Lee Min-jung (; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage play, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in ''

Boys Over Flowers is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio. The story takes place in the fictional Eitoku Academy, an elite school for children from rich families. It tells the story of Tsukushi Makino, a girl from a middle-class ...

'' (2009), and landed her first lead role in family drama '' Smile, You'' (2009). She achieved widespread recognition for her leading role in the romantic comedy '' Cyrano Agency'' (2010). She also starred in '' Wonderful Radio'' (2012), ''

Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * Big (film), ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * ''Big!'', a ...

'' (2012), '' Cunning Single Lady'' (2014), and '' Come Back Mister'' (2016). In 2020, she starred and gained recognition in the KBS weekend drama, '' Once Again.''

Career

Lee began her career in playwright/filmmaker Jang Jin's stage plays, then appeared in the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

-themed indie ''Pruning the Grapevine'', while doing minor roles on film and television. She became a household name in 2009 through her supporting role in the popular high school series ''

'', which then landed her first leading role in the weekend drama '' Smile, You''. The same year, she won the Best New Actress award at the

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The ce ...

for her performance in the mystery thriller '' White Night''. Lee's breakout role was in romantic comedy '' Cyrano Agency'' in 2010, where she swept Best New Actress awards at various local award-giving bodies. Commercials and endorsements flooded in, and Lee gained a "goddess" label in the press. One of the challenges of her next film '' Wonderful Radio'', was to strip her of that image. She successfully carried the film, with one review praising her as "expertly swinging from girly ditz, through self-centered pop diva (with memorable temper tantrums), to serious singer-songwriter." Co-star Lee Jung-jin said her actual personality is similar to the character's - "really upbeat and outgoing." After playing a disillusioned fiancée to an ambitious fund manager in ''

Midas Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...

'', Lee returned to the romantic comedy genre in the body-swapping TV series ''

'' written by the Hong sisters. In 2013 she starred in another rom-com series '' All About My Romance'', about a secret relationship between two politicians of rival parties. This was followed by '' Cunning Single Lady'' in 2014, in which she played the titular character who schemes to win her ex-husband back now that he's rich and successful. Lee made her acting comeback after three years in the SBS drama '' Come Back Mister'' with

Rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

. The series began airing in February 2016, and Lee won positive reviews for her performance. In 2018, Lee returned with a SBS weekend drama '' Fates & Furies''. She re-united with her former co-star

Joo Sang-wook Joo Sang-wook (; born July 18, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in generational saga ''Giant (TV series), Giant'', medical drama ''Good Doctor (South Korean TV series), Good Doctor'', romantic comedy ''Cunning Single ...

from '' Cunning Single Lady'' as main leads. In 2020, Lee gained widespread recognition portraying the role of Song Na-hee alongside actor Lee Sang-yeob in the weekend drama, '' Once Again.''

Personal life

Her maternal grandfather was renowned painter Park No-soo, who led the first generation of modern traditional Korean ink painters which emerged after the country's liberation from Japanese rule. Park died on February 25, 2013, at the age of 86. Lee married actor

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

on August 10, 2013, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. The couple had briefly dated in 2006, then resumed their relationship in 2012. She gave birth to their first child, Lee Joon-hoo, a boy, on March 31, 2015. On August 4, 2023, it was confirmed that she was expecting her second child. She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, on December 21, 2023.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television shows

Music video appearances

Theater

Discography

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Min-jung South Korean television actresses South Korean film actresses South Korean web series actresses South Korean stage actresses 1982 births Living people Actresses from Seoul People from Gangnam District 21st-century South Korean actresses Sungkyunkwan University alumni Best New Actress Blue Dragon Film Awards winners Best New Actress for Grand Bell Awards winners