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Lee Si-young (born Lee Eun-rae on April 17, 1982) is a South Korean actress and former
amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...
.


Early life

Born Lee Eun-rae in
Cheongwon County Cheongwon County (''Cheongwon-gun'') was a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It was dissolved on July 1, 2014 and consolidated to Cheongju. Cheongwon was Twin towns and sister cities, twi ...
,
North Chungcheong Province North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the s ...
, her family moved to
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
when she was 9 years old. Lee majored in Fashion Design at
Dongduk Women's University Dongduk Women's University (DWU) is a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Dongduk Women's University is originated from Dongwon Girls School, founded in 1950. DWU is composed of eight colleges, six departments, 18 majors, 16 departments of ...
, and later changed her name to Lee Si-young.


Career


Acting

Lee made her acting debut in 2008 in a
guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...
on season 3 of the
Super Action OCN Thrills is a television channel in South Korea owned by CJ ENM E&M Division, a division of CJ Group. It was formerly known as OCN Action and Super Action. They were focused on both Action film and Thriller film Thriller film, also kno ...
TV procedural ''Urban Legends Deja Vu'', followed by the historical drama " The Kingdom of The Winds". But 2009 was the year she began to gain attention with several high-profile supporting roles. In the smash hit ''
Boys Over Flowers , is a Japanese ''shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio and set in Tokyo, Japan, and the fictional "Eitoku Academy" (an elite school for children from rich families). It tells the story of Tsukushi Makino, a girl fr ...
'', Lee played the character of Sakurako Sanjo in the source
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
''
Hana Yori Dango , is a Japanese ''shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio and set in Tokyo, Japan, and the fictional "Eitoku Academy" (an elite school for children from rich families). It tells the story of Tsukushi Makino, a girl fr ...
'', who was mercilessly teased for being homely as a young girl, then undergoes extensive
plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
and becomes a backstabbing frenemy to win the heart of her tormentor. Lee then played the mistress of a married man in the
surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...
melodrama ''
Loving You a Thousand Times ''Loving You a Thousand Times'' (; lit. "I Love You Ten Million Times") is a South Korean television series starring Lee Soo-kyung, Jung Gyu-woon, Go Eun-mi, Ryu Jin and Lee Si-young. It aired on SBS from August 29, 2009 to March 7, 2010 on Sat ...
''. ''
Five Senses of Eros ''Five Senses of Eros'' () is a 2009 South Korean omnibus film with five short films depicting love and desire, but in different styles and genres. The shorts are: ''His Concern'', directed by Daniel H. Byun; ''I'm Right Here'' (), directed by Hu ...
'' was an
omnibus film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...
from five different directors, and in the segment "Believe in the Moment" three teenage couples decide to swap partners for 24 hours, played by Lee and her fellow up-and-coming actors
Kim Dong-wook Kim Dong-wook (born July 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. After appearing in student short films and several minor parts, Kim became a star through his supporting role in the popular TV series '' Coffee Prince'' (2007), followed by box office ...
,
Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal'' (2010) and the variety show '' Running Man'' (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. S ...
,
Shin Se-kyung Shin Se-kyung (; born July 29, 1990) is a South Korean actress, singer and model. She started as a child actress and had her breakthrough in 2009 with the sitcom ''High Kick Through the Roof''. Since then she starred in the films ''Hindsight'' ...
,
Jung Eui-chul Jung Eui-chul (born April 19, 1985) is a South Korean model and actor. Career He made his acting debut in the drama ''Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy'' as a student and gained positive response in 2005 and later landed on many supporting role ...
and Lee Sung-min. In the comedy ''Descendants of Hong Gil-dong'' (also known as ''The Righteous Thief''), Lee played the love interest of
Lee Beom-soo Lee Beom-soo (born January 3, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is well known for his role in ''Singles'', ''Giant'', '' On Air'', '' Surgeon Bong Dal-hee, ''as well as in'' History of a Salaryman.'' Lee enrolled in the Department of Theater ...
, whose character is the 18th descendant of Hong Gil-dong, a
Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
-era
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
whose family for generations has passed down the tradition of stealing only from the rich and giving to the poor while keeping their actions secret. In 2009, she rose to mainstream popularity when she joined the cast of ''
We Got Married ''We Got Married'' () was a South Korean reality variety show that aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017. The show paired up celebrities who pretended to be married couples and completed various challenges together. The show ran for four seasons and ...
'', a
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
about fake married couples, and was paired with
Jun Jin Park Choong-jae (; born August 19, 1980), known professionally as Jun Jin, is a South Korean singer, actor and entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but sta ...
of the
boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Shinhwa Shinhwa () is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group signed with Good Entertainment in ...
. Called the "
Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ''Mobile ...
couple" by fans for their mutual love of the anime, Lee and Jun Jin began dating off-screen, making them the first couple to officially have a real relationship outside the show. However, after dating for 6 months, they broke up in September 2009. In 2010, she began hosting ''Entertainment Relay'' (also known as ''Entertainment Weekly''), the longest-running entertainment news show on Korean television (her stint ended in 2012). Then in ''Birth of the Rich'' (also known as ''
Becoming a Billionaire ''Becoming a Billionaire'' (; lit. "Birth of the Rich") is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Si-young and Namkoong Min. It aired on KBS2 from March 1 to May 4, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 ...
''), Lee was the standout in the cast and was praised for her portrayal of a spoiled,
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conra ...
-esque
chaebol A chaebol (, ; ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group whose power over the group often exc ...
heiress, despite mixed reviews for the series itself. Later that year, she starred in ''
Playful Kiss ''Playful Kiss'' (; (also known as ''Mischievous Kiss'' or ''Naughty Kiss'') is a 2010 South Korean romantic-comedy television series, starring Jung So-min and Kim Hyun-joong. It aired on MBC from September 1 to October 21, 2010 on Wednesdays ...
'', another series adapted from a
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
(in ''
Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by Shueisha through ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine. It became successful very quickly and became ...
'', her character is Sasuiko, a haughty paragon of perfection who becomes the heroine's rival in love). Lee had acquired a reputation for making her second-lead roles memorable and endearing in their own right, giving her characters a human, lovable side despite their role as antagonists in the narrative. Lee played her first big screen leading role in the
screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known ...
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
'' Meet the In-Laws'', which portrays the struggles of a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
writer (played by
Song Sae-byeok Song Sae-byeok (born December 25, 1979) is a South Korean actor. After gaining attention as a supporting actor in '' The Servant'' (2010), Song played the leading roles in the comedies '' Meet the In-Laws'' (2011) and ''The Suck Up Project: Mr. ...
) to tie the knot with his girlfriend (Lee) over the strong disapproval of their families, as they come from different regions with a long history of antagonism toward each other (the Korean title literally translates to "Dangerous Formal Greeting Between Families of the Bride and Bridegroom"). ''Meet the In-Laws'' became the ninth top-grossing Korean film of 2011, with more than 2 million tickets sold. Lee's follow-up was the ensemble romantic comedy/
caper film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...
''Couples'', where she again displayed her gift for physical comedy as a shameless
gold digger Gold digger is a term for a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold ...
. Despite critical praise for its cleverly constructed plot and twists, the film was less successful at the box office. Then in the low-rating action series ''
Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...
'', Lee, along with
Lee Sung-jae Lee Sung-jae (born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films ''Art Museum by the Zoo'', ''Attack the Gas Station'', ''Barking Dogs Never Bite'', and ''Kick the Moon'', as well as the television series ' ...
and
Choi Si-won Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...
played members of the
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
special forces who investigate maritime crimes. In 2012, Lee cut her hair into a short perm for '' Wild Romance'', playing a tomboyish bodyguard who protects an arrogant baseball star after he receives death threats (played by
Lee Dong-wook Lee Dong-wook (; born November 6, 1981 ) is a South Korean actor, host, model and entertainer. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean drama, television dramas ''My Girl (2005 TV series), My Girl'' (2005), ''Scent of a Woman (TV ser ...
). Lee said, "I don't see many actresses who are good at tough action roles. I hope I can fill the gap." The series received low ratings but had a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
. Lee returned to the romantic comedy genre in 2013 with ''
How to Use Guys with Secret Tips How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...
'', playing an overworked and undervalued
assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...
who one day buys an inspirational video, "Instructions on How to Use Men," and reluctantly follows its guidelines. She becomes drastically transformed into a woman much-sought after by all men, including a top actor (played by
Oh Jung-se Oh Jung-se (born February 26, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Missing 9'' (2017), '' When the Camellia Blooms'' (2019), ''Hot Stove League'' (2019), and ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' (2020) ...
). The film received strong
word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
for its comic timing and witty gags, the charismatic performances of its leads and its tackling of
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
issues. She then headlined the horror film ''
Killer Toon ''Killer Toon'' () is a 2013 South Korean satirical psychological horror thriller film directed by Kim Yong-gyun, and starring Lee Si-young and Um Ki-joon. The film was successful at the box office, as it was the first South Korean horror film ...
'', playing a writer of webcomics (called "
webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...
" in Korea) who becomes the number one suspect after a series of murders are committed that mimic her famous comics. Co-starring
Um Ki-joon Um Ki-joon (born March 23, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Career Um Ki-joon made his acting debut in 1995 in the stage play ''Richard III'', though he later became best known as a musical theatre actor, starring in ''Singin' in the Rain'', ''The ...
as the detective on the case, the movie overlaps crime scenes with
CG animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
. In an interview, Lee said she picks roles if she is drawn to and can empathize with the character. ''Killer Toon'' attracted more than 1 million viewers, only the third Korean horror film to do so after ''
A Tale of Two Sisters ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (; lit. "Rose Flower, Red Lotus") is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror-drama film written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. The film is inspired by a Joseon Dynasty era folktale entitled Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, which ...
'' (2003) and ''
Death Bell ''Death Bell'' () is a 2008 Korean horror film. The only Korean horror film released over the summer of 2008, it is the first feature by former music video director Chang, who also co-wrote the screenplay. ''Death Bell'' stars Lee Beom-soo in his ...
'' (2008). In 2014, Lee was cast as a principled prosecutor in the drama series '' Golden Cross''. She also starred in the film ''
The Divine Move ''The Divine Move'' () is a 2014 South Korean action film directed by Jo Bum-gu. It stars Jung Woo-sung as a former baduk player, and revolves around his quest for revenge. The title refers to a particularly brilliant move, considered to be a "o ...
'', about a baduk player's quest for revenge. This was followed later in the year by '' Righteous Love'' from cable channel
tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
, in which her character has an extramarital affair. Lee next played a detective in the 2015 suspense thriller series '' My Beautiful Bride'' on cable channel OCN, about a man searching for his fiancée who mysteriously disappears. In 2017, Lee starred in MBC's action thriller '' The Guardians''. In 2018, Lee returned to the small-screen after her marriage and childbirth with the medical drama ''
Risky Romance ''Risky Romance'' () is a South Korean television series starring Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Si-young, Kim Jin-yeop and Yoon Joo-hee. It aired on MBC from July 23 to September 17, 2018 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) time slot. Synopsis The roman ...
'', reuniting with ''Becoming a Billionaire'' co-star
Ji Hyun-woo Ji Hyun-woo (born Joo Hyung-tae on 29 November 1984) is a South Korean actor and musician. He was formerly the lead guitarist for Korean indie rock band and is best known for his leading roles in the cable TV series '' Queen and I'' (2012) and ...
. In 2019, Lee starred in the action film '' No Mercy'' and in the family drama '' Liver or Die''. In January 2020, Lee signed with new management agency Ace Factory. That same year, Lee starred in the apocalyptic horror Netflix series, ''
Sweet Home (TV series) ''Sweet Home'' () is a South Korean apocalyptic horror streaming television series starring Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, and Lee Si-young. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, which recorded over 2.1 bil ...
''.


Music

Lee never formally debuted as a singer, but she has made contributions to several of her films'
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
s. She was also featured in one track on then-boyfriend
Jun Jin Park Choong-jae (; born August 19, 1980), known professionally as Jun Jin, is a South Korean singer, actor and entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but sta ...
's EP ''Fascination'' in 2009. And after she sang two tracks on Honey Family's fifth album ''Resurrection'' in 2010, band member Park Myung-ho praised Lee for her vocal talent. In 2012, she and
Jay Park Jay Park ( Korean name: Park Jae-beom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範); born April 25, 1987) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and entrepreneur of based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based ...
appeared in ''Music and Lyrics'', an
MBC Music MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. The channel opened on February 1, 2012, with a new music program ''Show ...
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
in which an actress and a male singer are paired together as lyricist and composer, respectively, to create a song, showing their meetings and songwriting process. The song they composed, ''Polaris'', was recorded by the
girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
Tiny-G Tiny-G (Korean: ) was a Korean group based in South Korea, formed in 2012 by GNG Production and disbanded in 2015. The group's last known line-up was the duo of J.Min and Dohee, but originally consisted of J.Min, Dohee, Mint and Myungji. Histo ...
.


Boxing

Aside from her entertainment career. Lee was an
amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...
. Despite taking up the sport in her late 20s and fighting opponents who are much more experienced and younger, in just three years, Lee established herself in the sport by winning a number of amateur titles in the 48-kg class. She initially took up boxing in early 2010 to prepare for her role as a female boxer in a TV drama for MBC, training with
Hong Soo-hwan Hong Soo-hwan (Hangul: 홍수환, born May 26, 1950) is a South Korean former professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1980. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBA and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1 ...
, a former WBA
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...
and
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
champion. The drama ended up not getting produced, but she quickly became enamored of the sport. Lee said, "I kept it up as a hobby and was told that I had potential, so I trained really hard. Boxing changed who I am. I became more honest and extroverted, with more confidence in who I am." She continued training, reducing her body fat from 9.9 kg to 4.7 kg, and began boxing competitively. Lee's passion for the sport caused her agency anxiety. There were worries she might hurt herself, especially if she sustains facial injuries. A staff said, "But no matter how hard we try to persuade her, she doesn't want to quit." To the surprise of fans and experts alike, Lee entered and won the 7th Annual Women's Amateur Boxing Competition in 2010, and the women's 50-kg category in the 10th KBI National Lifestyle Athletics Boxing Championship in November of that same year. Her momentum continued throughout 2011, winning the women's 48-kg category in the 47th Seoul Amateur Boxing Match in February, and by RSC (Referee Stopped Contest) in the 7th National Amateur Boxing Championships in March. Lee Seung-bae, head coach of the Korean national boxing team, said Lee "has a very accurate left punch. She is tall and has long arms, a very good body for boxing," while coach Baek Seung-won said she has "the fire and the perfect physique" to become a professional boxer, but added, "She is a bit old (to turn pro now)." She later won the rookie of the year award for Seoul-based boxers. More wins followed in July 2012 with the women's 48-kg category in the 42nd Seoul Boxing Prematch/Amateur Boxing Federation, and the 33rd President's Cup Amateur Boxing Contest. In December 2012, she tried out for the first time for the national women's boxing team by competing in the under-48 kg
light flyweight Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing. Professional boxing The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920 ...
category in the National Amateur Boxing Championships, which doubled as the 2013 first national qualifying round. The 28-year-old was the oldest participant at the national championships with a 17 to 34 age limit. But Lee was defeated in the final of the 66th National Amateur Boxing Championships. In January 2013, she became the goodwill ambassador for the
2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...
to be held in
Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
. Shortly after, she further showed her serious commitment to the sport by joining the Incheon City boxing team. After moving to Incheon from Seoul to save time for training, Lee underwent surgery for a
slipped disk Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physic ...
, and suffered from a knee injury, which meant she was unable to maintain her training program. On April 24, 2013, Lee won the women's 48-kg title at the 24th National Amateur Boxing Championships in a controversial 22-20 decision, making her the country's first mainstream entertainer/celebrity, male or female, to become a national team athlete for any sport. Lee said that her dream was to represent the country at the
2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...
, and her ultimate goal to win a medal there. Since her weight class is not included in international competitions such as the Asiad and the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, she upgraded to the heavier under-51 kg class. But Lee was unable to participate in the Asian Games when she failed to enter the March 2014 final tryouts (as well as the two previous ones). Kim Won-chan, manager of the Incheon City boxing team, said, "She didn't have enough time to build up her skills for the bout. But we will keep working on her conditioning with the aim of getting her into the
2014 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships The 2014 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships was initially scheduled to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. from September to October 2014. Boxing Canada withdrew from hosting when it could not find a venue that was available for dates sui ...
on Jeju Island." In her second bid to represent Korea at an international multi-sport event, Lee began preparing in 2015 for the first round tryouts for the national boxing team that will compete at the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But recurring injuries, notably a
dislocated shoulder A dislocated shoulder is a condition in which the head of the humerus is detached from the shoulder joint. Symptoms include shoulder pain and instability. Complications may include a Bankart lesion, Hill-Sachs lesion, rotator cuff tear, or i ...
which made her switch from an
orthodox stance In combat sports such as boxing, an orthodox stance is one in which the boxer places their left foot farther in front of the right foot, thus having their weaker side closer to the opponent. Because it favors the stronger, dominant side (often th ...
to a
southpaw stance In boxing and some other sports, a southpaw stance is where the boxer has the right hand and the right foot forward, leading with right jabs, and following with a left cross right hook. It is the normal stance for a left-handed boxer. The corres ...
, led her to announce her retirement from the sport in September 2015.


Personal life

In July 2017, she announced through her social media that she would be getting married in September and was 14 weeks pregnant. She gave birth to the couple's first child, a boy, on January 7, 2018.


Controversy

On July 1, 2015, Lee and her then agency J,Wide-Company filed a cyber defamation lawsuit against a reporter who allegedly spread rumors online that Lee had appeared in a sex video which the agency was using to
blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
her, leading to a suicide attempt; Lee and J,Wide-Company denied those rumors and an
arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a j ...
for the reporter was later issued by the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office.


Filmography


Film


Television series


Web series


Variety show


Music video


Discography


Ambassadorship

* Swiss Tourism Ambassadors' Swiss Friends (2022)


Awards and nominations


Athletic Awards


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Si-young 1982 births Living people 21st-century South Korean actresses South Korean television actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean web series actresses South Korean women boxers People from Cheongju Dongduk Women's University alumni