Shin Min-a

Yang Min-a (; born 5 April 1984), better known by the stage name Shin Min-a (), is a South Korean model and actress best known for starring in television dramas '' A Love to Kill'' (2005), '' My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho'' (2010), '' Arang and the Magistrate'' (2012), '' Oh My Venus'' (2015), '' Tomorrow, With You'' (2017), ''Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha'' (2021), and '' Our Blues'' (2022).

Career

1998–present: Modeling

Shin began her career as a model for the teen magazine ''KiKi'' in 1998, under her birth name, Yang Min-a. Without her knowledge, a friend applied her to the magazine's model competition, which Shin won. She first made a name for herself starring in commercials for brands such as Samsung and Korea Telecom 018, in which her line "love moves about" gained popularity amongst Korean youth.

Along with Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Min-hee, and , she was considered one of the "four teenage commercial stars", and a representative of the "N generation" (a Korean analogue to the millennial generation). She has since become one of the most in-demand and highest paid commercial endorsers in South Korea.

left, upShin for LG Xnote in 2011Notable among her forays into branded entertainment is the 2008 multi-episode ''Summer Days'' opposite Hyun Bin and Ryoo Seung-bum for LG Xnote featuring music by You Hee-yeol, as well as ''Friends & Love'', a movie-style extended advertisement for Giordano in 2011 costarring Jung Woo-sung and So Ji-sub.

In 2009, Shin went to Milan, Italy to shoot a photo spread for '' Elle Korea'' with Calvin Klein model Jamie Dornan. In 2011, she was chosen as the first Asian model for the ''DIY Project'' ad campaign of American clothing brand Rag & bone, and in 2012 was featured in ''The New York Timess '' T Magazine''.

Shin is Roger Vivier's Maison Ambassador for Korea. On 11 November 2021, she was appointed as Gucci's brand ambassador with Lee Jung-jae.

2000–present: Acting

Shin started acting by starring in music videos. In 2000, she was cast in the high-budget music video for Jo Sung-mo's "Do You Know", as a Vietnamese girl who falls in love with a Korean soldier during the Vietnam War. Ahead of her film debut in ''Volcano High'', she adopted the stage name Shin Min-a, to avoid confusion with the actress Yang Mi-ra. While ''Volcano High'' started production earlier, her first appearance as an actress was in the melodrama ''Beautiful Days''. She took five months of acting lessons in preparation for her role. Regarding it, she stated to The Dong-A Ilbo: "It was a completely different role than my regular image ..At first, it was awkward, but I'm confident I won't get criticized for 'clumsy acting'."

In 2003, she took the main role in the college romance movie '' Madeleine'' with Jo In-sung. For her role as a hairdresser, she practiced hairdressing for three months before the movie started filming. She then took on her first main TV role as a boxer in the series ''Punch'', training under the wing of the boxer Kim Ju-hee for two months. The drama's director, Lee Hyun-jik, praised her, saying, "Min-a might be a rookie actor, but she's so enthusiastic sometimes we worry someone might get hurt, and she also excels in expressing emotions." Her role earned her a New Star Award at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2005, she took on a supporting role in Kim Jee-woon's noir film '' A Bittersweet Life'', reuniting her with previous co-star Lee Byung-hun. She then portrayed a deaf character in ''Sad Movie

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