStone Skipping Teacher Kim
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1995 Age of Individuality Brilliant People 1996 Tears of the Dragon Ms. Jung, Yi Suk-beon's wife 1997 Drama City:"The Road to Gorangpo" Hometown of Legends:"The Nine-Tailed Fox" Beyond the Horizon 1998 Love Lee Hee-soo Mister Q Hwang Joo-ri Cool Special:"The Eye of Terror" Jung-in Paper Crane Cha Yeon-hee Advocate Jang Hye-mi 1999 The Boss Han Yeon-ji You Don't Know My Feelings Na Sook-ja Love Story:"Lost Baggage" Jung-in 2000 Bad Friends Ha Young-seo 2001 Hotelier Seo Jin-young Sweet Bear Han Jung-eun 2002 The Present Kim Hye-jin 2004 Into the Storm Cha Mi-seon 2005 Hong Kong Express Han Jung-yeon 2006 My Beloved Sister Yoon Seung-joo 2008 On Air Seo Young-eun 2010 Secret Garden Top star at giveaway event Cameo (episode 2) 2014 Mama Han Seung-hee 2015 Assembly Choi In-kyung 2016 The K2 Choi Yoo-Jin KBS Drama Special:"Sweet Home" Dr.Song Cameo 2018 Secret Mother Kim Yoon-jin Room No. 9 Park Hyun-jung Cameo 2020 Graceful Friends Nam Jung-hae 2021 Show Window: The Queen's House Han Sun-joo 2023 Delivery Man Mo Chae-Ryung Cameo (episode 12)
Television shows Year Title Role Notes 1998 Go! Our HeavenHost 1999 Super TV Sunday Is Fun - Song Yoon-ah's Summer Escape 2011 Food Essay Korea's Got Talent Judge Season 1 The Miracle of Kangaroo Mother Care Narrator Documentary 2012 Spring Hasn't Come Yet: One Year After the Earthquake in Japan 2014 Hope TV SBS Host
Web shows Year Title Role 2023 Song Yoon-ah by PDC Host
Hosting Year Title Notes 1998 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival - Big Concert Musical Journey with Kim Byun-chan 1999 Korean Video and Records Awards with Shin Dong-ho 2000 36th Baeksang Arts Awards SBS Drama Awards with Yoo Jung-hyun 2002 Golden Disk Awards with Shin Dong-ho SBS Drama Awards with Yoo Jung-hyun2003 2nd Korean Film Awards with Ahn Sung-ki SBS Drama Awards with Yoo Jung-hyun 2004 3rd Korean Film Awards with Ahn Sung-ki 2005 4th Korean Film Awards 2006 5th Korean Film Awards 2007 6th Korean Film Awards 2008 7th Korean Film Awards 2010 8th Korean Film Awards
Discography Soundtrack appearances Year Song title Notes 2002 "Pink Lipstick" Jail Breakers OST 2008 "Shadow" On Air OST
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 1995 KBS Super Talent Contest Gold Award Photogenic Award Julia Award 1998 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress Mister Q KBS Drama Awards Popularity Award, Actress Paper Crane 1999 35th Baeksang Arts Awards Most Popular Actress (TV) Mister Q MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress The Boss 2000 SBS Drama Awards Big Star Award Love Story "Lost Baggage" 45th Information and Communication Day Prime Minister's Commendation 2001 MBC Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress Hotelier, Sweet Bear 2002 Korea Best Dressed Swan Awards Recipient 23rd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Jail Breakers 2003 11th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Supporting Actress 40th Grand Bell Awards 2004 SBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama Into the Storm Top 10 Stars 2006 4th Korea Fashion World Awards Best Dressed, Movie Actress category MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress My Beloved Sister 2007 3rd Andre Kim Best Star Awards Best Star Award MBC Entertainment Awards Achievement Award 2008 Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female SBS Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) On Air Top Excellence Award, Actress Top 10 Stars 2009 4th Andre Kim Best Star Awards Female Star Award 2010 2nd Korea Jewelry Awards Diamond Award 2014 3rd APAN Star Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Mama 27th Grimae Awards Best Actress MBC Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama 2015 51st Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress (TV) KBS Drama Awards Excellence Awards, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Assembly 2018 SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Daily and Weekend Drama Secret Mother
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