The year she turned 23, she passed the first open recruitment of female officers for the Presidential Security Service and became a security officer. In 2013, ahead of a promotion to Grade 5, she resigned and ended 10 years as a security officer.
In 2014, after 150 auditions, she became an actress in a minor TV role. In 2015, she was introduced in a daily newspaper as a rookie actor. In 2016, she appeared in minor and supporting roles in Beautiful Gong-shim, Legend of the Blue Sea and others.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 36, she appeared on KBS1’s Lecture 100°C, told how the first female security officer became an actress, and became known. That June she also appeared on tvN’s Taxi.
In 2018, she played Team Leader Choi, the Empress Dowager’s aide, in SBS’s The Last Empress. In 2019, she took part in the film Money and was the curator in the Alps episode of EBS1’s World Theme Travel.
In 2020, she played the head of the South Korean security team in the film Steel Rain 2: Summit. In 2021, she made a special appearance in the final episode of The Penthouse 2. She also appeared in Work Later, Drink Now 2, released at the end of 2022.
In 2023, she appeared as leader of the security team in Netflix’s Siren: Survive the Island. That October she published the essay collection The Actress Who Left the Blue House.
In 2024, she announced new appearances through Shura Entertainment. In 2025, she appeared several times on KBS’s Video Album: Mountain. Wikipedia lists her as appearing in the 2026 film OK! Madam 2.
Lee Su-ryeon (born Mar 25, 1981) became the first female officer of the Presidential Security Service in 2004, the year she turned 23, and became an actress in a minor TV role in 2014, the year she turned 33. She became known on Mar 19, 2017, the year she turned 36, when she appeared on KBS1’s Lecture 100°C.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
She became a security officer and worked for 10 years, until 2013.
Source 01 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · The presidential security officer who became a rookie actor · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · The actress who left the Blue House · opens in a new tab The articles give only the year, so no month or day is given.She resigned ahead of a promotion to Grade 5, and then traveled as a backpacker for six months.
Source 01 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · The presidential security officer who became a rookie actor · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Ajunews (Korean) · What the actress Lee Su-ryeon learned at the Blue House · opens in a new tab The articles give only the year, so no month or day is given.Busan Ilbo writes that she debuted in a minor TV role after 150 auditions.
Source 04 · Busan Ilbo (Korean) · Who is Lee Su-ryeon, who is drawing attention? · opens in a new tabSource 03 · OSEN (Korean) · Interview on The Last Empress · opens in a new tabSource 08 · MyDaily (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon, a former Blue House security officer · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Newsen (Korean) · Head of the security team in Steel Rain 2 · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Topstar News (Korean) · A joyful life in the Alps · opens in a new tab OSEN and MyDaily say she debuted in a minor role in Pinocchio, while Sports Seoul and Newsen start from her appearance in tvN’s Gap-dong in 2014, so the first work differs by article. Topstar News gives her debut as 2016. The articles give only the year, so no month or day is given.She was introduced as a rookie actor who had left the security service and begun acting.
Source 01 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · The presidential security officer who became a rookie actor · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon, a former Blue House security officer · opens in a new tab In Sports Seoul she says it became known that she was a former security officer through her appearance on Human Theater in 2015.MyDaily writes that she also appeared in Start Again, Ms. Temper and Nam Jeong-gi, and Jackpot. Most were minor or supporting roles.
Source 08 · MyDaily (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tab The article gives only the year, so no month or day is given.She told how the first female security officer became an actress. Busan Ilbo wrote that after the broadcast the actress Lee Su-ryeon was drawing attention.
She talked about her days as a security officer at the Blue House, and Seoul Economic Daily wrote that it drew attention.
Source 07 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · For 10 years she guarded three presidents · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon, a former Blue House security officer · opens in a new tabShe joined through an open audition. Newstomato wrote that the role of Team Leader Choi was drawing attention, and OSEN writes that it was the first time she drew attention for a character.
Source 31 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · First broadcast of The Last Empress · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Newstomato (Korean) · Team Leader Choi in The Last Empress · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Newsen (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon of The Last Empress · opens in a new tabSource 03 · OSEN (Korean) · Interview on The Last Empress · opens in a new tab The date is the drama’s first air date. According to Newstomato, Team Leader Choi appeared from episode 1.She said she hands out her profile herself and works without an agency.
Source 09 · Newsen (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon of The Last Empress · opens in a new tabSource 08 · MyDaily (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tab She says that being called by a character’s name was a first for her in this drama, and MyDaily writes that before it not many viewers knew her name and face together.She took part after an audition, and Newsen writes that she played a manager.
Source 11 · Newspim (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Newsen (Korean) · Head of the security team in Steel Rain 2 · opens in a new tab The articles give only March for the release, so the date is given to the month.In the episode broadcast over four days, she was the curator.
Source 12 · Busan Ilbo (Korean) · World Theme Travel, a trip to an Alpine mountain village · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Topstar News (Korean) · A joyful life in the Alps · opens in a new tabShe talked about what led her to leave the security service and try acting.
Source 14 · Daily Hankook (Korean) · Appears on Happy Morning · opens in a new tabShe played the head of the South Korean security team.
Source 15 · Newsen (Korean) · Head of the security team in Steel Rain 2 · opens in a new tabThe Viewers writes that keywords related to Lee Su-ryeon rose on the portal search rankings that day.
Source 17 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Lee Su-ryeon on KBS 1 Radio · opens in a new tabSource 16 · The Viewers (Korean) · Lee Su-ryeon in the news · opens in a new tabHer agency said she came to appear through her connection from The Last Empress.
Source 18 · Gwangju Maeil Shinmun (Korean) · Special appearance in the final episode of The Penthouse 2 · opens in a new tabKyunghyang Shinmun writes that in this drama, released at the end of last year, she played a customer who looks down on a delivery worker.
Source 02 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · The actress who left the Blue House · opens in a new tab Kyunghyang Shinmun says only “the end of last year,” so only the year is given.She attended as leader of the security team. It is a program in which 24 people are divided into teams by six occupational groups.
Source 20 · OhmyNews (Korean) · Siren: Survive the Island press conference · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Woman Donga (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tabThe first half was released on May 30 and the second half on June 6. She appeared as leader of the security team.
Source 21 · OhmyNews (Korean) · Interesting points of Siren · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Woman Donga (Korean) · Interview with Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tabSports Chosun writes that after the second half was released it ranked No. 2 on Today’s Top 10 Series in Korea.
Source 21 · OhmyNews (Korean) · Interesting points of Siren · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Praise for Siren · opens in a new tabIt covers her time as a security officer and her life after becoming an actress.
Source 23 · Xportsnews (Korean) · The Actress Who Left the Blue House published · opens in a new tabShe talked about her path as an actress.
Source 24 · inews24 (Korean) · Lee Su-ryeon on YTN Radio · opens in a new tabShe said she has continued acting since leaving the security service in 2013.
Source 25 · Ajunews (Korean) · What the actress Lee Su-ryeon learned at the Blue House · opens in a new tabShe announced appearances in Wavve and TVING’s Jumareun Oji and KBS’s Video Album: Mountain.
Source 26 · Star Daily News (Korean) · Jumareun Oji and Video Album: Mountain · opens in a new tab The broadcast schedule is not given here because the article’s details were inconsistent.She visited Gayasan National Park in winter.
Source 27 · Star Daily News (Korean) · Climbs Gayasan National Park · opens in a new tabShe set out on a traverse of Deogyusan National Park with a painter of traditional Korean painting.
Source 28 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Video Album: Mountain, traverse of Deogyusan National Park · opens in a new tab The article does not give the air date, so the month of the article, June, is given.She visited Sinbulsan with an amateur mountain bike racer.
Source 29 · Topstar News (Korean) · Video Album: Mountain, Sinbulsan · opens in a new tab The article does not give the air date, so the month of the article, September, is given.Wikipedia lists her as a National Intelligence Service agent.
Source 30 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Lee Su-ryeon · opens in a new tab The year and role are from Wikipedia and were not confirmed in news reports.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2004–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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.
Film & TV · South Korea
Mar 25, 1981 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1981: the year of the event minus 1981, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.