Kim You-jung

Acting

Kim You-jung

Born 1999-09-22 · Seoul, South Korea

Kim You-jung (김유정) is a South Korean actress, born in Seoul, who studied at Goyang High School of Arts. She started out as a model for a confectionery brand at the age of 4 and made her acting debut in 2003, quickly becoming one of the most famous and in-demand child actresses in Korea. She was discovered at 5 years old in a contest that her older sister joined and won the Most Popular Award even though she was not one of the official contestants. She is the youngest of three siblings; her older sister, Kim Yeon-jung, is also an actress. Known as "Nation's Little Sister" during her child acting years, she earned the moniker "Sageuk Fairy" after starring in acclaimed historical period dramas such as Dong Yi (2010), Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), and May Queen (2012). In 2016, she successfully transitioned to adult leading roles in the hit period romance Love in the Moonlight. In 2017, she ranked 8th on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list, becoming the youngest person ever to enter the Top 10 at 17 years old. In February 2018, she temporarily paused her career after being diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction. She solidified her status as an international star with leading roles in the romantic comedies Backstreet Rookie (2020), Lovers of the Red Sky (2021), and My Demon (2023–2024). Her performance in the popular Netflix retro drama 20th Century Girl (2022) earned her the title "Nation's First Love". Her projects include the Netflix comedy Chicken Nugget (2024), the psychological thriller series Dear X (2025), and the 1930s historical spy romance 100 Days of Lies (2026).

Acting credits

20th Century Girl poster
8.2

In 1999, a teen girl keeps close tabs on a boy in school on behalf of her deeply smitten best friend – then she gets swept up in a love story of her own.

20th Century Girl

2022

The Chaser poster
7.8

Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp, who's in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by the same client, whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.

The Chaser

2008

Lady Vengeance poster
7.5

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.

Lady Vengeance

2005

Tidal Wave poster
6.9

On Haeundae Beach, a guilt-ridden fisherman takes care of a woman whose father accidentally got killed. A scientist reunites with his ex-wife and a daughter who doesn't even remember his face. And a poor rescue worker falls in love with a rich city girl. When they all find out a gigantic tsunami will hit the beach, they realize they only have 10 minutes to escape.

Tidal Wave

2009

Room 731 poster
6.3

In this supernatural mystery, The Grudge meets Saw, an amnesiac girl wakes up in what appears to be an abandoned jail, where she is haunted by spirits who want to torture her.

Room 731

2015

The 8th Night poster
6.2

With prayer beads in one hand and an ax in the other, a monk hunts down a millennia-old spirit that's possessing humans and unleashing hell on Earth.

The 8th Night

2021

Commitment poster
7.2

The son of a North Korean spy decides to follow in his father's footsteps to protect his little sister.

Commitment

2013

All for Love poster
6.5

A romantic comedy which portrays the most beautiful period in the lives of different couples who have just fallen in love.

All for Love

2005

Dark, Deadly & Dreadful poster
4.9

Fun Size Horror Presents "Dark, Deadly & Dreadful", an anthology of short films from Fun Size Horror's community of filmmakers. Each film explores different themes in the horror genre all from the unique perspective of its creator. Featuring work from a diverse group of filmmakers, shorts include submissions to Fun Size Horror, world premiers, and festival winners.

Dark, Deadly & Dreadful

2018

Thread of Lies poster
7.4

Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind everything.

Thread of Lies

2014

4 Horror Tales: Hidden Floor poster
5.8

A woman moves into an apartment house with her daughter. But her daughter begins to be haunted by a mysterious ghost on a hidden floor.

4 Horror Tales: Hidden Floor

2006

Because I Love You poster
7.0

Lee Hyeong is a talented songwriter. He happens to connect people who are not good with love. Those include Hyeong-Gyeong who wants to become a singer, but she suffers from stage fright. Scully is a high school student. She helps Lee Hyeong's spirit. Chan-Young is a colleague of Lee Hyeong and he likes Hyeong-Gyeong, but in vain.

Because I Love You

2017

My Heart Puppy poster
6.7

Min-soo is about to get married when his fiancée suddenly admits that she is allergic to dogs. Now the guy's best friend, the golden retriever Rooney, needs a new family. With the help of his cousin and social media, Min-soo starts looking for a new home for Rooney.

My Heart Puppy

2023

Golden Slumber poster
6.7

A delivery man has to flee for his life when he is framed for the assassination of a political candidate and the evidence against him begins to accumulate.

Golden Slumber

2018

Circle of Atonement poster
5.8

A policeman discovers a love affair between his teenage daughter and her teacher which leads him back to an unsolved murder case he investigated 10 years ago.

Circle of Atonement

2015

Hwang Jin Yi poster
6.5

Although born a daughter of an aristocratic family, Jin-yi discovers the secret behind her birth and enters into a life in a brothel as a gisaeng.

Hwang Jin Yi

2007

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) poster
7.5

A boy's experience as a fresh military recruit stationed at the North-South border in the late 1970s.

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)

2004

Possessed poster
5.9

After Hee-jin's younger sister So-jin, who is possessed by a spirit,disappears,the neighbors die one by one and a secret underlying their deaths is revealed.

Possessed

2009

Rainbow Eyes poster
6.1

Officers Cho Kyung-yoon and Park Eun-joo are on the hunt a killer following duo of ghastly murders. The victims carry a common military past, and the secret of their past must be unraveled to find the killer.

Rainbow Eyes

2007

Bank Attack poster
5.8

Desperate for money to save his sick daughter's life, a father decides to rob a bank.

Bank Attack

2007

Do You See Seoul? poster
6.7

In 1976 on a remote island, schoolteacher Eun-young wants to take her students on a field trip to a cookie factory in Seoul. Even though the parents don't like the idea, Eun-young succeeds in taking them. But once they arrive in the complicated city, students become fascinated with high-tech bicycles and get lost.

Do You See Seoul?

2008

Lump of Sugar poster
7.3

The daughter of a poor rancher, Si-eun's only hope is to one day, become a jockey. With her mother passing away at her birth, her favorite horse, Chun-doong, has become not only her friend, but also a soul mate. She is devastated when Chun-doong is sold to another owner, but when they are reunited two years later they have a chance to create a miracle by teaming up in a race.

Lump of Sugar

2006

Paradise poster
7.2

A woman released from prison, gets on a ship without any plans to find an island called ‘Paradise’ that was advertised on a flyer she got in the train. She meets a male teacher on the ship who helps her to get a job at a school cafeteria on the island. One day, she rescues a student who happened to be making the same mistake the woman made which eventually landed her in prison. Despite the rescue, the girl eventually catches on fire.

Paradise

2009

No artwork available
NR

Soulbound (복수귀) is an upcoming 2027 South Korean fantasy-comedy film written and directed by Hong Eui-jeong. Produced in South Korea and represented internationally by K-Movie Entertainment, the film centers on a woman who becomes a ghost after an unjust death and forms an unlikely alliance with a 400-year-old goblin seeking humanity when her younger brother is threatened. The film's ensemble cast includes Kim You-jung, Park Ji-hwan, and Cho Yeo-jeong. Soulbound was formally introduced to international buyers at the 2026 Cannes Marché du Film ahead of its scheduled 2027 theatrical release.

Soulbound