Biography of Lee Si-young

Lee Si-young is a South Korean actress, host, and amateur female boxer born on 17 April 1982. She made her acting debut in 2008 and was noticed for her bold and athletic roles. Her famous dramas are ‘Boys Over Flowers‘ (2009), ‘My Beautiful Bride’ (2015), ‘Risky Romance’ (2018), and ‘Liver or Die’ (2019). Her popular movies are ‘Meet the In-laws’ (2011), ‘Killer Toon’ (2013), ‘The Divine Move’ (2014), and ‘No Mercy‘ (2019).

Early Life and Education

Lee Si-young was born on 17 April 1982 in Chungbuk province in South Korea. At the age of 9, her family moved to Seoul. She was named Lee Eun-rae by her parents but changed her name to Lee Si-young after graduating from university.

She studied Fashion Design at the Dongduk Women’s University.

Career

Lee Si-young made her acting debut in 2008. After her guest appearance on the third season of the Super Action TV show ‘Urban Legends Deja Vu’, she starred in the period drama ‘The Kingdom of the Winds’.

Si-young started to gain popularity after the sensational K-drama ‘Boys Over Flowers‘. She appeared as the character Sakurako Sanjo, a nave girl who later became a heartthrob after undergoing plastic surgery. In the 2009-2010 drama ‘Loving You a Thousand Times’, she played the role of a married man’s lover.

In the anthology film ‘Five Senses of Eros’, Si-young appeared in the short film, ‘Believe in the Moment’.

She started to gain widespread recognition after the streaming of the reality show ‘We Got Married’. She was paired with Shinhwa’s Jun Jin in the show. Later, they fell in love and dated for 6 months. Nonetheless, the ‘Gundam couple’ (the nickname given by their fans) broke up in September 2009.

In 2010, she hosted the entertainment news show, Entertainment Relay (or Entertainment Weekly). She was critically acclaimed for her role as a chaebol heiress in the television series ‘Birth of the Rich’/’Becoming a Billionaire’. Later that year, she starred in ‘Playful Kiss’, the drama adaptation of the manga ‘Itazura na Kiss’.

In 2011, she made her silver screen appearance in the movie ‘Meet the In-Laws’. It was a domestic hit in South Korea that sold more than 2 million tickets. Later, she appeared as a gold digger in the movie ‘Couples’ and in the action K-drama ‘Poseidon’.

In 2012, she was featured in the drama ‘Wild Romance’. She cut her hair short for her role as a tomboyish bodyguard of a baseball player.

She starred in the 2013 romantic comedy-drama series ‘How to Use Guys with Secret Tips’. The film captured the domestic audience through its presentation.

Afterwards, she was seen in the horror film ‘Killer Toon’, as a webtoon writer. It was a box-office hit with more than 1 million views.

In 2014, she played a prosecutor’s role in the drama ‘Golden Cross’. Later, she was seen in the film ‘The Divine Move’ and in the TVN drama ‘Righteous’.

In 2015, she starred in the thriller mystery TV series ‘My Beautiful Bride’.

One year later, in 2017, Si-young appeared in the action series ‘The Guardians’.

In 2018, she appeared in the medical drama ‘Risky Romance’. Afterwards, she starred in the 2019 movie ‘No Mercy‘ and in the drama ‘Liver or Die’.

In January 2020, she signed in with the agency, Ace Factory. Afterwards, she appeared in the Netflix mystery series ‘Sweet Home.’

Lee Si-young’s Passion for Boxing

Lee Si-young became active in amateur boxing in her late 20s. Three years after entering the boxing field, she earned several amateur titles in the 48-kg class. It was not easy for her to beat down the younger opponent candidate with more senior experience in boxing than her.

She started training in boxing under Hong Soo-hwan to appear in a television series as a female boxer in 2010. Hong Soo-hwan is a former champion in WBA bantamweight and super bantamweight.

Unfortunately, MBC did not produce the drama for which Si-young was taking training in boxing. However, by the time she got the taste of boxing and added it into her daily routine. Later, boxing helped her to transform into a better version of herself. By training in boxing, she reduced her body fat from 9.9 kg to 4.7 kg.

Her interest in boxing caused worries about the injuries that may occur while practicing boxing. Her decision to appear in competitions was something that caused severe anxiety inside the agency. Surprising everyone, she became the winner of the 7th Annual Women’s Amateur Boxing Competition in 2010. In the same year, she won the 10th KBI National Lifestyle Athletics Boxing Championship under the 50 kg category for women in November.

In February 2011, she won the 47th Seoul Amateur Boxing. In the 7th National Amateur Boxing Championships, she won the game by RSC (Referee Stopped Contest), preventing unnecessary harm. Afterwards, she became the Rookie of the Year in the competition conducted for the Seoul-based boxers.

Her coaches, Lee Seung-bae (the Korean national boxing team’s head coach) and Baek Seung-won, commented that she has a strong and perfect physique for boxing. They also added she has a natural talent for punching and the determination to become a boxer.

In 2012, she won the 42nd Seoul Boxing Prematch/Amateur Boxing Federation under the women’s category of 48 kg. She won the 33rd President’s Cup Amateur Boxing Contest. By the end of the year, she appeared in the National Amateur Boxing Championships competition. Also, the competition was the initial selection test for the 2013 national team. She competed in the under 48-kg light flyweight category. Despite her efforts, she lost the 66th National Amateur Boxing Championship in the final round.

In 2013, she became the 2014 Asian Games ambassador. Later, she joined the Incheon City boxing team. Thereupon, she moved from Seoul to Incheon to give more focus to her training. She prepared for her next match by undergoing surgery for a slipped disk and getting treatment for her injured knee.

Later in April, she won the 24th National Amateur Boxing Championships under the women’s category of 48 kg.

It was Si-young’s dream to represent South Korea in the 2014 Asian Games. Unfortunately, she could not enter the Asian Games due to her failure in the prior competitions.

In 2015, she started preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, she quit boxing due to recurring shoulder dislocations and other injuries.

Lee Si-young’s Talent in Music

Lee Si-young has sang for a few soundtracks without debuting as a professional singer. In 2009, she appeared in one of the soundtracks of ‘Fascination’, an EP by Jun Jin.

In 2012, she appeared with Jay Park in the MBC Music reality show Music and Lyrics, in which she worked with Jay Park to write and compose songs.

Achievements

Lee Si-young is a self-established actress and amateur female boxer. She has done a variety of challenging roles in dramas and movies. Through determination, she became an amateur boxer in her late 20s. Also, she is a TikTok influencer with over 17 million followers.

Personal Life

Lee Si-young announced her marriage in 2017. Her marriage function was held in one of the most luxurious hotels. Later, she revealed her pregnancy news and gave birth to her first child in 2018.

Controversy

In 2015, Si-young and her former agency, J.Wide-Company, lodged a cyber complaint against a reporter who spread false news online. The complaint caused the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office to approve an arrest warrant for the reporter.

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Lee Si-young leads a prosperous life with her family. Her major source of income comes from acting. In addition, brand endowment and ambassadorship also contribute to her net worth.

• Brand of the Year Awards 2021
  Celebrity TikToker
• KBS Drama Awards 2019
  Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama – ‘Liver or Die’
• 1st Asia Artist Awards 2016
  Best Choice Award
• MBC Entertainment Awards 2016
  Rookie Award, Female in Variety Show – ‘Real Men’
• 7th Max Movie Awards 2010
  Best New Actress – ‘The Righteous Thief’
• KBS Entertainment Awards 2010
  Best Female Newcomer in a Variety Show – ‘Entertainment Weekly’
• KBS Drama Awards 2010
  Best New Actress – ‘Becoming a Billionaire’
• Men’s Health Cool Guy Contest 2009
  Vital Woman Award