Kim Hyun-joo

Kim Hyun-joo
김현주
Kim Hyun Joo Press for Miracle We Met 2018.jpg
Kim in 2018
Born (1977-04-24) 24 April 1977 (age 45)
Alma materDankook University
OccupationActress
Years active1996–present
AgentYNK Entertainment
Korean name
Hangul
김현주
Hanja
金賢珠
Revised RomanizationKim Hyeon-ju
McCune–ReischauerKim Hyŏnju

Kim Hyun-joo (Korean: 김현주; born 24 April 1977) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in television dramas Glass Slippers (2002), Toji, the Land (2004), Twinkle Twinkle (2011), What Happens to My Family? (2014) and I Have a Lover (2015).

Career

1996–2001: Early acting credits

Kim Hyun-joo began modeling in teen magazines when she was in third year high school. In 1996, she made her entertainment debut when she starred in the music video for Kim Hyun-chul's "One's Lifetime." Kim launched her acting career in 1997 in the television drama The Reason I Live (1997). Despite being a newcomer, she was cast in the leading role in the film If It Snows on Christmas (1998) with Park Yong-ha, followed by Calla (1999) with Song Seung-heon.

After doing a few sitcoms, Kim built her resume further by playing supporting roles on television. In 1999, She gained her first major role as she appeared in the Jang Dong-gun starrer Springtime (also known as Youth), which received low ratings. But the popular Into the Sunlight later that year boosted Kim's career. In early 2000, she appeared in episode 7 of Song Ji-na's omnibus drama Love Story, titled "Insomnia, Manual and Orange Juice." Kim then landed her first TV leading role in Virtue (Deok-yi), followed by more supporting roles in 2001 with Her House (headlined by Kim Nam-joo) and the historical drama Sangdo (based on Choi In-ho's novel about Joseon merchant Im Sang-ok).

2002–2005: Glass Slippers breakthrough

Kim achieved mainstream stardom in 2002, with her Cinderella-esque leading role in Glass Slippers, about two sisters who were separated as children and unknowingly encounter each other as adults. Also starring Kim Ji-ho, Han Jae-suk and So Ji-sub, the drama was a hit with ratings of over 30%, and Kim received acting and popularity awards at the SBS Drama Awards. Glass Slippers was also successful in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam and with Kim's new pan-Asian popularity, she starred opposite Taiwanese actor/singer Vanness Wu in the martial arts movie Star Runner (2003).

For Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest (also known as Miss Kim's One Billion Won Project and Miss Kim's Adventures in Making a Million), she and Ji Jin-hee displayed their comedic chops as a girl left at the altar and a bankrupt playboy, respectively, who join forces in a moneymaking scheme. Kim's next role was as Lee Sung-jae's love interest in the body swapping comedy film Shinsukki Blues.

From late 2004 to 2005, Kim played the heroine Choi Seo-hee in Toji, the Land , a television adaptation of Park Kyung-ni's celebrated novel Toji ("The Land"), which portrayed the lives and loves of peasants and the nobility ("yangban") in Korea at the turn of the 20th century, spanning from Japan's colonial rule to the division of the peninsula. The big-budget production was a hit, and Kim received a Best TV Actress nomination at the 2006 Baeksang Arts Awards.

Inspired by the American TV show Joe Millionaire, Marrying a Millionaire (2005) was about an average guy (Go Soo) pretending to be rich as the concept for a dating reality show, who then genuinely falls for one of the contestants (Kim), the only girl who knows the truth. After Marrying a Millionaire, Kim went on a two-year hiatus. She later said she took a break because she hated being typecast in roles with a gentle and innocent image. But as time passed, she said she regretted her decision and should've worked harder instead to overcome her career slump.

2007–2010: Resurgence

Kim returned to television in 2007 with In-soon Is Pretty, playing the titular character who went to prison for unintentionally killing someone in high school, and after serving her time, must face prejudice as an ex-con while rebuilding her life. Despite the drama's low ratings, Kim was praised for her acting and received a Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards.

In 2009, she was cast in a small supporting role (or extended cameo) as the hero's tough-but-stylish older sister in the highly popular Boys Over Flowers, adapted from the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango. Then in the legal drama Partner, Kim played a widow-turned-lawyer whose passionate idealism clashes with her colleague's (Lee Dong-wook) cool cynicism.

Kim then spent ten days in Vancouver, Whistler, and Victoria to film the documentary ECO Canada by Kim Hyun-joo, which aired on MBC Life. Also featured as a photo spread in Sure magazine, the shoot promoted environmental awareness by emphasizing Canada's natural backdrops, and showing Kim's green practices such as using fabric bags instead of plastic and unplugging unused electrical appliances.

Her book Hyun-joo's Handcrafted Story was published on December 20, 2009, featuring personal essays and photos about her needlework and knitting.

2010 was a difficult year for Kim, with the deaths of three of her loved ones in close succession: her friend, actor Park Yong-ha committed suicide on June 30, the production company executive who'd cast her in The Land committed suicide on July 1 because of financial difficulties, and her father Kim Tae-beom died on July 7 after a long illness. She spent the rest of the year traveling to Bangladesh and the Philippines for her volunteer work as the goodwill ambassador for Good Neighbors, a humanitarian NGO. She donated the condolence money collected for her father's funeral and a portion of her book sales to Good Neighbors, which was used to build libraries in 11 orphanages in slum areas of Dhaka. Kim said, "I literally fled to Bangladesh after a series of personal tragedies, but I was consoled by the smiles of children who are living in these dire conditions. The act of sharing has given me strength to live." She currently works as an instructor for several classes organized by Good Neighbors, teaching Korean elementary schoolchildren about poverty around the world.

2011–2015: Focusing on weekend dramas

Kim Hyun Joo at What Happens to My Family? press conference in 2014.

Kim resumed her acting activities in 2011, playing the daughter from a wealthy publishing company whose life is turned upside down when she learns that she was switched at birth with another baby in Twinkle Twinkle. Her performance garnered a Top Excellence Award from the MBC Drama Awards. She also starred in Kim Dae-seung's short film Q&A, which was included in If You Were Me 5, an omnibus film commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Then in Dummy Mommy (2012), she played a fashion magazine editor with genius-level IQ who feels embarrassed by her developmentally disabled mother (Ha Hee-ra).

In a departure from her usual characters, Kim played one of the legendary femme fatales of the Joseon Dynasty, Lady Jo (or Jo Gwi-in), in the period drama Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers (2013). She said she was "more than delighted to have been given the opportunity to try something new," adding that, "This role will be a new life story for my acting career. I personally think it will be more interesting for an actress with an innocent image like myself to take up this wicked role." Critics praised Kim's versatility, as Lady Jo transforms from a naive young girl into an ambitious royal concubine who uses her beauty and wiles on King Injo in her thirst for power.

In early 2014, Kim began hosting Musical Journey to Yesterday, a music program in which a mix of current idol singers and industry veterans perform live hit songs from the 1970s to 1990s. Later that year, she starred in the weekend drama What Happens to My Family?, which had over 40% ratings. Her performance garnered the Top Excellence award at the KBS Drama Awards.

In 2015, she played dual roles in the melodrama, I Have a Lover. She won the Top Excellence Top Excellence Award from the APAN Star Awards and SBS Drama Awards.

2016-present: Professional expansion

Kim then starred in Fantastic, playing a drama screenwriter suffering from a terminal illness.

In 2018, she starred in the fantasy melodrama Miracle That We Met, she took the role of a tired wife, trapped in a loveless marriage. Kim described her character Sun Hye-jin as "a dormant volcano waiting to be active".

In 2019, Kim appeared in the OCN's drama Watcher. She played the role of a criminal lawyer, who was a former elite and promising prosecutor. Kim's performance earned rave review that she "created an independent and unique character that has never been seen before".

In July 2020, it was reported that Kim would starred in Undercover, a JTBC's remake of the British BBC drama of the same name. The drama saw her third reunion with her 2015 drama I Have a Lover co-star, Ji Jin-hee. Kim said of her reason for accepting the offer to join the drama: "Last time, I received a lot of help from Ji Jin-hee for my character. This time, on the contrary, the feelings of Ji Jin-hee's character Han Jeong-hyeon need to live more. Moreover, there are many people want the two of us to reunite after I Have a Lover , so I want to return that love as well."

In the same month of 2020, Kim was confirmed joined the cast of Hellbound, a Netflix series directed by Yeon Sang-ho. She played Min Hye-jin, an attorney who stands up against religious extremists.

In July 2021, Netflix reported that Kim would be starring as title role in sci-fi film Jung-E. She will portray the most elite soldier and a subject of brain-clone testing.

Filmography

Kim Hyun-joo at The Miracle We Met script reading session in 2018.

Television series

Films that have not yet been released Denotes TV series/Films that have not yet been released
Year English Title Korean Title Role Note
1997 Reason I Live For 내가 사는 이유 Chun Shim Supporting role, a bar clerk
Couple Jung Hee-ryung Supporting role, new flight attendant (Ep.152)
Ready Go! 레디 고! Na Min-jung Supporting role
1998 Love You! Love You! 사랑해 사랑해 Lee Joo-hee Main role
Three Guys and Three Girls 남자셋 여자셋 Kim Hyun-joo Guest appearance, Ep.117, 133, 205 207, 212, 214, 493
I Don't Know Anything But Love 사랑밖엔 난 몰라 Baek Young-gu Main role
MBC Best Theater "Jeondeungsa" MBC 베스트극장 - 전등사 Hyo Im
1999 Springtime 청춘 Cha Won-young
The Last War 마지막 전쟁 Han Ji-eun Supporting role
Into The Sunlight 햇빛속으로 Lee Yun-hee Main role
2000 Love Story - Ep.7: Insomnia, Manual and Orange Juice 러브스토리 - 불면증, 매뉴얼 그리고 오렌지 주스 Seo Young
Virtue 덕이 Jung Kwi-duk
Medical Center 메디컬센터 Soo Kyung Guest appearance, Ep.29
2001 Her House 그 여자네 집 Park Young-chae Second lead role
Sangdo, Merchants of Joseon 상도 Park Da-nyung Main role
2002 Glass Slippers 유리구두 Lee Sun-woo/Kim Yoon-hee
2004 Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest 파란만장 미스김 10억 만들기 Kim Eun-jae
Toji, the Land 토지 Choi Seo-hee
2005 Marrying a Millionaire 백만장자와 결혼하기 Han Eun-young
2007 In-soon is Pretty 인순이는 예쁘다 Park In-soon
2009 Boys Over Flowers 꽃보다 남자 Gu Joon-hee Guest appearance
Partner 파트너 Kang Eun-ho Main role
2011 Twinkle Twinkle 반짝반짝 빛나는 Han Jung-won
2012 Dummy Mommy 바보엄마 Kim Young-joo
2013 Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers 궁중잔혹사 꽃들의 전쟁 Jo Yam-jeon
2014 Can We Fall In Love, Again? 우리가 사랑할 수 있을까 Herself Cameo, Ep.13-14
What Happens to My Family? 가족끼리 왜 이래 Cha Kang-shim Main role
2015 I Have A Lover 애인 있어요 Do Hae-kang (Dokgo On-gi)/Dokgo Yong-gi
2016 Fantastic 판타스틱 Lee So-hye
2018 The Miracle We Met 우리가 만난 기적 Sun Hye-jin
2019 Watcher 왓쳐 Han Tae-joo
2021 Undercover 언더커버 Choi Yeon-soo
Hellbound 지옥 Min Hye-jin
2022 Love All Play 너에게 가는 속도 493km President of Eunice Business Team Cameo (episode 1)
TrolleyTV series has yet to be released 트롤리 Kim Hye-joo Main Role

Films

Year English Title Korean Title Role Note
1998 If It Snows On Christmas 크리스마스에 눈이 내리면 Lee Song-hee
1999 Calla 카라 Yoon Soo-jin
2003 Star Runner 스타러너 Kim Mi-kyo Hong Kong film
2004 Shinsukki Blues 신석기 블루스 Seo Jin-young
2011 If You Were Me 5: Questions & Answers 시선 너머  -  백문백답 Jung Hee-joo Funded by the NHRCK
2022 Jung_EFilm has yet to be released 정이 Jung_E Netflix film

Music video appearances

Year Song Title Korean Title Artist Note
1996 One's Lifetime 일생을 Kim Hyun-chul
The Day Was Beautiful 그때가 좋았어 Seo Ji-won
1997 Entreaty 애원 Lee Seung-hwan with Jang Hyuk
1998 Now 이젠 Yuno
1999 To The Bride 신부에게 Yurisangja
2001 Already One Year 벌써1년 Brown Eyes with Chang Chen, Lee Beom-soo, Jung Eun-pyo
2002 Little By Little 점점 Brown Eyes with Chang Chen, Lee Beom-soo
2004 Parting Was Far Away 이별은 멀었죠 Han Kyung Il

Variety shows

Kim Hyun-joo Miracle We Met press 1.jpg
Year English Title Korean Title Role
1997 Scoop! Entertainment City 특종! 연예시티 VJ
Popular Song Best 50 인기가요 베스트 50 VJ
Saturday Power Start 토요일 전원 출발 MC
Gwangjang Music with Gung Sun-young 궁선영의 가요광장  -  사랑밖엔 난 몰라 Panelist
1998 Super TV Enjoy Sunday 슈퍼TV 일요일은 즐거워 MC
1999 Sunday Sunday Night 일요일 일요일 밤에 MC
Section TV Entertainment 섹션TV 연예통신 MC, with Seo Kyung-suk
FM Dating with Kim Hyun Joo 김현주의 FM데이트 DJ
MBC Drama Awards MBC 연기대상 MC, with Shin Dong-ho
2000 Mnet KM Music Festival 뮤직비디오 페스티벌 MC
And e-Wonderful World 와 e-멋진 세상 MC
2005 SBS Drama Awards SBS 연기대상 MC, with Park Sang-won
2009 Music Village with Kim Hyun Joo DJ
ECO Canada by Kim Hyun Joo Herself
2010 SBS Hope TV 희망TV SBS Host
2014 Musical Journey to Yesterday 음악여행 예스터데이 MC
2015 Lady Action 레이디 액션 Cast member

Book

Year Title Original Title Author Publication Date Publisher ISBN
2009 Hyun-joo's Handcrafted Story 현주의 손으로 짓는 이야기 Kim Hyun-joo 20/12/2009 살림LIFE 9788952213143

Discography

Year English Korean Artist Notes
2003 Sad Fate 슬픈인연 Kim Hyun-joo track from album "In The Name Of Love" (사랑의 이름으로) released on 29/11/2003
2009 "Promise" 약속 Kim Hyun-joo track from Partner OST
2012 "Forgetfulness" 건망증 Kim Hyun-joo feat. PK Heman single

Ambassadorship

  • Ambassador for Busan Contents Market (2022)

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
APAN Star Awards 2013 Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Blooded Palace: The War of Flowers Nominated
2014 What's With This Family Nominated
2015 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama I Have a Lover Won
2022 Excellence Award, Actress in an OTT Drama Hellbound Pending
Baeksang Arts Awards 2002 Best Actress – Television Her House Nominated
2006 Toji, the Land Nominated
2008 In-soon Is Pretty Nominated
2012 Twinkle Twinkle Nominated
2016 I Have a Lover Nominated
Director's Cut Awards 2022 Best Actress in series Hellbound Nominated
KBS Drama Awards 2007 Top Excellence Award, Actress In-soon Is Pretty Won
2014 Top Excellence Award, Actress What's With This Family Won
Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Nominated
Best Couple Award Kim Hyun-joo (with Kim Sang Kyung)
What's With This Family
Won
2018 Top Excellence Award, Actress The Miracle We Met Nominated
Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Nominated
Korea Drama Awards 2011 Best Actress Twinkle Twinkle Nominated
2012 Top Excellence Award, Actress Dummy Mommy Nominated
2016 Top Excellence Award, Actress I Have a Lover Nominated
MBC Drama Awards 1998 Best New Actress I Don't Know Anything But Love Won
2001 Excellence Award, Actress Her House Won
2002 Top Excellence Award, Actress Sangdo, Merchants of Joseon Nominated
2011 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Twinkle Twinkle Won
Best Couple Award Kim Hyun-joo (with Kim Suk-hoon)
Twinkle Twinkle
Won
OCN Awards 2019 Best Case Solver Award Watcher Won
SBS Drama Awards 1998 Best New Actress I Love You! I Love You! Won
2000 Excellence Award, Actress Virtue Won
2002 Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama Glass Slippers Won
Top 10 Stars Award Won
SBSi Award Won
2004 Top Excellence Award, Actress Ms. Kim's Million Dollar Quest Nominated
Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special Won
Top 10 Stars Won
2005 Top 10 Stars Toji, the Land, Marrying a Millionaire Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress Toji, the Land Nominated
Excellence Award, Actress in Serial Drama Nominated
Netizen Popularity Award Won
2015 Grand Prize I Have a Lover Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama Won
Netizen Popularity Award Won
Top 10 Stars Won
Best Couple Award Kim Hyun-joo (with Ji Jin-hee)
I Have a Lover
Won

This page was last updated at 2022-09-17 18:32 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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