Kim Yoo-jung
Kim Yoo-jung is a South Korean actress. After her acting debut in 2003, she became one of the best known child actresses in Korea and since then, has transitioned into teen roles by starring in television series Dong Yi, Moon Embracing the Sun, May Queen and Angry Mom. She hosted music show Inkigayo from November 2014 to April 2016 and took on her first leading role in KBS2's historical drama Love in the Moonlight.
Considered "Korea's Little Sister" when she was a child actress, Kim has since been dubbed "Sageuk Fairy" after starring in several acclaimed historical dramas in her career. In 2017, she ranked 8th on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list, the youngest to be included in the Top 10 at 17 years old.
Early life and education
Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea on September 22, 1999 as the youngest of three siblings. Her older sister, Yeon-jung debuted as an actress in 2017.Kim attended Goyang High School of Arts and graduated in January 2018.
Kim deferred taking the national College Scholastic Ability Test in 2017, and instead decided to focus on her acting career.
Career
2003–2011: Beginnings as a child actress
After Kim's acting debut when she was 4, she quickly became one of the most in-demand child actresses in Korea. By the time she was a fifth grader, Kim had already appeared in 13 TV dramas and 15 movies.In 2008, she received her first acting award as "Best Child Actress" for action-adventure series Iljimae. This was followed by acclaimed performances in Dong Yi and Flames of Desire. marked Kim's first major role that wasn't the childhood counterpart of the female protagonist.
2012–2014: Rising popularity
She rose to popularity in 2012 when she starred in the fantasy-period drama Moon Embracing the Sun, which reunited Kim with Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho costar Lee Min-ho and Iljimae costar Yeo Jin-goo. Moon surpassed 40% ratings and gained "national drama" status. She followed this with a well-received turn in May Queen and a supporting role in the 2013 film Commitment, and family drama Golden Rainbow ., October 2016
In 2014, Kim's performance as a teenage bully in Thread of Lies drew critical acclaim. She next played a traditional funeral singer in the single-episode Drama Special anthology, and was cast in the horror mystery Room 731, an English-language graduate thesis film by USC filmmaker Young-min Kim. This was followed by a starring role in the period drama Secret Door. Kim also began hosting music show Inkigayo'' in November 2014 and left the show in April 2016.
2015–present: Transition to lead roles
In 2015, she starred in the television series Angry Mom which tackled bullying and school violence. The same year, she reprised her role as a cat-turned-woman in Love Cells, a two-season web series adapted from the webtoon of the same title and played a murderer's daughter in the thriller film Circle of Atonement.In August 2016, Kim starred in her first adult leading role, alongside Park Bo-gum, in the youth historical drama Love in the Moonlight. A domestic hit, Moonlight achieved peak audience rating of 23.3% and its popularity was referred to as "Moonlight Syndrome". Kim won "Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama" for portraying Moonlight's cross-dressing heroine at the 30th KBS Drama Awards.
In 2017, she starred with Cha Tae-hyun in the romantic-comedy film Because I Love You. Kim also had her first overseas fan meeting tour with Taipei, Taiwan as the first stop, at ATT Show Box on February 4, 2017.
In 2018, Kim starred in the romantic-comedy drama Clean with Passion for Now, based on the webtoon of the same name. She plays an employee at a cleaning company who doesn't care about dirtiness.
In 2019, Kim was cast in the mystery thriller film The Night of the 8th Day in the role of a enigmatic psychic.
In 2020, Kim was cast in the romantic comedy drama Backstreet Rookie alongside Ji Chang-wook, based on the webtoon of the same name. She plays a former school bully who turn over a new leaf and becomes a part-time employee working in night shift.
Personal life
In February 2018, it was revealed that Kim was diagnosed with dysfunctions of the thyroid gland and would take a break from acting.Filmography
Discography
Ambassadorship
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2004 | Korea Association of Children's adoptive parents Ambassador | ||
| 2010 | Cheong Wa Dae Children's newspaper Ambassador | ||
| 2010 | Food and Drug Administration Child Ambassador | ||
| 2012 | Korean Youth Ambassador | with Lee Min-ho | |
| 2012 | Gyeonggi Anti-Child Abuse Ambassador | ||
| 2013 | The 58th Memorial Day Big Tree National Love badge | South Korean President Park Geun-hye award | |
| 2014 | Seoul Tourism Ambassador | with Jang Hyuk | |
| 2014 | 9th Conference of the Korean Volunteer Ambassador | ||
| 2015 | 6th Korea Sharing Festival | with Oh Ji-ho |