Choi Soo-young (최수영)

Now established as a successful idol-actress, Choi Soo-young (also known by the mononym Sooyoung) has come a remarkably long way from the young girl who was constantly passed over at auditions, and her future is bright with possibility.

Birthday: February 10, 1990

Instagram: sooyoungchoi

Before making her debut as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation (also known as SNSD) at the age of 17, Choi Soo-young had failed 70 acting auditions. It’s just as well since SNSD would go on to become one of the most successful K-pop acts worldwide, earning them the moniker “The Nation’s Girl Group.” Their debut single "Into the New World" became known as a feminist anthem after it was sung by student activists at a peaceful protest in Ewha Women's University.

Having enjoyed immense success as a singer and even trying her hand at songwriting, Choi Soo-young persisted with her dream of becoming an actress. Her early acting projects consisted of small roles and cameos in the dramas Unstoppable Marriage (2008), Oh My Lady! (2010), and A Gentleman’s Dignity (2012) before finally landing her first major role through the medical drama The Third Hospital in 2012.

Since then, she has consistently worked as both an actress and idol, starring in a drama almost every year. She earned her first acting nomination in 2013 from the Korea Drama Awards for her role in the rom-com Dating Agency: Cyrano, then brought home not just one but two acting trophies for playing a terminally-ill patient in the 2014 drama My Spring Days.

Choi Soo-young is also known for her work in the tax collection drama Squad 38 (2016), the thriller Tell Me What You Saw (2020), and the romances So I Married an Anti-Fan and Run On in 2021.

She recently starred as a hospice nurse who helps grant the wishes of terminally ill patients in If You Wish Upon Me with Ji Chang-wook and Sung Dong-il and as a celebrity in the short (only four episodes) but sweet drama Fan Letter Please.