Kim Seol-hyun (born January 3, 1995), better known by her mononym Seolhyun, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of the South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
AOA and she has starred in television dramas ''
Orange Marmalade'' (2015), ''
My Country: The New Age'' (2019), ''
Awaken'' (2020–2021) and film ''
Memoir of a Murderer'' (2017).
Early life and education
Seolhyun was born on January 3, 1995, in
Bucheon
Bucheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul.
Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seoul, a ...
, South Korea. She has an older sister named Joo-hyun, who is a fashion editor for ''
Cosmopolitan''. She attended Kachiul Elementary School, Sungkok Middle School and Gyeonggi Arts High School.
Career
2012–2014: AOA and acting debut
In 2010, Seolhyun won the 8th Smart Model Contest (스마트 모델 선발 대회), a competition in which ordinary students wear uniforms. At the event, several talent agencies were present, and Seolhyun was scouted by her current management, FNC Entertainment. She has also appeared in the music video for boy band
F.T. Island's song "Severely" from the EP ''
Grown-Up''.
On July 30, 2012, Seolhyun made her debut as a member of AOA on Mnet's ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
...
'' with the song "Elvis" from their debut single album, ''
Angels' Story
''Angels' Story'' is the debut single album and first physical single by South Korean girl group AOA. It was released on July 30, 2012 through FNC Entertainment.
Release
The album consists of 3 songs, the title track "Elvis", "Love is Only You" ...
''. Soon afterwards, she made her acting debut in the television drama ''
My Daughter Seo-young
''Seoyoung, My Daughter'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Lee Bo-young, Chun Ho-jin, Lee Sang-yoon, and Park Hae-jin. The family drama focuses on the broken relationship between Seo-young and her father, who later reunite ...
'', playing the role of
Lee Jung-shin's girlfriend.
In 2013, she was cast in the daily drama ''
Ugly Alert
''Ugly Alert'' () is a 2013 South Korean daily drama starring Im Joo-hwan, Kang So-ra, Choi Tae-joon, and Kang Byul. It aired on SBS from May 20 to November 29, 2013 on Mondays to Fridays at 19:20 for 133 episodes.
Plot
Gong Joon-soo is a man ...
''. She played the youngest daughter of the family, a bright girl who dreams of becoming an actress. Seolhyun stated, "I'm nervous about doing a new project, and I'm also burdened. But I want to work hard again by thinking of it as another learning experience. I also want to touch the hearts of people".
2015–present: Acting roles and rising popularity
Seolhyun first attracted attention with her appearance on the KBS variety show, ''
Brave Family
''Brave Family'' (), is a South Korean reality-variety show that airs on KBS2 beginning 23 January 2015 and estimated to air a total of 10 episode.
The concept of this program will follow celebrities becoming virtual family members, going overs ...
'' (2015), where she charmed viewers with boyish and unaffected demeanor.
Later that year, she gained fame through a commercial for SK Telecom which led to increased advertising offers for the star.

The same year, Seolhyun starred in KBS's vampire romance ''
Orange Marmalade''. Although it racked a mere two percent viewer ratings, the show brought her praise for her acting.
She also featured in the action noir film ''
Gangnam Blues
''Gangnam Blues'' (; lit. ''Gangnam 1970'') is a 2015 South Korean action film written and directed by Yoo Ha, and starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Rae-won. The film is set in the 1970s against the backdrop of the real estate development of Seoul's ...
'', and won a "popular star" award at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Seolhyun, along with ''Gangnam'' co-star
Lee Min-ho
Lee Min-ho (, born June 22, 1987) is a South Korean actor, singer, model, creative director and businessman. He gained widespread fame worldwide with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in ''Boys Over Flowers'' (2009) which also earned him the Best New Acto ...
were selected as promotional ambassadors for "Visit Korea Year".
In January 2016, Seolhyun was named “Model of the Year” at the 2015 TVCF Awards; having modeled for noteworthy brands across industries such as fashion, food and beverage, cosmetics and e-commerce. She placed second in a study conducted by Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (Kobaco) to select the top spokesmodel by consumers. In March 2016, Seolhyun was selected as an official ambassador to Korea national elections in 2016.
In May 2017, Seolhyun was cast in historical film ''
The Great Battle'', directed by
Kim Kwang-sik
Kim Kwang-sik (born March 6, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed the romantic comedy ''My Dear Desperado'' (2010) and the crime thriller ''Tabloid Truth'' (2014).
Career Early works
Kim Kwang-sik first began worki ...
. Principal photography started in August and the film premiered in 2018. She then starred in the thriller ''
Memoir of a Murderer'', playing the role of a murderer's daughter.
In 2019, Seolhyun was cast as female lead in
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
's historical drama ''
My Country
"My Country" is a poem about Australia, written by Dorothea Mackellar (1885–1968) at the age of 19 while homesick in the United Kingdom. After travelling through Europe extensively with her father during her teenage years, she started ...
''. This marks her first small-screen role in four years.
In 2020, Seolhyun was cast in
tvN's romantic mystery drama ''
Awaken'', which aired November 30, 2020.
At the end of 2021, Seolhyun hosted the
KBS Song Festival
The ''KBS Song Festival'' () is an annual South Korean music show that airs on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at the end of every year. It first aired in 1965 as an awards show, but KBS discontinued the awards ceremony in 2006. It has con ...
along with
Cha Eun-woo
Lee Dong-min (; born March 30, 1997), known professionally as Cha Eun-woo (), is a South Korean singer, actor, and model under the label Fantagio. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Astro.
Early life
Cha Eun-woo was born on March 3 ...
and
Rowoon
Kim Seok-woo (born August 7, 1996), better known by his stage name Rowoon, is a South Korean singer, actor and model. He is a member of the K-pop boy band SF9 as a lead vocalist. As an actor, he is known for his roles in television series '' Ex ...
.
In October 2022, Seolhyun decided not to renew her contract with
FNC Entertainment
FNC Entertainment (; stands for "fish and cake") is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2006 by South Korean singer and record producer Han Seong-ho. The label operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, ev ...
. In November, Seolhyun signed with Ieum Hashtag.
Personal life
Philanthropy
In February 2018, Kim and
CNBLUE
CNBLUE ( ko, 씨엔블루) is a South Korean pop rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of Jung Yong-hwa (leader, main vocals, guitar, keyboard, rap), Kang Min-hyuk ( drums), and Lee Jung-shin (bass). First bassist Kwon Kwang-jin left t ...
's
Lee Jung-shin traveled to
Kalaw,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
to volunteer at the 4th LOVE FNC school for underprivileged children.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Television show
Hosting
Awards and nominations
Listicles
See also
*
AOA discography
South Korean-based girl group AOA have released three studio albums, one compilation album, six extended plays, five single albums, nineteen singles (including 14 digital singles in Korean and five physical singles in Japan), and four promo ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Seol-hyun
AOA (group) members
1995 births
Living people
K-pop singers
South Korean female idols
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean female models
South Korean television personalities
South Korean film actresses
South Korean television actresses
Mandarin-language singers of South Korea
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
Actresses from Seoul
People from Bucheon
21st-century South Korean actresses
Singers from Seoul