Biography of Kim So-hyun

Kim So-hyun is a well-established Australia-born South Korean actress who has handled different roles in more than 40 dramas and movies. She started as a child actress and has become a common household name. Being in the industry for 15 long years, she rose to fame with her role in ‘Moon Embracing The Sun’ in 2012.

Kim So-hyun is nicknamed ‘Nation’s Little Sister’, ‘Sageuk Goddess’, ‘Queen of Child Actor’, and ‘Korean Wave Fairy’ due to her characters in historical dramas and early debut. Her prolific career has already made her the apt title holder as the next-generation Hallyu star. So-hyun sacked several award titles over the years with her stellar screen presence. With her charisma and addictive charm, So-hyun rules the present Korean drama world. She’s been an active figure in philanthropic activities also.

Early Life and Education

Born on 4 June 1999 in Australia, Kim So-hyun had an opulent background. Her parents migrated to South Korea when she was 4 years old with her younger brother. The death of her father in 2008 was an unforeseen incident that shook the Kim family.

So-hyun completed her elementary education at Hoe-ryong Elementary School in Gyeonggi-do but was later shifted to Towol Elementary School. By then, she had already kickstarted her acting journey without professional training and did many auditions.

Education was a top priority for Kim So-hyun. So, after graduating from Yongin Munjung Middle School in 2015, she was homeschooled for the next two years. This helped her to conjointly pursue her acting career and school education. She struggled hard to prepare for her exam and even missed out on her social life. She only has memories of working on a set, which she enjoyed a lot.

Kim So-hyun has talked openly about how the decision to opt for homeschooling has helped her in creating a balance in her life. Later on, after high school graduation in 2017, she was admitted to the Department of Theatre, at Hanyang University, in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. She also attended the university’s entrance ceremony in 2018.

Career

Starting As A Child Actress

Kim So-hyun hit the screens at the very young age of seven. She was labelled under SidusHQ, which was then the biggest talent management agency in South Korea. So-hyun auditioned for various roles over time. She first appeared on screen in 2006, playing the childhood role of the female lead in a negative role. The drama was aired as a special episode of ‘Drama City’ and was called ‘Ten Minute Minor’.

Later on, So-hyun appeared as the second lead and side supporting characters in various dramas such as ‘A Happy Woman’ and ‘Que Sera Sera’ in 2007, ‘Hometown of Legends’ and ‘My Name Is Pity’, which is a short film, in 2008 and, ‘Wife and Woman’ and CBS drama ‘Ja Myung Go’ in 2009.

The roles So-hyun handled were of different ranges and were mainly the younger versions of the main leads. Nevertheless, her acting prowess and zealous nature got her numerous roles one after the other. She also starred in the fundraising drama ‘The Children Of Heaven’ released in 2009.

In 2010, Kim So-hyun acted in ‘Becoming a Billionaire’ and ‘King of Baking’ and ‘Kim Takgu’. She entered into a management contract with her agency around this time. The same year she made her way to the big screen with ‘Master of Vendatta’. The character she portrayed was Joo Hye-rin, the kidnapped daughter of a Pastor. It earned So-hyun a lot of critical acclaims and was a great jump for her in terms of acting skills.

So-hyun did three dramas and two films in 2011. One of the notable performances was her depiction of Jeong Myeong-heui in the crime thriller ‘Sin of a Family’, ‘The Duo’, ‘The Thorn Birds’ and ‘Spy Papa’ were her other projects. The meticulous impersonation of all these characters undoubtedly made her a much sought-after child artist in the Korean Entertainment world.

The Big Step

Even though Kim So-hyun’s acting career was booming, it was not until 2012 she made her position solid in the industry. Her year started with ‘Padam Padam’, a romantic fantasy series followed by a historical comedy film ‘I am the King’. Then came her critically acclaimed role as young Yoon Bo-kyung in the chart-topping 2012 MBC series ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’. Her peculiar performance in the drama as the antagonist’s younger self-earned her the title of ‘Korea’s Little Sister’.

She perfected the role of the evil sister in the fantasy-comedy drama ‘Rooftop Prince’ which was earned in 2012. Other works were ‘Love Again’, ‘Reckless Family- Season 1’, and the teen drama ‘Ma Boy’. So-hyun also made a guest appearance in the music video of Hi.Ni called the ‘Legend of Tears’.

Kim So-hyun then starred in the 21-episode long ‘Missing You’ with her former co-stars Park Yoo-chun from ‘Rooftop Prince’ and Yeo Jin-goo from ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’ in 2012. She gave life to the character of Lee Soo-yeon who got bullied and assaulted. This performance gained her recognition among her peers. During this time, she also got invited to host the musical show called ‘Music Core’ along with Minho of SHINee and Noh Hong-chul. The trio was well-received by the audience.

In 2013, Kim So-hyun appeared in a cameo in ‘Iris II: New Generation’. She adorned the role of the young brilliant Yi-hyun who suffers from psychogenic amnesia. The satirical thriller ‘Killer Tone’ was another film she did in 2013.

Thereafter, she played young Hye-sung in ‘I Can Hear Your Voice’ the same year. The Japanese drama, ‘Kaseifu no Mita’ was remade into a Korean drama in 2013, named ‘The Suspicious Housekeeper’. So-hyun was cast as the eldest daughter of the lead actor Choi Ji-woo.

For the 2014 MBC drama series ‘The Triangle’, Kim So-hyun was seen as young the Shin-hye. She experimented with the OCN release ‘Reset’ in which she handled her dual role with ease. The KBS drama special ‘We All Cry Differently’ was her last project in 2014. By this time, So-hyun became one of the highest-paid child actresses of that time.

Teenage Sensation

Kim So-hyun’s characters showed a transition from child roles to youthful teenage personas. She played a part in the drama adaptation of the KTOON webtoon called ‘The Girl Who Sees Smells’ in 2015. She reunited with her former co-star Park Yoo-chun in the series and was cast as his sister character.

So-hyun’s dual role in the 2015 drama ‘Who Are You: School 2015’ as Lee Eun-bi and Go Eun-byul made her the teenage sweetheart. She also gained momentum in the international arena and held a promotion program in Hong Kong. By this time she had left the host role in the Musical core.

In 2016, Kim So-hyun acted in a romance drama named ‘Pure Love’ starring opposite Doh Kyung-so. Her next project in 2016 was a school web drama ‘Nightmare Teacher‘, in which she took the lead role as the class president of Hosan University.

So-hyun also starred in the horror comedy series ‘Hey Ghost, Let’s Fight’. She underwent piano lessons for the KBS2 three-episode-drama special ‘Page Turner’. The media reach for this one-act was enormous.

So-hyun became the ‘Korean Wave Fairy’ and she met her Taiwanese fans at a fan meeting held at Ming Chuan University on April 9, 2016.

Kim So-hyun precise depiction of the 13-year-old Princess Deokhye in the 2016 historical drama ‘The Drama Princess’ received a lot of appreciation from veteran personalities. Her way with emotional scenes and soulful acting was impeccable in every literal sense.

So-hyun’s last work of 2016, tvN fantasy drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ was also another golden feather in her acting career. She also hosted the 2016 Dream Concert.

Adult Roles

So-hyun dubbed the Korean dubbing for the character of Mitsuha Miyamizu in the anime drama film ‘Your Name’ in 2017. On May 10, 2017, the political drama series ‘The Emperor: Owner of the Mask’, with Yoo Seung-ho and Kim So-hyug in the lead roles, was released. This was her first adult historical drama. She ended her contract with SidusHQ later this year. In December 2017, E&T Entertainment Agency was launched in association with LOEN Entertainment, which was Kim’s own agency.

In 2018, So-hyun was seen in the romantic drama ‘Radio Love’ as Song Geu-rim. She held her first fan meeting in Japan. She also did her travel reality show named ‘Because This is My First Twenty – Kim So-hyun’s YOLO Solo California’ which became a major hit on Youtube and hosted the survival reality show ‘Under Nineteen’. Be it in series or real life, So-hyun never fails to impress her audience.

In 2019, the drama adaptation of the webtoon ‘Love Alarm’ was released under the same title and So-hyun was selected to play the lead female role Jo-jo. The web series topped the charts on Netflix and was well-received globally. She got into the heart and soul of the character, which she explains because it resembled her personal life. ‘The Tale of Nokdu’ is a 2019 drama series starring Jang Dong-yoon and Kim So-hyun. It is based on the webtoon by Hye Jin-yang and was one of the best dramas released that year.

In 2021 So-hyun left E&T Entertainments and signed up with Culture Depot. She played the roles of Assassin Yeom Ga-jin, Princess Pyeonggang and the queen of Goguryeo Queen Yeon in the drama ‘River Where the Moon Rises’. It is a historical drama set up in Gogureyo. She also appeared in a music video by 2 AM called ‘Should’ve Known’.

Achievements

Kim So-hyun has made miscellaneous achievements in her name. She was nominated for different awards for her true-to-life portrayal of characters and exemplary on-screen presence.

• So-hyun received her first award for her performance in ‘Missing You’ and ‘Ma Boy’ in 2012. The title was ‘Best Young Actress’ and the award was given by the ‘APAN Star Awards’. She won the ‘Best Young Actress’ for ‘Missing You’ and ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’ at the ‘MBC Drama Awards’.
• In 2013, So-hyun won her ‘Style Icon Rookie Award’ at the ‘Herald-Donga TV Lifestyle Awards’ and for her acting talent, she also received the title of ‘Best Young Actress’ at ‘The Korea Youth Film Festival’. She was also selected as the ‘Best Female Newcomer’ in a Variety Show, at the ‘MBC Entertainment Awards’ for her hosting in the ‘Show! Music Core’.
• The ‘Best Actress in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama’ was presented to Kim So-hyun at the ‘Drama Special: We All Cry Differently’ at the ‘KBS Drama Awards’ in 2014. She also won the ‘Most Popular Award in a Variety Show’ for ‘Show! Music Core’.
• ‘Who Are You: School 2015’ is a drama which received a lot of appreciation from the media and audience. So-hyun was rewarded with various awards for her youthful portrayal of Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi. She won the ‘Best New Actress’ and ‘Netizen Award, Actress’ for this role at the ‘KBS Drama Awards’.
• Kim So-hyun also won the award for pairing with Yook Sung-jae in the same drama. She also got the ‘Star of the Year’ award at the 2015 ‘Korean Drama Awards’ for this drama. In 2016, the ‘Multimedia & Film Technology Awards’ selected her for the ‘Shining Actress Award’.
• At the ‘Korea Hallyu Awards’ of 2017, she won the ‘Popular Culture Award’ for her stellar acting in ‘The Emperor: Owner of the Mask’. Also at the ‘MBC Drama Awards’ she won the title of ‘Popularity Award, Actress’ for this drama.
• At the 2018 ‘Instagram Awards in Korea’, So-hyun won the ‘Emerging Celebrity’ award. She also won the ‘Excellence Award, Music/Talk Category (Female)’ for ‘Under Nineteen’ in 2018. She also won the ‘K-Food Content Indonesia 2018′ title for Popularity Award’.
• ‘The Tale of Nokdu’ was a major drama of 2019. So-hyun won the ‘Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries’ title for her stellar performance in the drama at the ‘KBS Drama Awards’. She also got nominated for the ‘Netizen Award, Actress’ category. The pairing of Kim So-hyun with Jang Dong-yoon won the ‘Best Couple Award’ at the event.

Endorsements

Since Kim So-hyun started as a child actress, she endorsed many products related to children. These included Fabric Softeners, apparel brands for kids and video games. She, along with Kim Yoo-jung, became the face of ‘Nintendo’ video games. Her hit drama ‘Who Are You: School 2015’ made her a teenage star and that accounted for her publicity in Japanese advertisements. She got the title of “Pocari Girl” endorsing the Japanese sports drink brand ‘Pocari’ for two consecutive years.

So-hyun was also broadcast in the ‘Domino’s Pizza’ ad alongside Kim Woo-bin. She also endorsed the Korean uniform brand Elite for 2 years from 2014-2016, thus becoming the longest model promoting the brand. G-Market, which is an e-commerce website, has also selected So-hyun as the model for ‘Korea’s first integrated brand lift package through cable channels and online.

The women’s clothing brand, ‘Soup’ saw major growth in their sales after choosing So-hyun as the face of their brand. Norwegian fashion shoe brands Skono and Samsung’s AI voice, Bixby Celebrity Voice, have Kim as their Ambassador.

Kim So-hyun is the global ambassador for the skincare brand JM Solution.

Personal Life

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Awards

Interesting Facts About Kim So-hyun

1. So-hyun likes reading books.
2. So-hyun started acting at the tender age of seven.
3. So-hyun enjoys soft music and melody.
4. So-hyun’s travel reality show ‘Because This is My First Twenty – Kim So-hyun’s YOLO Solo California’ has surpassed 6 million+ shows on Youtube and Facebook.
5. So-hyun has reshot her drama ‘River Where The Moon Rises’ without receiving any payment. She said later in an interview that it was not about money but art.
6. So-hyun had her first kiss with Yeo Jin-goo in their drama ‘Missing You’. It was both of their first kisses.
7. Navy Blue is So-hyun’s favourite colour.

FAQs