Han Seung-yeon (; born July 24, 1988), known mononymously as Seungyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as the vocalist of the South Korean girl group
Kara
Kara or KARA may refer to:
Geography Localities
* Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture
* Kára, Hungary, a village
* Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township
* Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province
* Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in ...
, and for her role in ''
Hello, My Twenties!''.
Life and career
1993–2007: Early life and career beginnings
Han Seung-yeon was born on July 24, 1988,
in
Yeongdeungpo District
Yeongdeungpo District () is one of the List of districts of Seoul, 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a ...
,
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea. She made her acting debut as a child actress in a
bit part
In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...
in ''Dear Ends'' (1993), ''Summer Showers'' (1995) and ''
Star in My Heart'' (1997). She later left South Korea to study at
Tenafly High School
Tenafly High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school in Tenafly in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Tenafly Public Sc ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, United States. However, she withdrew from high school mid-course to pursue a singing career.
After returning to South Korea, she debuted as a member of girl group
Kara
Kara or KARA may refer to:
Geography Localities
* Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture
* Kára, Hungary, a village
* Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township
* Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province
* Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in ...
on March 29, 2007. During her time with the group, she passed a high school qualification exam, the
College Scholastic Ability Test
The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT (), also abbreviated as Suneung (), is a standardised test which is recognised by South Korean universities. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) administers the annual test on the t ...
, and was accepted by
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University (KHU; ) is a Private university, private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. It was founded in 1949. Kyung Hee University is part of the Kyung Hee University System, which offers comprehensive ...
, majoring in theater and film.
2007–08: Debut and solo activities
Seungyeon debuted as main vocalist of Kara on ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk ...
'' on March 29, 2007.
She was the VJ for ''MSL Break'' from 2007 to 2008. She replaced
Tiffany of
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piec ...
as co-host of ''
Boys and Girls Music Countdown'' in June 2008 with
Kim Hye-sung, and later with actor
Kim Soo-hyun
Kim Soo-hyun (; born February 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He is the recipient of five Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. Kim made his television debut in 2007 with the family sitcom ''Kimchi Che ...
. Their segment ended on May 8, 2009. From October to December 2008, she was part of the cast of the
MBC Every 1 reality show ''I Need a Family – Season 2'', where a group of celebrities would live life as a family, consisting of a father, mother, son and daughter. She also became part of
MBC's entertainment news show ''Section TV,'' as a "pop correspondent," debuting on November 21, 2008.
2009–present: Continued solo activities, Kara disbandment and label changes
Han was featured on rapper Nassun's single "Come to Play", which was released in March 2009, and was featured on the soundtrack for the movie ''Why Did You Come to My House?'' (2009), releasing her first solo song entitled "Miracle". In October 2009, she became part of the "Dream Team Girl Group" named 4Tomorrow for
Samsung
Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
's campaign ''
Samsung Anycall''. Their digital single "Tomorrow" was released on October 6, and the official music video for their single was released on the October 12, starring actor
Lee Dong-gun
Lee Dong-gun (; born 26 July 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer.
Career
Lee Dong-gun made his debut in the entertainment industry in 1998 as a singer, but he would later gain fame as an actor, starring in television dramas such as ''Swee ...
.
In 2010, she recorded the song "Super Star" for the soundtrack of the
KBS2
KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...
drama ''
Mary Stayed Out All Night''. The same year, she became a host of MBC Every1's ''I Love Pet'' alongside fellow member
Kang Ji-young
Kang Ji-young (; born January 18, 1994), also known mononymously as Jiyoung or under the stage name JY in Japan, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actress. At age 14, she rose to fame as a member of the South Korean girl group Kara (Sout ...
. In 2011, she recorded the song "Because of Love" for the soundtrack of the
SBS drama ''
Warrior Baek Dong-soo
''Warrior Baek Dong-soo'' () is a 2011 South Korean fusion historical/action television series starring Ji Chang-wook in the title role, with Yoo Seung-ho, Yoon So-yi, Shin Hyun-been, Choi Min-soo and Jun Kwang-ryul. It aired on SBS from Jul ...
''. In July 2011, she became a co-host of
SBS's ''Animal Farm''.
Han released her first solo single "Guilty" on November 30, 2012, along with its music video. She had a performance of the single on
MBC's ''
Music Core
''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...
'' on December 15.
In 2013, Han appeared as the protagonist's younger counterpart in the daily drama ''Pure Love'' (2013). Then in her first major supporting role, Han portrayed
Choi Suk-bin in the
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
''
Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love
''Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love'' () is a 2013 South Korean historical television series, starring Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Hong Soo-hyun and Jae Hee. Based on the 2008 novel by Choi Jung-mi, it is a reinterpretation of Jang Hui-bin's life, as a w ...
'' (2013). In 2014, starred in the weekend drama ''
Jang Bo-ri is Here!
''Jang Bo-ri Is Here!'' () is a 2014 South Korean weekend television drama series broadcast by MBC starring Oh Yeon-seo, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Yu-ri and Oh Chang-seok. It premiered on April 5, 2014, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 20:40 for 52 ...
''. The same year, she played her first leading role in the cable series ''Her Lovely Heels''. Also, from 2013 to 2014, Han and fellow member
Park Gyu-ri
Park Gyu-ri (; born May 21, 1988), better known by the mononym Gyuri, is a South Korean singer, actress, and radio personality. She is a member of South Korean girl group Kara (South Korean band), Kara.
Life and career 1988–2002: Early life ...
served as hosts of the music program ''
The Show''.
In January 2016, Kara was disbanded after
Seungyeon, Park Gyuri and Goo Hara decided not to renew their contract. She later signed a contract with J Wide Company in the same year. In May, Han was cast in the omnibus web film ''Bugs Attack''. In July 2016, Han starred in the coming-of-age youth drama ''
Hello, My Twenties!''. In October 2016, Han was cast in a short film titled ''Frame in Love''.
In 2017, Han starred in JTBC's web drama ''Last Minute Romance''. She also reprised her role in the sequel of ''Hello, My Twenties''.
In 2018, Han switched over to Inyeon Entertainment, and was cast in the fantasy romance drama ''
About Time''. She then took on the leading role in travel romance drama ''
Twelve Nights''.
In April 2020, Han signed with new agency
YGX Entertainment.
In 2021, Han appeared in comedy horror film ''
Show Me the Ghost'' as Ye-ji. She won Fantastic Actor Jury's Special Mention Award for her performance at
25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
Discography
EPs
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Filmography
Film
Television series
Hosting
Audiobook
* ''Victor the fool'' by
Joachim de Posada, voice of Laura
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Han Seung-yeonat
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and conce ...
*
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Seung-yeon
1988 births
DSP Media artists
Kara (South Korean group) members
Living people
Musicians from Seoul
Singers from Seoul
Actresses from Seoul
People from Yeongdeungpo District
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
South Korean female idols
South Korean dance musicians
South Korean rhythm and blues singers
South Korean sopranos
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean child actresses
South Korean film actresses
South Korean television actresses
South Korean television presenters
South Korean women television presenters
South Korean radio presenters
Kyung Hee University alumni
20th-century South Korean actresses
21st-century South Korean actresses
21st-century South Korean women singers
Tenafly High School alumni
South Korean women radio presenters
YG Entertainment artists