Kim Hyo-jin

Kim Hyo-jin (born February 10, 1984) is a South Korean actress and model. She began modeling in teen magazines, and made her acting debut in 1999. She made her theater debut in 2009 in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream and followed this up by appearing in the theatrical production Fool for Love a year later. She is best known for playing the youngest of the three sisters in sex comedy film Everybody Has Secrets (2004), a con artist in the television drama Private Lives (2020) and a top star in Castaway Diva (2023).

Early life and education
Kim Hyo-jin was born on February 10, 1984, in Seoul. She attended Ewha Girls' High School. In 2002, she enrolled in Undergraduate School of Hanyang University's Department of Theatre and Film. On February 22, 2007, Kim, who had her Bachelor Degree, delivered a speech representing the other graduates during the graduation ceremony held at Hanyang University in Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. In September 2007, Kim entered Graduate School of Department of Theatre and Film at Hanyang University.

Early career
Kim began her career as a teen model after being cast at the suggestion of a model agency that happened to see her while she was walking around Dongdaemun. She made her debut as a cover model for the teen magazine Cindy the Perky. After appearing in various commercials and sitcoms, she made her acting debut in the television drama "Love Story" in 1999. She also made her big-screen debut as Jaunbi in the 2003 movie "The Millennium."

After a series of forgettable roles, she is best known for playing the youngest of the three sisters in sex comedy film Everybody Has Secrets, and the female lead in family drama I Am Happy.

Though she continues to act in mainstream films and TV dramas such as Mary Stayed Out All Night, in recent years Kim has become more adventurous in her choice of projects. She made her theater debut in the plays A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Fool for Love, then made an acting leap into queer cinema. Kim said portraying a bisexual in Five Senses of Eros (later expanded to In My End Is My Beginning) and a lesbian in Life is Peachy was not a problem for her: "I approached the film in this way: Two people meet and fall in love. And the person that I fall in love with happens to be a woman."

In 2011 Kim replaced Han Chae-young in the Korea-China-Japan joint production Strangers 6, which tells the story of six individuals assigned by the highest level authorities of their respective countries to protect the three countries' joint economic area from being infiltrated by a hostile organization. Filming in Japan was delayed by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the TV series aired on Japan's WOWOW TV and Korea's Channel A in 2012.



After appearing in Im Sang-soo's erotic suspense drama The Taste of Money, Kim starred opposite Hidetoshi Nishijima in the Korea-Japan joint production Genome Hazard, a film adaptation of Tsukasaki Siro's same-titled sci-fi mystery novel.

Comeback after hiatus
In 2020, after a long hiatus, she appeared in JTBC's television drama Private Lives, alongside Seohyun and Go Kyung-pyo, as Jeong Bok-gi/Sophia Chung, a former announcer by the name of Jeong Yoon-kyung. She is a woman who uses other people's private lives and become a con woman. It aired on JTBC from October 7 to November 26, 2020 and is available for streaming worldwide on Netflix.

In 2021, Kim acted as Kyung-eun, Jung-soo's (Park Byung-eun) first love, in Lost, a 2021 television series starring Jeon Do-yeon and Ryu Jun-yeol. It was part of "JTBC's Tenth Anniversary Special Project", it was broadcast from September 4 to October 24, 2021 every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).

In 2022, Kim acted as Cheon Na-na in Season 2 of The Good Detective. Cheon Na-na is Director of TJ Group born out of wedlock to the group president and treated like an orphan. It aired on JTBC from July 30, 2022 on Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).

In 2023, Kim act as Yoon Ran-joo, top star and diva in television series Castaway Diva directed by Oh Chung-hwan, written by Park Hye-ryun and Eun Yeol, and starring Park Eun-bin, Chae Jong-hyeop, Cha Hak-yeon and Kim Joo-hun. It premiered on tvN from October 28 to December 3, 2023, and aired every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST) for 12 episodes. It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

Personal life
Kim first met actor-director Yoo Ji-tae in 2003 when they were models for a clothing brand, and their friendship turned into a romantic relationship in 2006. One of the few Korean star couples who openly admitted their dating status, they are very active in charitable organizations, and in 2011 were both appointed as honorary ambassadors for World Vision.

They announced their engagement in August 2011 (Kim reportedly turned down a movie role to prepare for her upcoming nuptials),    and subsequently released pre-wedding photos. Their minimalist invitation was made from environmentally friendly paper and had the number 1,825 written on it, the exact amount of the days the two have spent together as a couple. They were married at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on December 2, 2011. The date marked the couple's fifth anniversary together and was booked by Yoo one year in advance despite landing on a Friday – an unusual day for a wedding. The ceremony was officiated by the president of World Vision Korea; Yoo and Kim then donated a portion of their monetary gifts to the organization to help build an elementary and middle school in Myanmar. The couple have two sons, born on July 5, 2014, and April 15, 2019.

Kim adheres to a vegetarian diet for ethical and health reasons.