Lee Yoo-jin (born 8 January 1977) is a South Korean actress and TV host. Lee began modeling as a teenager and made her entertainment debut in the Super Elite Model Contest in 1998. She switched quickly to acting, playing supporting roles in television dramas such as '' Beautiful Days'', ''Girl's High School Days'', ''Into the Sun'', and '' Phoenix''.

Personal life

In May 2003, Lee held a press conference and tearfully acknowledged that she was of

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

. She had previously denied the rumors that she was

biracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

, but fans had long suspected the truth from her 5-foot-9 stature (5 inches taller than the average Korean woman) and naturally creased eyelids. Lee told reporters that she had been afraid of being discriminated against, saying, "People ask why didn't I come out earlier and why this is such a big deal. It wouldn't be anywhere else, but Korea is still a closed society where people like to talk about the purity of the race." Lee was born to a South Korean mother and a Hispanic-American

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

soldier; her parents married in 1976 while her father was stationed in Korea, but they divorced when she was 1 year old and he returned to the United States. Lee has had no contact with her birth father and she was raised solely by her single mother. South Korea uses a traditional Confucian-inspired

family registry Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differe ...

that requires children to be listed under their fathers' names and their fathers to be Korean—so that children with foreign fathers are in effect nonpersons under the law. Lee, for example, was registered under her grandfather's name, making her, under the law, her mother's sister. Lee said she considers herself to be entirely Korean in mentality. Lee married ice hockey coach Kim Wan-joo on 14 October 2010 at the Seoul Renaissance Hotel.

Filmography

Television drama

* '' Beautiful Days'' ( SBS, 2001) * ''Legend'' ( SBS, 2001) * ''Girl's High School Days'' (

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

, 2002-2003) * ''Into the Sun'' ( SBS, 2003) * '' Phoenix'' ( MBC, 2004) * ''Choice'' ( SBS, 2004-2005) * '' Two Wives'' ( SBS, 2009) * ''

Gangnam Scandal ''Gangnam Scandal'' (; stylized as ''Kangnam Scandal'') is a South Korean television series starring Lim Yoon-ho, Shin Go-eun, Seo Do-young, Bang Eun-hee and Hwang Bo-mi. It aired daily on SBS from November 26, 2018 to May 17, 2019. Synopsis ...

'' ( SBS, 2018-2019)

Film

* ''Don't Tell Papa'' (2004) * ''How To Keep My Love'' (2004) * ''Mapado 2 : Back To The Island'' (2007)

Variety show

* ''Lee Yoo-jin's High Heels'' ( MBC Every 1, 2007) * ''Man's Operating Manual'' (ETN, 2008) * 과학실험 하와이 (

EBS EBS may refer to: Broadcasting * EBS TV (Ethiopia) * Educational Broadband Service, US TV service * Educational Broadcasting System, South Korea ** EBS 1, a South Korean television channel * Emergency Broadcast System, former US Warning system ...

, 2008) * ''Owl'' ( MBC Drama, 2010) * ''Scifun'' (

, 2010) * 기업 열전 ''K1'' ( KBS, 2010) * ''Nobel Fellowship'' ( YTN Science, 2011) * 나의 사무실은 당신의 술집보다 아름답다 ( MBN, 2011) * ''Buwoong Season 1'' ( MBC Every 1, 2011) * 스타부부 한마당 (

, 2011) * ''Saturday Across Generations'' ( KBS, 2012)

Radio program

*''This is Yoon Jung-soo and Lee Yoo-jin's Good Weekend Hurray'' ( MBC FM, 2011) *''Yoon Jung-soo and Lee Yoo-jin's 2 PM Hurray'' ( MBC FM, 2013)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Yoo-jin 1977 births Living people South Korean people of American descent South Korean people of Latin American descent South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses IHQ (company) artists