Kim Hye-yoon (; born November 10, 1996) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition for her role as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's television series Sky Castle (2018–2019), before landing her first leading roles in both television and film including Extraordinary You (2019) and The Girl on a Bulldozer (2022). Her notable accolades include awards from the Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Grand Bell Awards.
Early life and education Kim was born on November 10, 1996, in Seongnam, South Korea. She aspired to become an actress since her third year of middle school and attended an acting academy, auditioned frequently, and took on small roles in preparation for her acting career.
She graduated from Seonil Girls' High School and entered Konkuk University in 2015 (Department of Film Studies). While balancing her studies and acting career, she received a merit-based full-ride scholarship and participated in student film projects. She graduated in February 2019 with a bachelor's degree in film studies.
Career 2013–2018: Career beginnings Kim debuted as an actress in the 2013 KBS2 TV Novel's Samsaengi, playing the teenage version of a supporting character. After gaining recognition for her role in the 2014 OCN's crime thriller Bad Guys, Kim focused on her studies and only took minor roles to avoid affecting her academic performance, as she had received a full scholarship in 2015 to Konkuk University. Her significant role during this period was a supporting character in the 2017 mystery thriller film Memoir of a Murderer.
2019–2021: Rising popularity and transition to lead roles Leading up to her college graduation in February 2019, Kim began auditioning for more prominent roles. She successfully landed the role of Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's satirical drama Sky Castle, being selected from a pool of 200 applicants. The drama's success contributed to her rising popularity and earned her the Best New Actress award at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.
In 2019, Kim starred as the protagonist for the first time with MBC's school fantasy drama Extraordinary You, based on the Daum webtoon July Found by Chance. She received further recognition, winning both New and Excellence Actress at the MBC Drama Awards. During the same year, she was cast as one of the lead in the psychological thriller film Midnight.
Kim received her first leading film role in the 2020 production The Girl on a Bulldozer. In the same year, she also confirmed to star in the 2021 pre-produced JTBC's television series Snowdrop, in which she reunited with the production team of hit drama Sky Castle.
In April 2021, Kim received the offer to star in tvN's historical procedural drama Secret Royal Inspector & Joy. The television series premiered ahead of Snowdrop.
2022–2025: Breakthrough
In 2022, The Girl on a Bulldozer was released theatrically, and Kim's performance as Goo Hye-young has received critical acclaim and garnered her several awards from award ceremonies such as the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Grand Bell Awards for Best New Actress, as well as the Rising Star Asia Award at the New York Asian Film Festival. Notably, Kim was also nominated for the Best New Actress Film category at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards. With the film's success, Kim earned a total of ten nominations, winning six of them. Her achievements were further recognized by Forbes, which featured her in their Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
After focusing on the promotion and production of her two films The Girl on a Bulldozer and Ditto throughout 2022, Kim returned to the small screen with 2024 tvN's time slip drama Lovely Runner. Her performance in the series garnered praise from both critics and audiences, with media outlets describing her as an "Actress You Can Trust" within the Korean entertainment industry. The role earned her first ever nomination for Best Actress category at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards. She was also placed 30th under Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list.
2026–present: Box office success and genre expansion
Kim was later cast in the SBS‘s fantasy drama No Tail to Tell, which aired in January 2026. On April 8, she made her big-screen comeback after four years with the folk horror film Salmokji: Whispering Water, which became a box office success in South Korea and marked her first commercially successful film. Her performance received positive reviews, with media outlets dubbing her as the "Horror Queen" and praising her immersive acting and versatility, and further proving her ability to transition across different genres.
She is also confirmed to star in several upcoming projects, including the crime film Three of a Kind and the action comedy film High School Detective. She is additionally set to appear in the SBS's legal drama Good Partner 2 and the Disney+ Korean adaptation of the Japanese novel The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.
Public image After her portrayal as Kang Ye-seo in the television series Sky Castle, Kim earned the nickname "My Melody Princess". This moniker stemmed from her character's fashion choices, which closely resembled the Sanrio character, My Melody.
She has also been dubbed by various Korean media as the "Nation's Little Sister".
Endorsements With her breakthrough, in 2019, Kim went on to endorse for Ildong Pharmaceutical's vitamin supplement brand Aronamin, Lotte Hi-Mart, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Shinsegae's casual clothing brand Design United, dshare's brand 3J Edu, LG Household & Health Care's derma cosmetics brand Dr. Belmeur, KB Financial Group's credit card service KB Kookmin Card, and Dong-A Pharmaceutical's feminine hygiene brand Tempo.
She has also endorsed for Entrepreneur Game application "Live Goddess" (2021), KB Financial Group's mobile payment application KB Pay (2021), Avène (2021), Batiste (2021), and Mentholatum's cosmetics brand Acnes (2023).
In April 2024, she went to endorse for Lotte Chilsung's liquor brand Saero by dubbing the advertisement of the product. In August of the same year, she was selected to endorse for KGC's representative ginseng brand Jung Kwan Jang, and Lion Corporation Korea's cosmetics brand Rawquest. In October 2024, Kim was chosen to become the new muse of the Kodak Apparel brand. In the same month, she is chosen to endorse for LG Pra.L's Skin Booster product.
Filmography
Selected filmography
Sky Castle (2018–2019) Extraordinary You (2019) The Girl on a Bulldozer (2022) Lovely Runner (2024) Salmokji: Whispering Water (2026)
Ambassadorship Year Title 2019 Honorary Ambassador for CJ Super Race "Mini Challenge" Honorary Ambassador of Seoul's public awareness campaign "Idoo" 2021 Honorary Ambassador for the 10th Korea Education Donation Fair
Accolades 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 APAN Star Awards 2021 KT Seezn Star Award Kim Hye-yoon 2024 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Lovely Runner Best Couple Award Kim Hye-yoon Lovely Runner Popularity Award – Actress Kim Hye-yoon 2025 Popularity Award – Actress Asia Artist Awards 2020 Potential Award 2024 Best Actor Award Popularity Award – Actress Best Artist Award Best Couple Award Kim Hye-yoon Lovely Runner Grand Prize (Daesang) Kim Hye-yoon 2025 Popularity Award – Actress Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards 2024 People's Choice Award Best Lead Actress Lovely Runner Asia Model Awards 2019 Rising Star Award Kim Hye-yoon Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2025 Best Artist (Actor) Fan Choice Artist (Actor) Fan Choice (Character) Kim Hye-yoon Lovely Runner Fan Choice (Couple) Kim Hye-yoon Lovely Runner 2026 Best Artist (Actor) Kim Hye-yoon Baeksang Arts Awards 2019 Best New Actress – Television Sky Castle 2023 Best New Actress – Film The Girl on a Bulldozer 2025 Best Actress – Television Lovely Runner Most Popular Actress Kim Hye-yoon Blue Dragon Film Awards 2022 Best New Actress The Girl on a Bulldozer Blue Dragon Ranking Awards 2025 Best Actress Award Lovely Runner 2026 Best Actress Award No Tail to Tell Brand of the Year Awards 2024 Actress – Hot Trend Kim Hye-yoon 2026Best Actress (Movie) Buil Film Awards 2022 Best New Actress The Girl on a Bulldozer Chunsa Film Art Awards 2022 Director's Cut Awards 2023 Fundex Awards 2024 Best Actress – TV Drama Lovely Runner Golden Cinematography Awards 2022 Jury's Special Award The Girl on a Bulldozer Grand Bell Awards 2022 Best New Actress iMBC Awards 2026 Best Actress No Tail to Tell Korea Broadcasting Prizes Best Actress Korea Drama Awards 2024 Excellence Award, Actress Lovely Runner Best Couple Award Kim Hye-yoon Lovely Runner Global Star Award Kim Hye-yoon Hot Star Award (Female) 2025Global Star Award Hot Star Award (Female) Korea First Brand Awards 2019 Rising Star Award, Actress Korea Trusted Innovation Awards 2024 Culture and Art Innovation Award Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards 2019 Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Sky Castle Korean Film Producers Association Awards 2022 Best New Actress The Girl on a Bulldozer MBC Drama Awards 2019 Best New Actress Extraordinary You Excellence Award, Actress in a Wednesday-Thursday Drama Best Couple Award Kim Hye-yoon Extraordinary You New York Asian Film Festival 2022 Rising Star Asia Award The Girl on a Bulldozer Seoul Global Movie Awards 2025Popularity Award – ActressKim Hye-yoon Seoul International Drama Awards 2024 Outstanding Asian Star (Female) 2026 Outstanding Asian Star (Female) Wildflower Film Awards 2023 Best New Actress The Girl on a Bulldozer
Honors + Name of country or organization, year given, and name of honor or award Country or Organization Year Honor or Award Newsis K-Expo Cultural Awards 2024 National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Award
Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Asia-Pacific Entrepreneurs Association (APEA) 2025 Asia-Pacific U30 Outstanding Young Leaders Cine21 2019 Rising Star 2026 Actress to Watch Forbes Korea 2023 30 Under 30 – Asia 2025 Power Celebrity 40 Sisa Journal 2024 Next Generation Leaders 100 Star News 2024Best Television Couple of the Past Decade
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References
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