Kim You-jung

Early life and education

Kim was born in Seongdong District, Seoul, South Korea on September 22, 1999 as the youngest of three siblings. Her older sister, Kim Yeon-jung, debuted as an actress in 2017. She 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 model and actress

Kim debuted as a model for a confectionery brand at the age of four. After her acting debut when she was four, 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 television dramas and 15 films.

In 2008, she received her first acting award as Best Child Actress for action-adventure series Iljimae and historical drama Painter of the Wind. This was followed by acclaimed performances in Dong Yi (2010) and Flames of Desire (2010). Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho (2010) marked Kim's first major role that wasn't the childhood counterpart of the female protagonist.

2012–2015: Rising popularity and teen roles

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 Tae-ri and Iljimae costar Yeo Jin-goo. Moon surpassed 40% ratings and gained "national drama" status. For her good portrayal of the young protagonist, she was nominated for Best New Actress in the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards, and she won Best Young Actress Award in the 1st K-Drama Star Awards and 2012 MBC Drama Awards. She followed this with a well-received turn in May Queen (2012) and a supporting role in the 2013 film Commitment, and family drama Golden Rainbow (2013).

In 2014, Kim's performance as a teenage bully in Thread of Lies drew critical acclaim and she was nominated for the Best New Actress in Blue Dragon Film Awards. She next played a traditional funeral singer (or "gok-bi") 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 Kim Young-min. 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.

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.

2016–2021: Leading roles

In August 2016, Kim starred in her first adult leading role in the youth historical drama Love in the Moonlight as Hong Ra-on - a girl who was raised as a boy and eventually became a eunuch of Crown Prince of Joseon, played by Park Bo-gum. A domestic hit, Moonlight achieved peak audience rating of 23.3% and its popularity was referred to as "Moonlight Syndrome". Kim won an Excellence Award for portraying Moonlight cross-dressing heroine at the 30th KBS Drama Awards. It also earned her a Baeksang Arts Award for Most Popular Actress – Television.

In 2017, she starred with Cha Tae-hyun in the romantic-comedy film Because I Love You. In 2018, Kim starred in the romantic-comedy drama Clean with Passion for Now, based on the webtoon of the same name. She played an employee at a cleaning company who doesn't care about dirtiness. In 2020, Kim was cast in the romantic-comedy drama, Backstreet Rookie, alongside Ji Chang-wook, based on a webtoon of the same name and played the role of a former high school troublemaker who becomes a part-time employee at a convenience store. The actress is said to be attending action school in order to perform her own stunts and the production staff stated, "Kim has been working hard on fight scenes and wire action for her role as Jung Saet-byul. Please anticipate the unique transformation that Kim will undergo." During the 2020 SBS Drama Awards held on December 31, 2020, Kim was chosen to be the main host together with Shin Dong-yup. At the same event, Kim was awarded Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Fantasy/Romance Drama for her great portrayal of her role as Jung Saet-byul in the series Backstreet Rookie.

In December 2020, Kim was confirmed as the female lead role in the historical-fantasy drama Lovers of the Red Sky adapted from the novel written by Jung Eun-gwol. The drama premiered in August 2021 on SBS TV and Kim played the titular role of Hong Chun-gi, the Joseon dynasty's only female painter, alongside Ahn Hyo-seop as Ha Ram, a blind astrologer. The series reunited Kim with director Jang Tae-yoo after 13 years since Painter of the Wind (2008) where Kim played the childhood counterpart of the protagonist. In 2021, Kim appeared in the mystery thriller Netflix film The 8th Night in the role of an enigmatic psychic. In December 2021, she made a cameo appearance in the final episode of Coupang Play's television series One Ordinary Day. At the end of 2021, Kim hosted 2021 SBS Drama Awards with Shin Dong-yup for the second year in a row, receiving Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama and winning Best Couple Award with Ahn Hyo-seop for the drama Lovers of the Red Sky at the same event.

2022–present: Theater debut and continued success

In January 2023, she starred in SBS television series My Demon where she portrayed Do Do-hee, a chaebol heiress. The series was released in November 2023. In 2024, Kim made a special appearance in the Netflix original series Chicken Nugget. She portrayed the character Choi Min-ah, the daughter of a company president, she becomes embroiled in a comedic mishap when she mistakenly believes a new machine is designed to alleviate her fatigue and accidentally turns into a chicken nugget.

In September 2025, Kim was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Busan International Actors Award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, recognizing her contributions to the Korean film industry. Later that year, she starred in the TVING original series Dear X, which premiered on November 6, 2025. She played the role of Baek A-jin, a sociopath who hides her cruel nature behind a beautiful appearance, marking a significant transformation in her acting career. Kim's performance received widespread praise with The Korea Times calling it "chilling" which "anchors [the] story about trauma [and] manipulation". The series achieved global success, topping OTT charts in 108 countries shortly after its release.

Public image

After becoming one of the most in-demand child actresses in South Korea early in her career, Kim became known as "Nation's Little Sister". Through her roles in several acclaimed historical television series in her teens, she has been referred to as "Sageuk Fairy" by media outlets. Kim gained the nicknames "Nation's First Love" and "Global First Love" following her performance in the 2022 film 20th Century Girl.

Other ventures

Endorsements

After making her debut in an advertisement for Crown Confectionery in 2003, Kim appeared in a number of commercials for a variety of brands as a child actress. In 2012, following her appearance in Moon Embracing the Sun, she became an advertising model for Domino's Pizza with Kim Soo-hyun, appeared in a washing machine advertisement for Samsung Electronics with Han Ga-in, became the face of a dairy product by Seoul Milk with Yeo Jin-goo and featured in a video game commercial for Nintendo 3DS with Kim So-hyun.

In 2017, Kim became the brand model for South Korean sportswear manufacturer, FILA, and promoted the brand till 2022. In 2018, she became a brand model for cosmetics brand Laneige. In 2021, she was selected as an advertising model for Alcon contact lenses and Torretta – a water/ion supplement drink by Coca-Cola. In January 2022, Kim featured in a 7-minute-long commercial video named Dark Farm for Laneige's Radian-C Cream, which recorded 1.45 million views within 10 days of its release. The same year, she became an advertising model for Hana Bank. In August 2022, BBQ announced that Kim would be its new brand endorser. In August 2023, Nordisk, a Danish premium outdoor brand chose Kim as one of its model along with Ryu Jun-yeol and Choi Woo-sik. In November 2023, she was selected as brand ambassador of Couronne, a women's luxury handbag brand. In December 2023, she was appointed as an exclusive model for the English academy brand Adot English Academy and their online version Adot On.

Ambassadorships

Philanthropy

On August 26, 2010, Kim joined the "Kiss of Love" campaign, which sold products produced by Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest of Korea using celebrities' lip marks, autographs, and caricatures to support the self-reliance and child education of low-income families. In December 2010, Kim and 33 other Sidus HQ's actors participated to showcase the beauty of Korea under the theme of Hanbok in a Love Sharing Hanbok Calendar event; proceeds from the sales were donated to Korea Compassion.

On February 2, 2012, Kim and many other actors, opinion leaders, and models took part in a photography exhibition held by Kolon Sport for its 2012 S/S Collection; modeling fees were donated to serve neighbors in need. On April 20, Kim gave out t-shirts designed by popular designer Kathleen Kye to participate on smart donation culture held by Samsung Electronics while releasing its smart TV on 'Insight Exhibition' to support Hanbit School for the Blind's students to continue to show their talents, meanwhile the donated clothes were delivered to neighbors in need. On May 5, Kim and Yeo Jin-goo did good deeds and donated their voices to the documentary narration of 'New Life to Children'—Sookhyun's Picture Diary, a live broadcast on MBC's special program for children with rare incurable diseases, which airs on the Children's Day.

Kim auctioned an iPhone case to a charity auction held by Gyeonggi Province and Daum's portal site titled Infinite Care Campaign Auction for Neighborhood Love from January 9 to 16, 2013. Proceeds from the auction event were used for needy neighbors in Gyeonggi Province. On November 23, Kim's attractive pictorials were revealed of her volunteer work, participating in fashion magazine Elles signature charity project Share Happiness. It is a special charity collaboration project consisting of Elle's paper donations, stars' photo talent donations, and the brand's relief fund. Donations collected under the name of Share Happiness were to be donated in full to help women and children in need in the society.

On August 21, 2014, Kim participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a fundraising campaign by US ALS Association to develop treatments for "ALS" - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - and to help patients. As well as taking an ice water shower, she donated to the ALS Association. On October 8, Kim and other top stars representing South Korea donated their time by participating in the recording of the campaign song "Talk About Love" to encourage citizens to participate and join forces to rescue climate refugees in Tanzania and Malawi, Africa dying due to the effects of climate change. This project was jointly planned and supervised by Environment TV, an international relief organization.

On June 1, 2015, it was confirmed that Kim intended to donate all of her earnings as the voice of Jun-hee for MBC's Human Documentary Love "Jin-sil Eomma II - Hwan-hee and Jun-hee's Adolescence" to Samhyewon, a Child Welfare Center. In 2014, she established a relationship with the charity by donating snacks. In December 2015, actors Lee Ki-woo, Hong Jong-hyun and Kim stepped forward to help their neighbors have a warm winter. The three donated 5,600 briquettes and delivering briquettes directly to Baeksa Village in Junggyebon-dong, Nowon District. On June 7, 2018, Kim was selected for the Ice Bucket Challenge again, but instead donated 2 million won to the fund and 100 thousand won to the construction fund of Lou Gehrig Care Hospital, citing health (hypothyroidism) reasons. Kim tried to convey her true feelings in a handwritten letter, and exerted a good influence to pay a lot of attention after the construction of the Lou Gehrig Care Hospital.

In April 2019, Kim made donations to help residents in affected areas caused by the first-ever large forest fire in Gangwon Province. On October 13, Kim made donations to '2019 Pink Run' Seoul Competition – a running event raising awareness of breast cancer. The full participation fee was donated to the Korea Breast Health Foundation, to be used to support breast cancer patients' surgery and breast cancer screening. On October 27, ChildFund Korea revealed that Kim has become the 229th patron of the Green Noble Club, which is composed of individuals who have donated a large sum of at least 100 million won (approximately $88,511). Kim, who became the youngest member to have joined the club, continued to quietly make donations under a different name since her debut, has donated money to help low-income children in need due to COVID-19, and the remainder was used to fund sick children's medical expenses.

On October 1, 2021, Kim donated 30 million won to support children at risk of crime victims through the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation. This donation was made on the occasion of Kim's birthday. The donation was used as an emergency subsidy for living expenses, medical expenses and housing expenses so that children at risk of crime victims can recover their health and boast healthy and brightness.

On February 13, 2024, Kim donated 100 million won to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation to treat children suffering from childhood cancer, leukemia, and rare and intractable diseases. In October, it was discovered that Kim donated a total of to the Elderly Support Center and the Green Umbrella Hansarang Village last month without mentioning her agency during the process. She personally selected the donation organization with the hope that elderly people living alone and disabled children will stay healthy in a better environment. Kim's donation will be used to support dietary products for the elderly, rehabilitation treatment expenses for 18 children with severe disabilities without connections, medical expenses, and nursing expenses.

In March 2025, Kim donated 80 million won through the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help with recovery efforts from wildfires that have occurred in the Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.

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

Main article: Kim You-jung filmography

Selected filmography

• Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)
• Love in the Moonlight (2016)
• Backstreet Rookie (2020)
• Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)
• 20th Century Girl (2022)
• My Demon (2023–2024)
• Dear X (2025)

Discography

Theater

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

References

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