Kim Ji-soo (born Yang Sung-yoon on October 24, 1972) is a South Korean actress.

Career

A graduate of Kaywon High School of the Arts, Kim made her acting debut in 1992. She worked as a television actress for over a decade before branching out into film, saying in an interview that, "I was getting older by the second, and I hated becoming complacent." In 2005, Kim made her first big screen appearance with a leading role in

Lee Yoon-ki Lee Yoon-ki (; born 1965), is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Lee Yoon-ki earned his Master of Arts, MA in business administration/economics at the University of Southern California. After returning to Korea, he worked as a ...

's ''

This Charming Girl ''This Charming Girl'' (; lit. "Woman, Jeong-hae" or "Girl, Jeong-hae") is a South Korean drama film written and directed by Lee Yoon-ki. Plot Jeong-hae's life is as monotonous as her job at the post office. Her apartment, which is not far from ...

'', a character study of a twenty-something single woman working at a post office. The film was well received by critics, and Kim herself was singled out for praise, with ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' commenting, "Kim's performance is a masterful balance of understatedness and open-wounded vulnerability." Kim won Best Actress at the

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for ...

, and Best New Actress at the

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

Busan Film Critics Awards Established in 2000, the Busan Film Critics Awards is run by the Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA), a small but independent-minded group of critics based in Busan, South Korea. Each year they announce their choices shortly before the opening o ...

, and

Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Awards was a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the broadcasting network MBC from 2002 to 2010. History Originally named the MBC Film Awards, the ceremony was first established in 2002. It was renamed the Korean Film Aw ...

, with a further nomination at the

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

. Due to the success of ''This Charming Girl'' on the international

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

circuit, and in recognition of her role in promoting Korean culture overseas, Kim was invited to a

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae ( ko, 청와대; Hanja: ; ), also known as the Blue House, is a public park that formerly served as the executive office and official residence of the president of South Korea from 1948 to 2022. It is located in the Jongno distri ...

luncheon, where she met then-

South Korean President The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Kwon Yang-suk. In 2006 Kim appeared in several films, first with Jo Jae-hyun in the melodrama ''Romance'', though she was publicly critical about the lack of depth to her character. In October 2006, she portrayed a victim of the

Sampoong Department Store collapse On June 29, 1995, the Sampoong Department Store in Seoul, South Korea, collapsed due to a structural failure. The collapse killed 502 people and injured 937, making it the largest peacetime disaster in South Korean history. It was the deadlie ...

in ''

Traces of Love ''Traces of Love'' is a 2006 South Korean romantic drama film directed by Kim Dae-seung, and starring Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Ji-soo, and Uhm Ji-won. The film is based on the Sampoong Department Store collapse, which took place in 1995. Plot Law studen ...

'', which was selected as the opening film of the 11th

Pusan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

. In November 2006, Kim starred opposite

Han Suk-kyu Han Suk-kyu (born November 3, 1964) is a South Korean actor. One of the leading actors of Korean cinema, Han's notable works include ''Green Fish'' (1997), '' No. 3'' (1997), ''Christmas in August'' (1998), '' Shiri'' (1999), ''The Scarlet Letter ...

in the romantic drama ''

Solace Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...

'', receiving a nomination for Best Actress at the

. Kim returned to television in May 2008 with a leading role in the

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

Women of the Sun ''Women of the Sun'' is an Australian historical drama television miniseries that was broadcast on SBS Television and later the Australian Broadcasting Company in 1981. The series, co-written by Sonia Borg and Hyllus Maris, was composed of four ...

''. Her turn as a complex

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

ine garnered praise, and she won a Top Excellence Award in Acting at the year-end

KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gra ...

and a nomination for Best TV Actress at the

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

. In 2010 she starred in her first historical series ''

The King of Legend ''The King of Legend'' (; literally ''King Geunchogo'') is a 2010 South Korean historical drama based on King Geunchogo of Baekje. Besides historical information from Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, it was also inspired by a novel written by Lee M ...

'' which focuses on Geunchogo, the 13th ruler of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

. Shortly before the drama's premiere, Kim was involved in a drunken hit-and-run accident (this was her second offense; her first

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

was in 2000 for which she lost her license). Amidst a wave of complaints demanding that she be fired from the drama, broadcast station KBS stuck by the actress, and Kim released an official apology and paid the fine of . She was later listed among the top 10 highest-paid entertainers on KBS for the year 2011, with a salary of . Starring roles followed in '' Love Again'' (2012) and ''

One Warm Word ''One Warm Word'' () is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Han Hye-jin, Ji Jin-hee, Kim Ji-soo, and Lee Sang-woo. It aired on SBS from 2 December 2013 to 24 February 2014 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. Plot The ...

'' (2013). When asked in an interview if she would consider appearing nude onscreen, Kim replied, "I don't want to take nude scenes to prove my passion for acting, which I have always had." In November 2020, Kim signed with new agency Lead Entertainment. In November 2022, Kim left Lead Entertainment and signed with new agency IOK Company.

Personal life

She was in a six-year relationship with actor

Kim Joo-hyuk Kim Joo-hyuk (3 October 1972 – 30 October 2017) was a South Korean actor. He was known for his leading roles in the films ''My Wife Got Married'' (2008), ''The Servant (2010 film), The Servant'' (2010), and ''Yourself and Yours'' (2016), his s ...

, with whom she co-starred in the 2002 SBS

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...

''Like a Flowing River''. The couple broke up in 2009. After her change in relationship status on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

was leaked in March 2012, Kim confirmed that she was dating a Korean-Canadian 16 years her junior. The couple split in 2013."Actress Kim Ji-soo unveils picture of boyfriend"
''

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

''. 3 June 2012.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Variety show

Music video

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ji-soo 1972 births Living people People from Gangwon Province, South Korea 20th-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses MAMA Award winners