Biography of Shin Min-a
South Korean model cum actress Shin Min-a is famous for her roles in television dramas ‘Our Blues’, ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha‘, ‘With You’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Oh My Venus’, ‘Arang and the Magistrate’, ‘A Love to Kill’ and ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’. Min-a’s breakout role in the 2005 gangster film, ‘A Bittersweet Life’ as Hee-soo delighted the South Korean audience, and then there was no looking back for her. Additionally, Shin Min-a is also a singer and musician.
Early Life & Education
Career
Shin Min-a as a Model
She officially started modelling in 1998 after being selected as a model for Kiki Magazine, a youth magazine, while in mid-school. She built a solid career in modelling after becoming one of the most in-demand and highest-paid endorsers in South Korea.
Acting Career
Although Shin Min-a made appearances in several music videos for K-pop boyband g.o.d, she made her acting debut in 2001. She appeared on the small screen in a supporting role as Lee Min-ji in the series ‘Beautiful Days’. She quickly rose to stardom on the big screen with the film, ‘Volcano High’ in the same year with the actor Jang Hyuk. After two years, she was featured in the romantic movie ‘Madeleine’ with Jo In-sung.
Min-a had a great year in 2005 as she became a part of the television drama series ‘A Love to Kill’ with Kim Sa-rang, and Lee Ki-woo. in the same year, she appeared in a gangster action drama film ‘A Bittersweet Life’ by Kim Jee-woon, a romantic melodrama, ‘Sad Movie’ and a romantic comedy film, ‘The Beast And The Beauty’ with Ryoo Seung-bum. She also appeared in the psychological thriller ‘The Devil’ with Ju Ji-hoon and Uhm Tae-woong.
In 2007, Shin Min-a concurrently played two characters in the film, ‘My Mighty Princess’. Next year, she appeared in the role of a counterculture singer in the film, ‘Go Go 70s’. She started doing mature and critical roles, especially after playing the role of an unfaithful wife in ‘The Naked Kitchen’ in 2008. The very next year, she was noted for her excellent role as a cynical young woman who is in search of her father in the film, ‘Sisters on the Road’.
However, she became most popular for her roles during the years from 2010 to 2012. She depicted a nine-tailed fox, known as ‘Gumiho’ in Korean mythology, which has been trapped in a painting for around 500 years and its dream of becoming a human in the romantic comedy television drama, ‘My Girlfriend is a Gumiho’ in 2010.
In 2012, Shin Min-a played the role of a ghost in the series ‘Arang and the Magistrate’ and then appeared in 2013 in a short spy action film, The X’ as Mia.
In 2014, Min-a returned to the big screen with the romantic comedy film, ‘Gyeongju’, in which she played the female lead role Gong Yun-hee. She appeared alongside Jo Jung-suk in the romantic comedy film, ‘My Love, My Bride’ as a newly married couple later in the same year. It was the remake of the 1990 hit of the same name starring Choi Jin-sil and Park Joong-hoon.
Min-a was the lead cast alongside So Ji-sub in the TV series, ‘Oh My Venus’ in 2015. In this drama, she played the role of Kang Joo-eun a hard-working lawyer and an overweight lawyer who gets ditched by her boyfriend. After two years, she appeared as a lead cast in the television series, ‘Tomorrow With You’ in 2017, in which she played the role of an amateur photographer alongside Lee Je-hoon.
In 2019, she starred in a South Korean television series, ‘Chief of Staff’ with Lee Jung-jae, Lee Elijah, and Kim Dong-jun. She made her re-entry to the big screen with a 2020 Korean hit thriller film, ‘Diva’ with Lee Yoo-young. The film received multiple nominations in the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards and she received the Best Leading Actress award.
Shin Min-a was the lead cast in the commercial hit and the highest-rated Korean dramas in television history, ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha‘, the remake of the 2004 South Korean film, ‘Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong’.
As of 2023, ‘Our Blues’ starring Lee Byung-hun, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, Kim Woo-bin in the lead roles is the latest South Korean television series of Min-a. The series revolves around the sweet and bitter lives of people and depicts their stories in an omnibus format against the backdrop of Jeju Island, which was released in 2022.
Achievements
Model-turned-South Korean actress Shin Min-a was the first Asian model selected for the DIY Project in 2011, a promotional campaign for Rag & Bone, an American apparel company.
Min-a won the SBS Drama Awards at the New Star Award for her work in ‘Punch in 2003. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 4th University Film Festival of Korea, as well as Best Actress at the 6th Max Movie Awards and the 17th China Film Art Awards for her part in ‘Go-Go 70s,’.
She received the Best Couple award with Lee Seung-gi, Excellence Award, Top 10 Stars, as well as the Style Icon Actress, TV category award at the 3rd Style Icon Awards for her work in ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’.
Min-a and Lee Joon-gi received the Best Couple prize at the MBC Drama Awards for ‘Arang and the Magistrate.’
She received the Outstanding Korean Actress award at the 11th Seoul International Drama Awards for her role in ‘Oh My Venus.’ Moreover, she received numerous honours, including Hot Fashionista, Good Model Award, Female Fashionista, Best CF Model, Beauty Icon of the Year and Beauty Icon of the Year awards as of 2023.
Personal Life
Shin Min-a started dating Kim Woo-bin in May 2015 after meeting him while working for Giordano fashion house. Unfortunately, Woo-bin was diagnosed with Cancer and had to go through therapy. Min-a has been a dedicated lover throughout his therapy. Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin are still in a relationship.
Net Worth & Lifestyle
The stunning South Korean actress Shin Min-a is one of the most popular and wealthiest television actresses. Her estimated net worth is around 1 million US dollars, according to multiple sources.
Philanthropy
Shin Min-a donated 50 million won to build Korea’s first multicultural school in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province in 2010.
She participated in an Ice Bucket Challenge, a fundraising campaign to help patients in August 2014.
Shin had donated a total of 1 billion won over the past 7 years through ‘Fruit of Love’, a social welfare community chest and ‘Good Friends’, an association that helps North Korean defectors in 2015.
She participated in the ‘Let’s Share the Heart’ talent donation, a campaign to raise funds for Hallym Burn Foundation in 2016.
Min-a donated 50 million won to Seoul National University Children’s Hospital in September 2019.
She donated 100 million won to the Seoul Community Chest of Korea for medical staff and vulnerable groups during COVID-19 in February 2020. In the same year, she donated 100 million won through the Hallym Burn Foundation.
In 2021, Shin Min-a donated 100 million won each to the Hallym Burn Foundation. During the same year, the beautiful actress donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association.
It is reported that the actress’s cumulative donation amount exceeds 3.3 billion won as of 2023, and his most recent donation is 50 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Society to help victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
Awards
- 8th APAN Star Awards 2022
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries – ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’ and ‘Our Blues’ (2022) - 11th Seoul International Drama Awards 2021
Outstanding Korean Actress – ‘Oh My Venus’ (2021)
- KBS Drama Awards 2015
Best Couple with So Ji-sub – ‘Oh My Venus’ (2015) - KBS Drama Awards 2015
Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries- ‘Oh My Venus’ (2015) - 51st Baeksang Arts Awards 2015
InStyle Fashionista Award (2015)
- 2nd Wildflower Film Awards 2015
Special Jury Prize – ‘Gyeongju’ (2015) - MBC Drama Awards 2012
Best Couple with Lee Joon-gi – ‘Arang and the Magistrate’ (2012)
- 45th Taxpayers’ Day 2011
Presidential Commendation (2011) - 1st Cosmo Beauty Awards 2011
Beauty Icon of the Year (2011) - 7th TVCF Awards 2010
Best CF Model (2010) - SBS Drama Awards 2010
Top 10 Stars – ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’ (2010) - SBS Drama Awards 2010
Best Couple with Lee Seung-gi – ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’ (2010) - SBS Drama Awards 2010
Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special – ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’ (2010) - 3rd Style Icon Awards 2010
Style Icon Actress, TV category – ‘My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox’ (2010) - Korean Advertisers Association Awards 2010
Good Model Award (2010) - 3rd Mnet 20’s Choice Awards 2009
Hot Fashionista (2009)
- 2nd Style Icon Awards 2009
Female Fashionista (2009)
- 17th Chunsa Film Art Awards 2009
Best Actress – ‘Go Go 70s’ (2009) - 6th Max Movie Awards 2009
Best Actress – ‘Go Go 70s’ (2009) - 6th Korean Film Awards 2009
Best Supporting Actress – ‘Go Go 70s’ (2009) - 6th Korean Film Awards 2008
Best Supporting Actress – ‘Go Go 70s’ (2008) - 4th University Film Festival of Korea 2008
Best Supporting Actress – ‘Go Go 70s’ (2008) - Dior Timeless Beauty Award 2006
Recipient (2006) - SBS Drama Awards 2003
New Star Award – ‘Punch’ (2003)
Interesting Facts about Shin Min-a
- Shin Min-a made her acting debut in 2001.
- Actresses Gong Hyo-jin and Oh Yoon-ah are Min-a’s friends.
- Min-a published a book titled ‘Shin Min-a’s French Diary’ in 2009 after her travels in 2008.
- Shin Min-a has been dating her co-actor Kim Woo-bin since 2015.
- Min-a began her modelling career for the teen magazine ‘Kiki’ in 1998.
- Shin Min-a’s friends gave her the nicknames Do Duk and Donald Duck.
- Shin Min-a enjoys skating
- Min-a loves listening to music.
FAQs
- Is Shin Min-a married?
Min-a is not married yet, but she is in a long-term relationship with actor Kim Woo-bin. - Is Shin Min-a singer?
Apart from being a wonderful actress, Shin Min-a is also a good singer. - When did Shin Min-a start her modelling career?
Min-a started her modelling career in 1998. - What is the Instagram id of Shin Min-a?
