Kim Seo-hyung

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Seo-hyung (Korean: 김서형; born October 28, 1973) is a South Korean actress.^[1][2] She is best known for her portrayal as the evil mistress Shin Ae-ri in the SBS revenge drama Temptation of Wife (2008) and as Coach Kim in the JTBC television series Sky Castle (2018), for which she received a Best Actress nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Kim Seo-hyung
Kim in October 2022
Born	(1973-10-28) October 28, 1973 (age 51) Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea
Education	Yeongdong Women's College - Liberal Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Korean name
Hangul	김서형
Hanja	金瑞亨
RR	Gim Seohyeong
MR	Kim Sŏhyŏng
Signature

Career

Early career

Kim participated in the 1992 Miss Gangwon Pageant and made her acting debut as a KBS talent in 1994.

Breakthrough role

She gained recognition for her portrayal as the evil mistress Shin Ae-ri in the SBS revenge drama Temptation of Wife which marked a significant shift in her career. Subsequently, she appeared in various dramas and movies, showcasing her talent in diverse roles. In 2014, she earned the award for Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film^[3] at the 3rd Madrid International Film Festival for her performance in the film Late Spring. She also gained international attention for her role in The Villainess,^[4][5] which had its world premiere at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in May 2017.

Career resurgence

In the 2018 series Sky Castle, Kim Seo-hyung plays Coach Kim, a ruthless college entrance exam private tutor for wealthy families in an exclusive neighborhood. Coach Kim is known for her perfect success rate in getting students into top universities and uses psychological pressure to manipulate parents and children. Her character is driven by a dark past and a desire for revenge against society. She represents the damaging effects of South Korea's elite education system.^[6][7] Kim's performance as Coach Kim was widely acclaimed, earning her nomination for best supporting actress in 55th Baeksang Arts Awards, followed by a win in 12th Korea Drama Awards.

In 2020, she starred as the lead in SBS crime-thriller drama Nobody Knows. Kim Seo-hyung portrays Cha Young-jin, a detective in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Violent Crimes Division. Her character is defined by a past trauma: the loss of her best friend to a serial killer 19 years prior. This event drives her relentless pursuit of justice.^[8]

In Mine, Kim portrayed Jung Seo-hyun, the sophisticated daughter-in-law of the powerful Hyowon Group. Leading Seohyun Gallery, she exudes intelligence and composure, prioritizing family and business. Yet, beneath her facade, she grapples with societal pressures, including her suppressed sexuality and love for artist Suzy Choi.^[9][10]

In 2022, Kim starred in her first OTT drama Recipe for Farewell, which was based on the autobiographical essay book It Might Be a Little Spicy Today (오늘은 좀 매울지도 몰라) by Kang Chang-rae, which was published in 2018.^[11][12] Kim took on the role of Jung Da-jung, an independent woman who is the head of a small book publishing company in Seoul. The series centers around her poignant journey after she is diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. Facing difficulties eating due to her condition, she makes an extraordinary request to her estranged husband, Kang Chang-wook (played by Han Suk-kyu), a humanities lecturer who only knows how to cook ramen: she asks him to cook for her every day.^[12][13] Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards.^[14]

In the independent film Vinyl House (also known as "Greenhouse"), Kim played the leading role of Moon-jung, a dedicated caregiver for a blind couple, Tae-kang and Hwa-ok, who also suffers from dementia. Moon-jung lives in a vinyl house and dreams of finding a proper home for herself and her son. The film explores the difficult choices she makes after one of her elderly charges dies in an accident. Kim's performance in this challenging role earned her seven Best Actress nominations, winning six awards, including one at the 27th Busan International Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the 2023 Buil Film Awards.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	The Record	Teacher
2001	Kiss Me Much	Ballet teacher	cameo
2002	Over the Rainbow	Kyung-hee
	A Perfect Match	Lee Kang-hyun
2003	The Sweet Sex and Love	Shin-ah
2005	Whispering Corridors 4: Voice	Hee-yeon
2006	The City of Violence	Jang Mi-ran
	Forbidden Floor	Chae Min-young
2007	Black House	Jang Mi-na
2010	A Barefoot Dream	Yu Bo-hyeon
	Desire To Kill	Department Chief Baek
2012	Doomsday Book	Min Yoo-ni	segment: "The Heavenly Creation"
	Wedding Ceremony	Woman	short film
2013	The Berlin File	North Korean embassy secretary
	Shorts Meet Shorts	Mi-jung	segment: "Waltzing on Thunder"
2014	Late Spring	Jung-sook
2017	The Villainess	Kwon-sook
2020	Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP	Min Soo-hee
2021	Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming [ko]	Noh Eun-hee	[21][22]
2023	Greenhouse [ko]	Moon-jung	[23]
2024	Dog Days	Jin-yeong	[24]

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Tomorrow's Love
	Daughters of a Rich Family
1995	Blue Sky
2003	Breathless	Yoon Yeo-joo
2004	Lovers in Paris	Baek Seung-kyung
	Best Theater	Yoon Da-hee	episode: "Love, Standing on a Slope"
	Drama City	Jae-kyung	episode: "His Wife's Diary"
2005	Be Strong, Geum-soon!	Ha Seong-ran
	Green Rose	Cha Yoo-ran
2007	Oh Lovers	Ha Jae-in
2008	Temptation of Wife	Shin Ae-ri
2010	Giant	Yoo Kyung-ok
2012	History of a Salaryman	Mo Ga-bi
	My Husband Got a Family	Chun Jae-yong's older sister	guest role, episodes 47-48
	What is Mom	Park Seo-hyung
2013	After School: Lucky or Not	Cafeteria Lady	cameo, episodes 4 & 9
	Empress Ki	Empress Dowager Hwang (Budashiri)
2014	A New Leaf	Lee Seon-hee	recurring role
2015	Assembly	Hong Chan-mi
2016	The Good Wife	Seo Myeong-hee
2018	Welcome to Waikiki	Kim Hee-ja	guest role, episode 4
	Tempted	Myeong Mi-ri	[25]
	Come and Hug Me	Park Hee-young	recurring role, episodes 5-22
	Sky Castle	Kim Joo-young	[6][7]
2020	Nobody Knows	Cha Yeong-jin	[8]
2021	Mine	Jeong Seo-hyeon	[26]
2023	Pale Moon	Yoo Yi-hwa	[27]

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2022	Recipe for Farewell	Da Jung	[28]

Discography

Soundtrack appearances

Year	Song Title	Notes
2009	"In the Flower Garden (Shin Ae-ri Ballad)"	Temptation of Wife OST
	"Can't Forgive (Shin Ae-ri Rock)"
2014	"Spring"	Late Spring OST

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1992	Miss Gangwon Pageant	Miss Samsung	—	Won	[29]
2009	SBS Drama Awards	Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama	Temptation of Wife	Won	[30]
2010	SBS Drama Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Special Planning Drama	Giant	Nominated	[31]
2012	SBS Drama Awards	Special Award, Actress in a Miniseries	History of a Salaryman	Nominated	[32]
2014	3rd Madrid International Film Festival	Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film	Late Spring	Won	[33]
	14th Milan International Film Festival	Best Supporting Actress		Nominated	[34]
2015	KBS Drama Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Assembly	Won	[35]
2017	1st The Seoul Awards	Best Supporting Actress (Film)	The Villainess	Nominated	[36]
2018	MBC Drama Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries	Come and Hug Me	Nominated	[37]
2019	55th Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actress (TV)	Sky Castle	Nominated	[38][39]
	Brand of the Year Awards	Actress of the Year		Won	[40]
	12th Korea Drama Awards	Hot Star China Award		Won	[41]
2020	24th Asian Television Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role		Nominated	[42]
	SBS Drama Awards	Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Action Drama	Nobody Knows	Won	[43]
2023	2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards	Best Actress	Recipe for Farewell	Nominated	[44]
	32nd Buil Film Awards	Best Actress	Greenhouse [ko]	Won	[15]
	43rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards	Best Actress		Won	[16]
	43rd Golden Cinema Film Festival [ko]	Best Actress		Won	[17]
	13th Beautiful Artist Awards (Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation)	Independent Film Artist Award		Won	[18]
	59th Grand Bell Awards	Best Actress		Won	[19]
	44th Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Leading Actress		Nominated	[20]
	9th APAN Star Awards	Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Pale Moon	Won	[45]

State honors

Name of country, award ceremony, year given, and name of honor

Country	Award Ceremony	Year	Honor	Ref.
South Korea	The 52nd Savings Day[note 1]	2015	Financial Chairman's Award	[47]
	10th Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards[note 2]	2019	Prime Minister's Commendation	[48]

Notes

1. "Savings Day" (Jeochug-ui Nal) is a commemorative day established in 1964 to promote a savings culture among South Korean citizens. In 1973, it was integrated with other commemorative days, such as "Securities Day" and "Insurance Day," during the consolidation of various commemorative days. When it was first established in 1964, the designated date for Savings Day was September 21st. It was then changed twice, first to September 25th in 1966, and then to October 25th in 1973. Finally, in 1984, it was designated as the "last Tuesday of October," which brings us to the present day.^[46]
2. Since 2010 Honors are given at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, arranged by the Korea Creative Content Agency and hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.