Biography of Lee Sung-kyung

Lee Sung-kyung, also known as Lee Sung-kyoung is a popular South Korean star with an incredibly charming personality and a set of talents including modelling, singing and acting. Having played in some of the best fan favourites and evergreen dramas, including ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’, ‘Dr. Romantic 2’, ‘Dr. Romantic 3’, ‘Shooting Stars’, ‘Cheese in the Trap’ and ‘Call It Love’. As a singer, she seamlessly recorded two original OST specials ‘A Much Better Tomorrow’ and ‘Only You’.

Early Life and Education

Lee Sung-kyung was born on 10 August 1990 in Goyang city, Gyeonggi, South Korea. She graduated from Dongduk Women’s University on 22 February 2016.

Career

Amateur Model’s Journey to the Super Model of South Korea

Lee Sung-kyung started her career in the entertainment field as a model in 2008 after appearing in the local Super Model Contest. Her parents encouraged her to try out for the Miss Korea Contest. Following their instructions, she applied to the contest with a dance video from her college and self-trained to walk like a model by watching online videos. Gradually she became a well-acknowledged supermodel of South Korea. She won the Lex Prize in the Super Model Contest in 2008.

Lee Sung-kyung as a Secret Singer

Lee Sung-kyung is musically talented and surprised the audience with her ability. Without even revealing her true identity on the stage wearing a crab-shaped mask. She played the piano since her childhood. In 2015, she was featured on the reality singing show competition ‘King Of Masked Singer’ and sang ‘Nice to Meet You’ by Ex. She released a collaboration single, a cover of Sharp’s ‘My Lips Like Warm Coffee’ with Eddy Kim on 28 April 2016.

She took on the role of Poppy in the Disney Movie, ‘Trolls’, which was dubbed into the Korean language in 2021. Additionally, Sung-kyung established her singing skills alongside Park Hyung-sik of ZE:A in their Korean version of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’. She is promoted under YG KPlus, the joint venture of YG Entertainment and K-Plus.

Lee Sung-kyung as an Actress

Lee Sung-kyung made her acting debut with a supporting role in a 2014 television series, ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’, followed by a role in the weekend drama, ‘Flower of Queen’ in 2015.

In 2016, Lee Sung-kyung made her first lead appearance in the romantic comedy K-drama, ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ as Kim Bok-joo. The real-life story of Jang Mi-ran, an Olympic weightlifting champion inspires this youth sports drama. While preparing for the role, she showed her dedication towards her craft in acting. She believed in realistic acting and to portray her role, had gained weight and trained heavily to play the role of a weightlifter. In the same year, she was cast as a neurosurgeon on screen as Jin Seo-woo in the drama, ‘Doctors’. Sung-kyung was featured as Baek In-ha in a college romance series, ‘Cheese in the Trap’, directed by Lee Yoon Jung in 2016.

Next year, she dubbed the film, ‘Trolls’ with Park Hyung-sik and was cast in the directorial debut of Kim Dae-woong’s romance film, ‘Love+Sling’. In 2018, Sung-kyung starred alongside Lee Sang-yoon in the fantasy romance television series, ‘About Time’. In this series, she took on the role of an inspiring musical actress, Choi Michaela.

Sung-kyung played a role in the South Korean crime comedy film, ‘Miss & Mrs Cops’ in 2019 along with Ra Mi-ran. After one year, the stunning actress was seen in the second season of the 2020 hit medical drama, ‘Dr. Romantic’, in the role of a skilled cardiothoracic surgeon Cha Eun-jae. Her lead co-stars in the drama were Han Suk-kyu and Ahn Hyo-seop. She continued her role as Cha Eun-jae in the third season of the drama, ‘Dr. Romantic’, released in April 2023.

After two years, the versatile actress Sung-kyung played a lead role in the South Korean drama, ‘Shooting Stars’ alongside Kim Young-dae in 2022.

The South Korean television series, ‘Call It Love’, co-starring Kim Young-kwang in the lead role in the latest drama of Sung-kyung as of 2023. It is a romantic melodrama, which narrates the change in the life story of a woman who finds her father’s affair and falls in love with his mistress’s son.

Achievements

Lee Sung-kyung, who is well-respected as both a model and an actress in the entertainment industry gained a lot of achievements within a short span of her career.

• Lee Sung-kyung is recognized by W Magazine as the ‘Gigi Hadid of Korea’  with over 10 per cent of the South Korean population following her on Instagram.
• Sung-kyung became the ambassador of Laneige.
• Lee Sung-kyung won the category of Lex Prize in the Super Model Contest in 2008.
• In 2020, Sung-kyung won the Excellence Actress award in a Miniseries for the series, ‘Dr. Romantic 2’.

Personal Life

The 33-year-old South Korean actress Lee Sung-kyung was rumoured to have dated musicians Song Min-ho, Kang Seung-yoon and Eddy Kim. Although the beautiful and multi-talented actress started dating actor Nam Joo-hyuk in April 2017, she broke up with Joo-hyuk in September and is reportedly single.

Net Worth and Lifestyle

South Korean actress Lee Sung-kyung who became popular with her multiple talents and skills has earned a lot within a short span. The estimated net worth of the 33-year-old actress as of 2023 is around 22 to 25 million US dollars. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the South Korean entertainment industry. Apart from her major source of income from acting, she relies on modelling and ambassadorships for income.

Sung-kyung has the most significant fan base globally with 15.1 million followers on her Instagram account. She posts short dance videos, behind-the-scenes videos of her model shoots and vlogs to be updated with her fans. She is the South Korean ambassador for the luxury brand Chanel and has worked with designers, including Burberry, Miu Miu, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Awards

• Asia Artist Awards 2020
  Best Actress Award – ‘Dr. Romantic 2’ (2020)
  
• Asia Model Awards 2020
  Model Star Award (2020)
• SBS Drama Awards 2020
  Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Action Drama – ‘Dr. Romantic 2’ (2020)
• Chunsa Film Art Awards 2019
  Special Popularity Award – ‘Miss & Mrs. Cops’ (2019)}
• Asia Artist Awards 2018
  Artist of the Year (2018)
• Asia Artist Awards 2018
  Best Emotive (2018)
• MBC Drama Awards 2016
  Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries – ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ (2016)
  
• CFDK Fashion Awards 2014
  Best Female Fashion Model of the Year (2014)
  
• Super Model Contest 2008
  Lex Prize (2008)