Lee Yoo-young

Lee Yoo-young (born December 8, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in the film Late Spring (2014) which earned her a Best Actress award at the 14th Milan Film Festival. She subsequently starred in the television series The Lies Within (2018), Insider (2022) and Dare to Love Me (2024).

Early life and education
Lee Yoo-young was born in Seoul on December 8, 1989. As a child, she was extremely shy and timid, often avoiding eye contact with others. Despite her desire to socialize with friends, she faced harassment and ostracism. Upon entering high school, she made a conscious effort to make friends, leading to a transformation in her personality. However, she faced difficulties at home—her parents were very strict and provided her with little pocket money, making it hard for her to socialize with friends. When she turned 20, she decided to start earning her own money to gain more freedom. She worked various part-time jobs, including as a hairdresser assistant at a hair salon.

Lee was "street cast" many times. In 2010, she eventually decided to pursue acting and enrolled in the acting department at the Korea National University of Arts. Lee was a part of the Class of 2010 in the Department of Acting at Korea National University of Arts, along with classmates Kim Go-eun, Park So-dam, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Sung-cheol, Cha Seo-won, and Lee Hwi-jong.

Career
In 2012, Lee began her acting career in the short film Flowers Do Not Wither... and went on to appear in a couple more short films.

She made her feature film debut in 2014 in Cho Geun-hyun's film Late Spring. Her role, Min-kyung, a widow who became a nude model to support her two children.  Her portrayal as strong women dealing with trauma, earned her Best Actress at the 14th Milan Film Festival, making her the first Korean to receive the honor.

Lee continued to portray strong women dealing with trauma in films such as The Treacherous and The Accidental Detective. In the period thriller film The Treacherous, directed by Min Kyu-dong, directed by Min Kyu-dong, Lee portrayed Seol Jung-mae, a character who competes with Dan-hee (played by Lim Ji-yeon) to win the affections of King Yeonsan. She received the Rookie Actress Award at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards for her portrayal.

In August 2015, Lee started filming Hong Sang-soo's film Yourself and Yours. Lee can't help but feel nervous because Director Hong Sang-soo's film have a lot of particularly long lines. The film was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.



In Tunnel (2017), her first drama, she portrayed Shin Jae-yi, a character who becomes emotionally distant and cold after losing her parents and experiencing a traumatic event. Despite being in her 30s, an age typically associated with bright and cheerful roles, Lee has chosen to take on more complex and challenging characters.

In 2018, Lee portrayed Seorin in Marionette. Seorin is a woman whose past has been erased due to trauma from a sexual crime she suffered as a child. One day, after becoming a high school teacher and about to marry her fiancé, a text message from an unidentified being called 'Master' creates a crack in her new life.

Lee portrayed Han Eun-sung, a French interpreter in the drama special You Drive Me Crazy, opposite Kim Seon-ho. The four-episode drama was aired on MBC from May 7–8, 2018.

Also in 2018, Lee portrayed Song So-eun in the SBS drama Your Honor. The series follows Han Kang-ho (Yoon Si-yoon), a former criminal who becomes a judge in his brother's absence. Lee's character, Song So-eun, is a student at the Judicial Research and Training Institute with aspirations of becoming a prosecutor. Her performance earned her the Best New Actress Award at the 2018 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2020, Lee participated in SF8, a crossover project planned by MBC and the Directors Guild of Korea, and provided by Wavve and MBC. It consisted of 8 short films with eight directors. She acted opposite Ye Soo-jung in the segment "Nursing" directed by Min Gyu-dong. In the drama "Traces of Love," Lee played the role of Joo-young. It's a romantic comedy that explores the reunion of former lovers. Joo-young's former lover and co-worker is Ji-seop, played by Lee Sang-yeob. The drama concludes with Joo-young leaving her company to accept a promotion elsewhere. Directed by Yoo Young-eun, "Traces of Love" has been praised for its gender-sensitivity. In September of the same year, Lee appeared in Jo Seul-Ye's feature film debut Diva. She acted opposite Shin Min-a and Lee Kyu-hyung. Story revolves around Lee Young (Shin Min-ah) and Soo-jin (Lee Yu-young) are competitive divers and friends. After a car accident, Soo-jin goes missing, leaving Lee Young distraught. The film explores Lee Young's psychological journey as she struggles with the loss of her friend and her own fears and desires.

In 2021, Lee played a wife of neuroscientist in Apple TV+ original series Dr. Brain. It is the first Korean-language show produced for Apple TV+. As the drama series debut of renowned filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, the science-fiction thriller is based on the Korean webtoon of the same name.

Lee portrayed the character of Young-mi in Im Sun-ae's second feature film Ms. Apocalypse. Set in 1999, the film follows a love triangle involving two women and one man. When the man, Do-yeong, embezzles company funds for his wife Yoo-jin, Yeong-mi, who had a crush on Do-yeong, unknowingly takes the blame and serves time in prison. The story explores the sacrifices made for love as Yeong-mi moves in with Yoo-jin and Do-yeong after her release. The film has received positive reviews at prestigious film festivals, including the 27th Fantasia Film Festival Schwarzenegger Competition, the 28th Busan International Film Festival Korea's Today-Panorama, and the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival Festival Choice.

In 2024, Lee starred in KBS2's romance drama Dare to Love Me, based on the Naver Webtoon by Sun Woo. The series follows the story of a scholar Shin Yun-bok (played by Kim Myung-soo) and Kim Hong-do, a woman tired of mistreatment. It aired from May 13 to July 2, 2024, and is available for streaming on Netflix and Viki in certain regions.

Endorsement
After winning Best Actress at the 14th Milan Film Festival, Lee was chosen as model for the matchmaking agency Duo with Yoon Tae-woong. She also chosen as the model for Bacchus, a fatigue recovery supplement advertisement. In 2018, Lee was chosen as muse for fashion brand Deco & I. In 2019, Lee has been selected as the advertising model for beauty care medical device Newa. Lee also served as model for INKO, a premium heated brand of Jibon Cosmetics.

Philanthropy
In July 2024, it was reported that Lee donated to the Gwangju Community Chest of Korea on July 28 to support aging out youth.

Personal life
In December 2016, Lee was confirmed to be in a relationship with her co-star Kim Joo-hyuk from the movie Yourself and Yours (2016) until his death on October 30, 2017, in a traffic collision.

On February 6, 2023, it was confirmed that Lee was dating a non-celebrity boyfriend. In July 2024, it was revealed that Lee had secretly registered her marriage in May and is currently expecting a child.