A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 234
1996 —   ACTOR

KIMHYE-YOON

Nov 10, 1996South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year she turned 17, she debuted in KBS2’s Samsaengi as the middle schooler Yoon-hee. In 2014, she played Oh Ji-yeon, the daughter of Detective Oh Gu-tak, in OCN’s Bad Guys.

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 22, she won the role of Kang Ye-seo in JTBC’s Sky Castle through a 200-to-1 audition and became known.

In 2019, Sky Castle ended with the highest rating ever for a non-terrestrial drama, and she won Best New Actress (TV) at the Baeksang Arts Awards. In October she played Eun Dan-oh in MBC’s Extraordinary You, and at the end of the year she won two awards at the MBC Drama Awards. In 2021, she appeared in the film Midnight, the period drama Secret Royal Inspector & Joy and the drama Snowdrop, one after another. In 2022, her first lead role in a feature film, The Girl on a Bulldozer, and the film Ditto were released, and at the end of the year she won Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.

In 2023, she held her first official fan meeting at Ilji Art Hall in Seoul. In 2024, she signed with Artist Company, and on the day tvN’s Lovely Runner ended, Tving passed Netflix in domestic usage time for the first time.

In 2025, she was cast in the film Salmokji. In 2026, she appeared in SBS’s No Tail to Tell, and Salmokji passed the Korean horror film box office record held for 23 years. In September she won Best Actress at the Korea Broadcasting Prizes and joined Good Partner season 2 as a new partner.

Kim Hye-yoon (born Nov 10, 1996) debuted on Jan 7, 2013, the year she turned 17, in KBS2’s Samsaengi, and became known in 2018, the year she turned 22, as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC’s Sky Castle. In 2026, the year she turned 30, Salmokji passed the Korean horror film box office record held for 23 years.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 25 records2013 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 17 · 2013
  2. 18 · 2014
  3. 23 · 2019
  4. 23 · 2019
  5. 23 · 2019
  6. 23 · 2019
  7. 25 · 2021
  8. 25 · 2021
  9. 25 · 2021
  10. 26 · 2022
  11. 26 · 2022
  12. 26 · 2022
  13. 27 · 2023
  14. 28 · 2024
  15. 28 · 2024
  16. 28 · 2024
  17. 29 · 2025
  18. 30 · 2026
  19. 30 · 2026
  20. 30 · 2026
  21. 30 · 2026
  22. 30 · 2026
  23. 30 · 2026
  24. 30 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2013–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Kim Hye-yoon when she debuted?
In 2013, the year she turned 17. On Jan 7, 2013, she debuted as the middle schooler Yoon-hee in KBS2’s Samsaengi.
How old was Kim Hye-yoon when she became famous?
In 2018, the year she turned 22, she won the role of Kang Ye-seo in JTBC’s Sky Castle through a 200-to-1 audition and became known, five years after her debut.
How old was Kim Hye-yoon in her first lead film role?
In 2022, the year she turned 26. The Girl on a Bulldozer opened on Apr 8, 2022, and at the end of the year she won Best New Actress for it at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.
What has Kim Hye-yoon done most recently?
On Sep 3, 2026, she won Best Actress at the Korea Broadcasting Prizes for No Tail to Tell, and on Sep 24, 2026, she joined SBS’s Good Partner season 2 as a new partner. The season was scheduled to premiere on Nov. 20, 2026.
How old is Kim Hye-yoon?
Born in 1996, she turns 30 in 2026 (29 as of Sep 29, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION234Kim Hye-yoon / KIM HYE-YOON

Film & TV · South Korea
Nov 10, 1996 —

Sources and method37 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1996: the year of the event minus 1996, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Newsis (Korean) · Samsaengi press conference ↗First aired Jan. 7, 2013
  2. Top Star News (Korean) · Kim Hye-yoon’s debut work ↗Says she formally debuted in Samsaengi as the middle schooler Yoon-hee
  3. Busan Ilbo (Korean) · Bad Guys OST ↗First aired Oct. 4
  4. Star News (Korean) · Bad Guys, Kim Hye-yoon interview ↗Played Oh Ji-yeon, daughter of Detective Oh Gu-tak; in her own words, a second-year newcomer who debuted in Samsaengi in 2013
  5. Yeongnam Ilbo (Korean) · Sky Castle’s 200-to-1 audition ↗Newcomers who won through a 200-to-1 competition; Kim Hye-yoon as Kang Ye-seo
  6. Newsen (Korean) · Sky Castle premiere ↗First aired Nov. 23
  7. Top Star News (Korean) · Sky Castle finale ↗Ended on Feb. 1 with a peak rating of 23.8%
  8. SPOTV News (Korean) · Sky Castle, highest for a non-terrestrial drama ↗Says it ended with the highest rating ever for a non-terrestrial drama
  9. News1 (Korean) · 55th Baeksang Arts Awards ↗May 1: Best New Actress (TV), Kim Hye-yoon as Kang Ye-seo in Sky Castle
  10. Newsen (Korean) · Extraordinary You premiere confirmed ↗First aired Oct. 2; played Eun Dan-oh
  11. Kookje Shinmun (Korean) · 2019 MBC Drama Awards ↗Aired Dec. 30; won both Best New Actress and Excellence Award for Extraordinary You
  12. Consumer Times (Korean) · Midnight casting ↗Kim Hye-yoon, Ye-seo in Sky Castle, cast as So-jung
  13. News Q (Korean) · Midnight release date ↗Released simultaneously on Tving and in theaters on June 30
  14. Bridge Economy (Korean) · Secret Royal Inspector & Joy casting ↗Cast with Ok Taec-yeon; the series was due to air in the second half of 2021
  15. Nocut News (Korean) · Secret Royal Inspector & Joy premiere ↗First aired Nov. 8; played Kim Joy
  16. Etoday (Korean) · Snowdrop character guide ↗Kim Hye-yoon as Gye Bun-ok, the phone mascot of the Hosu Women’s University dormitory. First aired Dec. 18
  17. News Culture (Korean) · The Girl on a Bulldozer release confirmed ↗Release confirmed for April
  18. K Star News (Korean) · The Girl on a Bulldozer box office ↗Opened April 8; 3,837 admissions in three days
  19. Joynews24 (Korean) · 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards ↗Nov. 25, KBS Hall in Yeouido; Best New Actress, Kim Hye-yoon
  20. JTBC (Korean) · Grand Bell Awards Best New Actress ↗Dec. 9, Best New Actress at the 58th Grand Bell Awards at Konkuk University; says it followed her Blue Dragon win
  21. Maekyung Star Today (Korean) · Ditto, Kim Hye-yoon interview ↗Played Han-sol, the first love of Yong (Yeo Jin-goo)
  22. Top Star News (Korean) · Ditto box office ↗Opened Nov. 16
  23. Joongang Economy News (Korean) · Fan meeting history ↗First official fan meeting, HYE-PPY DAY, held in February 2023 at Ilji Art Hall in Seoul
  24. Nocut News (Korean) · Exclusive contract with Artist Company ↗Contract announced April 15
  25. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Lovely Runner ratings ↗First aired April 8; ratings stayed in the 4% range throughout, 5.8% in the final week
  26. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Lovely Runner Tving record ↗May 28, the day of the final episode: Tving’s total usage time of 2,500,010 hours passed Netflix’s (2,408,179 hours) for the first time
  27. Xports News (Korean) · Salmokji casting ↗April 15: cast with Lee Jong-won confirmed
  28. Singlelist (Korean) · No Tail to Tell premiere ↗First aired Jan. 16; played Eun-ho, a nine-tailed fox
  29. MHN Sports (Korean) · No Tail to Tell finale ↗Final episode (episode 12) aired Feb. 28
  30. My Daily (Korean) · Salmokji box office records ↗Opened April 8; on May 17, 3.15 million admissions, passing the 23-year record held by A Tale of Two Sisters (2003, 3.14 million) and Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2.68 million)
  31. Wikitree (Korean) · Salmokji final box office ↗Cumulative 3.24 million admissions as of July 1, 2026
  32. MK Sports (Korean) · Miracles of the Namiya General Store casting ↗Casting confirmed April 30; 20 actors including Ryu Seung-ryong
  33. Maekyung Star Today (Korean) · Korea Broadcasting Prizes ↗Sept. 3, 53rd Korea Broadcasting Prizes, Best Actress, broadcast live on MBC
  34. Top Star News (Korean) · Korea Broadcasting Prizes winning role ↗Best Actress for Eun-ho in No Tail to Tell, a nine-tailed fox who refuses to become human
  35. Star News (Korean) · Joins Good Partner season 2 ↗Set to premiere Nov. 20, 2026; joins as Jang Na-ra’s new partner
  36. Top Star News (Korean) · Good Partner season 2 role ↗Han Su-in in Salmokji, Kang Hye-seong in Good Partner season 2
  37. Gukje News (Korean) · Lovely Runner episode 2 ↗Im Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon)

Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.