Im Yoon-ah

Early life and education

Im was born on May 30, 1990, in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, South Korea. Her family consists of her father and an older sister by five years.

Im graduated from Daeyoung High School in 2009. She went on to major in theater studies and graduated from Dongguk University in February 2015, receiving a lifetime achievement award at the graduation ceremony. Her fellow Girls' Generation member, Seohyun, attended the same university. She was also chosen as an ambassador for the university in 2014, alongside Apink's Naeun and actress Park Ha-sun.

Career

2002–2004: Pre-debut activities

In 2002, she was cast in the SM Saturday Open Casting Audition and spent five years "doing nothing but constant training" in singing, dancing and acting. Prior to debuting, Im was introduced to the public through various appearances in music videos and commercials; she first appeared in TVXQ's "Magic Castle" music video in December 2004.

2007–2015: Debut with Girls' Generation and acting career

In May 2008, Im was cast her first leading role in KBS's drama You Are My Destiny, playing the character Jang Sae-byuk. The drama achieved viewer ratings of up to 41.5%, and Im received wider public recognition. She considered the role a turning point in her career,

• and won two "Best New Actress" awards at the 2008 KBS Drama Awards and 45th Baeksang Arts Awards.

In 2009, Im was cast in MBC's drama Cinderella Man along with Kwon Sang-woo.

In March 2012, Im was cast in a lead role alongside Jang Geun Suk in KBS2's drama Love Rain, a fantasy drama about fate where the offspring of an ill-fated couple who met in the 1970s, meet and fall in love with each other in the modern era. Im played two characters: Yun-hee of the 70s and Ha-na of modern times. Although the drama scored low domestic viewership and was criticized for its failure to relate to the viewers, Im's acting received positive reviews. Yoon Ga-ee of OSEN wrote: "The speed at which her acting is improving is blinding. She has matured to the point where you want to ask, 'When did her acting get so good?' The criticism that trailed behind her during Cinderella Man is now nowhere to be found." Choi In-kyung of Hankook Ilbo said her acting was continuously improving and "Yoona is completely immersed in her character and has now become 'Hana' herself." The drama garnered much positive overseas interest and was sold to Japan for $10 million, the second highest price for a KBS drama at the time, partly due to Im's popularity.

In December 2013, Im starred alongside Lee Beom-soo in KBS2's romantic comedy drama Prime Minister & I. Loosely based on the musical film The Sound of Music, Im played Nam Da-jung, a young and stubborn reporter who falls in love with the prime minister. The drama received low ratings but Im's performance was praised and she won an Excellence Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards for the role.

In March 2016, Im released her first solo single "Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway", a collaboration with the South Korean indie group 10cm, as part of SM Station. The urban-pop song peaked at number 24 on Gaon Digital Chart. Fuse described it as "breezy and easy-listening" and complimented how "lovely" Im delivered the song.

2016–present: Transitioning roles and solo debut

In April 2016, Im was cast in her debut Chinese drama God of War, Zhao Yun, based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. She played dual roles–one falls in love with the male lead character but later finds out he killed her father while the other is skilled in martial arts. The drama's viewership ratings peaked at more than 2%, which was described to be "a huge success" relative to China's large population. It also recorded more than 10 billion hits through various online videos sites, reflecting Im's popularity in China.*

• Following the success, in August 2016, Im released a Chinese digital mini-album titled Blossom, which contains her renditions of well-known Mandarin songs.

In September 2016, Im starred in tvN's action thriller The K2. Tired of being typecast with a candy-like image and having always been burdened by the idol-actress prejudice, Im cast away the public perception and focused on the role as her "personal challenge." Her effort gained positive viewers' recognition, and earned her acting acclaim from critics.

In January 2017, Im made her film debut in action film, Confidential Assignment. Im performance was well-received, and she won several awards such as the AFA Next Generation Award at the Asian Film Awards and the Newcomer Award at the Korean Film Shining Star Awards. She then starred in MBC's historical drama The King in Love, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Kim Yi-ryung. In September 2017, Im released her second solo single "When The Wind Blows" as part of SM Station.

In 2018, Im joined the second season of Hyori's Homestay as a new helper. She released her third solo single "To You" at the conclusion of the variety show. In August 2018, a Girls' Generation subgroup named Oh!GG was formed with Im alongside the four other members who had decided to renew their contracts with SM entertainment; the group released the single "Lil' Touch".

To celebrate her 29th birthday, Im released her debut extended play A Walk to Remember on May 30, 2019. The EP became the fastest-selling album in its first 24 hours by a female soloist. In July of the same year, Im starred in the disaster action film Exit alongside Jo Jung-suk. It became the most popular movie of the summer and one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea by attracting over nine million viewers. Her first leading role earned her several wins and nominations, including her first Blue Dragon and Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actress nominations, and a Best Actress win at the 1st Asan Chungmugong International Action Film Festival.

At the end of 2020, Im returned to the small screen in JTBC's office drama Hush, where she played an intern reporter. In 2021, Im starred in Lee Jang-hoon's romantic drama film Miracle: Letters to the President and also appeared in A Year-End Medley, a romantic comedy film by Kwak Jae-yong. The former earned her a second Blue Dragon Best Actress nomination and her first Baeksang Best Actress nomination.

In 2022, she was cast in the TV series Big Mouth as Lee Jong Suk's wife. She also reprised her role in the action-comedy sequel, Confidential Assignment 2: International, which subsequently also became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea like its predecessor. She drew acclaim for both performances, the latter giving her first Best Supporting Actress award at the 58th Grand Bell Awards and her third Blue Dragon Best Actress nomination. Meanwhile, the former earned her Top Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries at the 2022 MBC Drama Awards.

In 2023, she was cast as the lead in the romantic-comedy drama King the Land alongside Lee Jun-ho. The series ranked number one on the Netflix's Weekly Global Top 10 in non-English TV show category for 3 weeks.

In 2025, she was cast in the lead role in the fantasy romantic television series Bon Appétit, Your Majesty alongside Lee Chae-min. Netflix identified the series as one of its hit titles in its third-quarter 2025 earnings report. Studio Dragon also cited the series as one of the works that contributed to its return to profitability in the third quarter of 2025. In the same year, Im reunited with director Lee Sang-geun in his second feature film Pretty Crazy. She received widespread praise for her performance in this film and it gave her first Best Actress award at the 29th Chunsa Film Art Awards and her fourth Best Actress nomination at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Im also released the digital single "Wish to Wish" on December 19, 2025.

Other ventures

Endorsements

Im has been called a "CF Queen" due to her several television commercial films, and has been a spokesperson for various brands. CNN credited her as "one of the household names in the Asia-Pacific region" which has helped Korean beauty brands become popular in China.

Before debuting in 2007, she became a model for the skin care brand Clean & Clear and Haitai Beverage's aid drink brand Sunkist Lemonade & Grapefruit Ade. In 2010, she became the first idol to endorse S-Oil, a large South Korean petroleum and refinery company. In 2012, she appeared in at least 20 commercials and was ranked fifth among celebrities with the most commercial appearances by TVCF, South Korea's largest advertisement information site. In 2013, she became the first overseas endorser for Alcon Taiwan.

From 2009 to 2020, Im was a long-term spokesperson for Amorepacific's cosmetics brand Innisfree. Other major endorsements included Michael Kors, in which she became the brand's first ambassador in Korea, Asia-Pacific spokesperson for luxury cosmetics brand Estée Lauder, Danish jewellery brand Pandora, South Korean DB Insurance, Tous Les Jours, Crocs, and Lee Jeans.

In October 2021, she became the first person to be selected as global ambassador for Italian luxury fashion brand Miu Miu. In January 2023, Im became the global face of the Miu Miu's 2023 Spring Summer collection campaign, alongside Emma Corrin, Kendall Jenner, Quintessa Swindell, Karolin Wolter, and more. In July 2023, Hong Kong-based luxury jewellery brand Qeelin announced her as its brand spokesperson. In October 2023, Im became the global face of the Qeelin's Wulu 18 Diamond campaign. In December 2023, she became the global face of the Qeelin's Bo Bo Collection campaign alongside Liu Shishi.

In January 2024, she became the global face of the Qeelin's Wulu Echo Collection campaign. Later in May 2024, she became the global face of the Qeelin's New Yu Yi Collection campaign alongside Lay Zhang. As of August 28, 2024, Im has been promoted to global brand spokesperson for Qeelin. On October 1, 2024, Im was selected as the brand ambassador for Italian luxury house Valentino, after attending the first show of creative director Alessandro Michele to present the brand's Spring/Summer 2025 Collection. On February 27, 2025, Amorepacific's premier beauty brand Sulwhasoo appointed Im as its global brand ambassador.

Ambassadorship

In 2012, Im was appointed as the Honorary Ambassador of Jung District, Seoul. In 2014, Im was appointed as ambassador for UNICEF's campaign, "UNIHERO", which aims to invite people to become heroes for the less fortunate children all around the globe. In 2015, Im was named promotional ambassador for the National Tax Service. She has also received presidential commendation for having paid her taxes faithfully. In 2016, Im participated in Crocs' "Come As You Are" campaign as one of the global ambassadors. In 2018, Im was appointed as a safety ambassador for the Central Council for Safe Culture Campaign, held to pledge safety measures and eradication of dangerous activities such as speeding and illegal parking that prevents the entry of fire trucks.

In 2019, Im became the first female celebrity to be appointed as an ambassador by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization. Starting September 2019, an advertisement campaign "Imagine Your Korea" was launched to improve Korean tourism awareness and attract more foreign tourists. The advertisements were displayed in countries such as China, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. It was also displayed in Times Square every day until January 2021.

Philanthropy

Over the years, Im has donated to various charities for causes such as social welfare and medical aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a member of the 'Honor Society' of the Community Chest of Korea. In March 2025, Im donated ₩100 million to the Community Chest of Korea to help victims recover from the March 2025 South Korea wildfires.

Impact

As a member of Girls' Generation and a successful actress, Im has been hailed as a top idol-actress and a prominent South Korean figure. Having appeared in CFs even before her Girls' Generation debut, the success of Im's music and acting careers has led her to individually endorse almost 40 brands internationally, notably long-time collaborator Innisfree, including ten in 2019 alone. In 2016, Im was listed by Forbes magazine as one of Asia's "30 under 30" most influential celebrities in the category of entertainment and sports. Im has also distinguished herself by being selected to host for many year-end galas. In particular, she has been the MC of the MBC Gayo Daejejeon for nine consecutive years.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Filmography

Main article: Im Yoon-ah filmography

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Im Yoon-ah

Notes

References

References

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