The year she turned 16, she debuted as a commercial model and also appeared in SBS’s Dinosaur Teacher.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 17, she played Chunhyang in KBS’s Chuseok special drama The Story of Chunhyang. Yonhap News Agency called it her breakout work in 1996.
In 1995, she was admitted to Chung-Ang University’s theater department, and in November KBS2’s weekend drama Men of the Bath House began. In 1996, she was announced as the lead of the film Repechage, and in September KBS2’s A Faraway Country began. In 1997, she appeared in Propose and Wedding Dress back to back. In 1998, she played Han Hae-won in SBS’s Mister Q. In 1999, she appeared in Tomato, and the film Ghost in Love was released.
The film Bichunmoo was released in 2000. In 2001, she co-starred in the film Wanee & Junah. In 2003, she returned to drama after four years with My Fair Lady. In January 2005, MBC’s Sad Love Story began.
In 2007, she married a businessman outside the entertainment industry. A daughter was born in 2009. In 2012, she played the female doctor Yoo Eun-soo in SBS’s Faith. In 2014, she appeared in KBS2’s Wonderful Days. In 2015, she began MBC’s Angry Mom.
In 2017, she returned to TV after two years with The Lady in Dignity. In 2018, she appeared in tvN’s Room No. 9. In 2020, she began SBS’s Alice. In 2022, she appeared in MBC’s Tomorrow, and in July Netflix’s Remarriage & Desires was released.
The film Honey Sweet was released in 2023, and she organized an exhibition for the 30th anniversary of her debut. In 2024, she appeared in MBC’s Bitter Sweet Hell and took the exhibition to New York. In November 2025, she began TV Chosun’s Don’t Call Me Ma’am. In June 2026, she took part in a UNICEF campaign.
Kim Hee-sun (born Jun 11, 1977) debuted as a commercial model in Sep 1993, the year she turned 16, and became known when she played Chunhyang in the KBS Chuseok special The Story of Chunhyang on Sep 20, 1994, the year she turned 17. Netflix’s Remarriage & Desires was released in 2022, the year she turned 45.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
The drama aired from 1993 to 1995. Sports Kyunghyang calls it Kim Hee-sun’s debut work.
Source 04 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun and Lee Jung-jae · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Joy News 24 (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun profile · opens in a new tab The start date was not confirmed. The year follows the article’s description of the broadcast period.Debuted in September 1993. MHN Sports writes that she debuted with a commercial for the snack Kkotgerang.
Source 02 · Economist (Korean) · 30th anniversary exhibition · opens in a new tabSource 03 · MHN Sports (Korean) · Spotted on the subway · opens in a new tabSource 43 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun · opens in a new tabSource 44 · Xportsnews (Korean) · 2024 birthday · opens in a new tabSource 45 · Star News (Korean) · 2020 birthday · opens in a new tabSource 54 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Spielberg audition offer · opens in a new tab Her birth date follows Star News: June 11, 1977. The age Yonhap News Agency gave in 1998 (21) is also consistent with a 1977 birth year. Korean Wikipedia and some outlets give June 11, 1976.KBS cast Kim Hee-sun, then a teen model, as Chunhyang. Yonhap News Agency called the drama her breakout work in 1996.
Admitted to the same Chung-Ang University department as Lee Min-woo, who played Lee Do-ryeong in The Story of Chunhyang.
Source 53 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · High school star passes university entrance · opens in a new tab The news of her admission is from a Jan. 21, 1995 article; the exact announcement date was not confirmed.The weekend drama by the writer Kim Soo-hyun began that day. Top Star News writes that she became known through it. Its peak rating was 53.4%.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Men of the Bath House preview · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Top Star News (Korean) · June 4, 2026 · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Top Star News (Korean) · Aug. 18, 2026 · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Joy News 24 (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun profile · opens in a new tabSource 47 · Joy News 24 (Korean) · Men of the Bath House ratings · opens in a new tabSource 48 · News1 (Korean) · Kang Bu-ja interview · opens in a new tab The 53.4% peak is from the Aug. 25, 1996 broadcast (AGB Nielsen).She was announced as co-lead with Jang Dong-gun. Yonhap News Agency wrote that her popularity was rising at the time as the youngest daughter in Men of the Bath House.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Repechage lead role · opens in a new tabA 34-episode drama. The day before, Yonhap News Agency introduced her as a rising new-generation star among cast members from Chung-Ang University’s theater and film department.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · A Faraway Country · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · TV Reunion · opens in a new tabRenewed her advertising model contract with Lami Cosmetics. Yonhap News Agency described her at the time as the lead of the film Repechage and the drama A Faraway Country.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Creang model renewal · opens in a new tab The renewal date is given only to the month because the article contains a date that is off by one day.Played the female lead opposite Ryu Si-won in the miniseries directed by Yoon Seok-ho.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Propose episode 6 · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Propose production site · opens in a new tab The premiere date was not confirmed; the date given is the day episode 6 aired.A weekend serial directed by Yoon Seok-ho. She appeared with Lee Seung-yeon, Kim Min-jong and Shin Hyun-joon.
Source 15 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Wedding Dress · opens in a new tabPlayed the designer Han Hae-won in a Wednesday–Thursday drama based on a comic by Heo Young-man.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Mister Q launch · opens in a new tabThe writer Lee Hee-myung and the producer Jang Ki-hong, who made Mister Q, worked together again. That July, Yonhap News Agency recapped her run of works: Forever Yours, Mister Q, Sunflower and Tomato.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Tomato · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Roundup of her dramas · opens in a new tabPlayed the computer animator Jin Chae-byul, appearing with Cha Seung-won as a stockbroker.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Ghost in Love · opens in a new tabStarred with Shin Hyun-joon. The film was described as shot on location in China with a production budget of 4 billion won.
Source 20 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Bichunmoo event · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Bichunmoo preview · opens in a new tabCo-starred with Joo Jin-mo, playing the animator Wanee.
Source 22 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Wanee & Junah · opens in a new tab The exact release date was not confirmed. The Nov. 22 article ran after the release.Her return to drama four years after Tomato. The first episode’s rating was 13.9%.
Source 23 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · My Fair Lady · opens in a new tabSource 24 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · My Fair Lady launch · opens in a new tabThe first episode’s rating was 18.1% (TNS Media Korea).
Source 25 · MyDaily (Korean) · Sad Love Story ratings · opens in a new tabThe wedding was held at Aston House at Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul, under tight security.
Source 26 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun’s wedding · opens in a new tabA daughter was born.
Source 27 · Star News (Korean) · Stars’ children in 2009 · opens in a new tabPlayed Yoo Eun-soo, a female doctor who travels between the Goryeo era and the present.
Source 28 · Edaily (Korean) · Faith and Kim Hee-sun’s bag · opens in a new tabEpisode 11 of the weekend drama recorded a nationwide rating of 23.7% (Nielsen Korea).
Source 29 · OSEN (Korean) · Wonderful Days · opens in a new tab The premiere date was not confirmed; the date given is the day episode 11 aired.Played a mother with a daughter.
Source 30 · Herald Muse (Korean) · Angry Mom · opens in a new tabPlayed Woo Ah-jin, returning to TV after two years.
Source 31 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · The Lady in Dignity · opens in a new tabSource 32 · News Q (Korean) · The Lady in Dignity ratings · opens in a new tabPlayed the lawyer Eulji Hae-yi. Episode 2 averaged a rating of 5.4%.
Source 33 · News1 (Korean) · Room No. 9 ratings · opens in a new tab The premiere date was not confirmed. An Oct. 8 article reported the episode 2 rating.A Friday–Saturday drama in which she co-starred with Joo Won.
Source 34 · TenAsia (Korean) · Alice premiere · opens in a new tabPlayed Goo-ryeon, head of the crisis management team at Jumadeung, a monopoly company of the afterlife. The first episode’s nationwide rating was 7.6%.
Source 35 · Edaily (Korean) · Tomorrow premiere · opens in a new tabStarred in the eight-episode series.
Source 36 · JTBC (Korean) · Remarriage & Desires interview · opens in a new tabA romantic comedy in which she co-starred with Yoo Hae-jin.
Source 37 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Romantic comedy at the box office · opens in a new tab The exact release date was not confirmed.For the 30th anniversary of her debut, she organized an exhibition of six artists. It ran at The Hyundai Seoul until Oct. 15.
Source 02 · Economist (Korean) · 30th anniversary exhibition · opens in a new tabSource 38 · Women News (Korean) · Kim Hee-sun as curator · opens in a new tabPlayed Noh Young-won. The first episode’s nationwide rating was 6.0%.
Source 39 · Star News (Korean) · Bitter Sweet Hell premiere · opens in a new tabThe exhibition was announced to run at AP Space in Chelsea, New York, until Nov. 23.
Source 40 · Sports Donga (Korean) · New York exhibition · opens in a new tab The opening date follows the preview article; it was not confirmed by an article from opening day.Played Jo Na-jeong. The first episode’s nationwide rating was 1.9%.
Source 41 · Star News (Korean) · Don’t Call Me Ma’am premiere · opens in a new tabHer agency said she took part as the first participant in a new fundraising campaign of the Korean Committee for UNICEF and had finished a video and photo shoot.
Source 42 · Sports Donga (Korean) · UNICEF campaign · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1993–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Film & TV · South Korea
Jun 11, 1977 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1977: the year of the event minus 1977, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.03 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.