Lee Se-young (이세영)

Twenty-five years since her debut, Lee Se-young is at the top of her game. Her stunning performance in the hit 2021 historical drama The Red Sleeve earned her multiple acting nominations and a Top Excellence Award from the MBC Awards, and her most recent drama, the legal rom-com The Law Cafe reigned over its time slot.

Photo from Big Issue March2022

Birthday: December 20, 1992

Instagram: seyoung_10

It has been quite an interesting journey to the top for this young veteran actress with arguably the most unique showbiz origin story: Lee Se-young’s mother wanted her daughter’s face to be known by the public to minimize her chances of getting kidnapped! After making her debut on the popular children's show Popopo at the age of five, she would go on to play many younger version roles—most famously, in the international hit drama Jewel in the Palace (2003), and earn her very first Baeksang Arts Awards nomination for the film Lovely Rivals (2004) when she was only 13.

She put her career on hold to attend regular school, but experienced being bullied precisely because of her fame and beauty. She then learned to use humor as a coping mechanism, and developed the bright, hilarious personality her colleagues and fans love her for.

Returning to acting as an adult, she earned her first Baeksang acting trophy for the family drama The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop in 2016, and is known for taking on diverse roles: a young queen in The Crowned Clown (2019), an anesthesiology resident in Doctor John (2019), a criminal profiler in Memorist (2020), and even three roles in a single drama for the 2017 fantasy series Hwayugi (Korean Odyssey).

She will be starring in a time-travel k-drama The Story of Park's Marriage Contract as a Joseon woman who mysteriously arrives into present-day South Korea and enters into a contract marriage.

Whatever project she chooses, Lee Se-young always brings something fresh and exciting to the table, and we can’t wait to hear what she’ll do next!