Quick Facts
Biography
Seo Hyun-jin (Hangul: 서현진; born February 27, 1985) is a South Korean actress and singer. Seo debuted as the main vocalist of South Korean girl group, M.I.L.K in 2001 and continued until 2003 when the group disbanded. She contributed songs as a solo artist after the group disbandment before she transitioned into acting in 2006.
Seo made her acting debut in the musical The Sound of Music (2006) then followed by appearances in several television series and film. She is best known for her leading roles as Oh Hae-young (soil) in the romantic comedy Another Miss Oh (2016), which gained her wider recognition and the medical melodrama Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim (2016–2017).
Life and career
1985–2005: Early life and music career
Seo was born on February 27, 1985 in Dobong District (now Nowon District), Seoul, South Korea. She was scouted by S.M. Entertainment and later debuted as the main vocalist of South Korean girl group, M.I.L.K in 2001, under the label subsidiary, SM Entertainment. However, the group soon fell by the wayside due to fierce competition among manufactured bands, which led to one of the members quitting before they completely disbanded in 2003. After M.I.L.K. was dissolved, Seo attended Dongduk Women's University, where she majored in applied musicology to keep her dream of singing career alive. Seo contributed songs to a few soundtracks and SM Town compilations as a solo artist.
2006–2014: Transition into acting
Seo had the chance to perform in her first musical, The Sound of Music in 2006, which she saw as the turning point in her acting career.
Supporting roles followed in the period drama Hwang Jini (2006), TV police procedural H.I.T (2007) and the queer film Ashamed (also known as Life Is Peachy, 2011). Seo first drew attention for her subtler performances in her career-making performance in The Duo (2011), as a neighborhood tomboy who later becomes a gisaeng. She played her first villain in Feast of the Gods (2012), as an overly ambitious chef caught in a rivalry. Seo was then cast in leading roles for two historical dramas The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang (2013) and The Three Musketeers (2014).
Seo has also frequently appeared in projects directed by her best friend, actress Ku Hye-sun, notably in the short film The Madonna and in the feature film Magic, in which she had her first leading role.
2015–present: Lead roles and rising popularity
Seo said the character that most resembled her real-life personality was the foodie freelance writer in Let's Eat 2 (2015), adding that she "didn't realize how much fun shooting a lively and comical drama could be." The drama was Seo's first attempt at romantic-comedy genre, in which she got good reviews and it became her career's turning point.
Her popularity grew rapidly after the hit drama Another Oh Hae-young (2016), which she starred alongside Eric Mun. She was praised by viewers on how wonderful she portrayed such an ordinary and relatable character, and won the Baeksang Award for Best Actress. Later in the same year, she starred in SBS hit medical drama Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim alongside Han Suk-kyu and Yoo Yeon-seok.
In 2017, Seo was cast in the upcoming television series Temperature Of Love penned by Ha Myung-hee.
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Grip!" (Korean version) | 2003 | Inuyasha OST |
| "Hello! Summer!" | 2003 | 2003 Summer Vacation in SM Town |
| "Paradise" | 2003 | |
| "Summer in Dream" | 2003 | |
| "Give Me a Little Try" | 2006 | Princess Hours OST |
| "Raindrops" | 2006 | 2006 Summer SM Town |
| "0" | 2006 | Hyena OST |
| "Winter of Memories" | 2006 | 2006 Winter SM Town – Snow Dream |
| "Calling" | 2007 | Air City OST |
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 2007 | 2007 Winter SM Town – Only Love |
| "Song of Jeongeup" feat. Kim Nani | 2013 | The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang OST |
| "Up & Down" feat. Risso | 2015 | Let's Eat 2 OST |
| "What Is Love" feat. Yoo Seung Woo | 2016 | Another Miss Oh OST |
Filmography
Film
| Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Me Not | 2006 | Ji-hye | ||
| Story of Wine | 2008 | Jin-ju | ||
| The Madonna | Nun | Short film | ||
| Magic | 2010 | Ji-eun | ||
| Ashamed | 2011 | Hee-jin | ||
| The Peach Tree | 2012 | Shi-yeon | Cameo | |
| Fragments of Sweet Memories | Mom | Short film | ||
| Familyhood | 2016 | Sang-mi | ||
| Because I Love You | 2017 | Hyun-kyeong |
Television series
| Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hwang Jini | 2006 | Jung Ga-eun | KBS2 | |
| H.I.T | 2007 | Jang Hee-jin | MBC | |
| The Duo | 2011 | Dal-yi | ||
| The Peak | Ahn Il-yang | |||
| Feast of the Gods | 2012 | Ha In-joo / Song Yeon-woo | ||
| Horse Doctor | Jo So-yong (Gwi-in Jo) | Cameo | ||
| Here Comes Mr. Oh | 2012–2013 | Na Jin-joo | ||
| Goddess of Fire | 2013 | Shim Hwa-ryung | ||
| The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang | 2013–2014 | Seol-nan / Soo Baek-hyang | ||
| Drama Festival: Unrest | 2013 | Joon-kyung's mother | ||
| The Three Musketeers | 2014 | Kang Yoon-seo | tvN | |
| Let's Eat 2 | 2015 | Baek Soo-ji | ||
| Another Miss Oh | 2016 | Oh Hae-young (soil) | ||
| Hey Ghost, Let's Fight | Department store clerk | Cameo, ep. 13 | ||
| Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim | 2016–2017 | Yoon Seo-jung | SBS | |
| Temperature of Love | 2017 | Lee Hyun-soo |
Variety show
| Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNS Expedition | 2014 | Herself | SBS | Regular cast |
| Let's Eat with Friends | 2015 | Herself | tvN | Regular cast |
| Running Man | 2015 | Herself | SBS | Guest |
| Infinite Challenge | 2017 | Music teacher | MBC | Guest |
Music video appearances
| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "One Step at a Time" | 2009 | Seo Young-eun |
| "Dugeun Dugeun, Tomorrow" | 4Tomorrow |
Theater
| Title | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Sound of Music | 2006 | Liesl von Trapp |
| Goong: The Musical | 2010 | Min Hyo-rin |
| Cinderella | 2015 | Cinderella |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best New Actress | The Duo | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress in a Miniseries | Won | ||||
| 2012 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Feast of the Gods, Here Comes Mr. Oh | Won | ||
| 2013 | Excellence Award, Actress | Here Comes Mr. Oh, Goddess of Fire | Won | ||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Excellence Award, Actress | Let's Eat 2 | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Another Oh Hae-young | Won | ||
| Best Couple with Eric Mun | Nominated | ||||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actress | Nominated | ||||
| Made in tvN, Actress in Drama | Won | ||||
| Romantic-Comedy Queen | Won | ||||
| Best Kiss with Eric Mun | Nominated | ||||
| Best Entertainer Award | Nominated | ||||
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim | Nominated | |||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Genre Drama | Won | ||||
| Best Couple with Yoo Yeon-seok | Won | ||||
| Top 10 Star Award | Won | ||||
| Idol Academy Award – Best Kiss with Yoo Yeon-seok | Won | ||||
| 2017 | 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Another Oh Hae-young | Won |