The year she turned 23, she made her debut in KBS2’s School 2013. She joined by auditioning without an agency. In 2014, she appeared in tvN’s High School King of Savvy.
In 2015, she played Kang Eun-hee in tvN’s Oh My Ghost. In 2016, after appearing on Happy Together Season 3, her name reached first place on portal search terms, and she appeared in KBS2’s Five Enough. That July she won Rookie of the Year at the Scene Stealer Festival.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 28, she played a lead role for the first time, in KBS2’s My Golden Life. Donga.com wrote that with a hit approaching 40% ratings, she caught viewers’ eyes, and she recalls that people around her began to recognize her as the actress Shin Hye-sun from this drama. That same year she played the prosecutor Young Eun-soo in tvN’s Stranger, and at the KBS Drama Awards at year’s end she received an Excellence Award.
In March 2018, My Golden Life reached 45.8% nationwide (TNMS), and in July she began SBS’s Still 17. At the end of the year she received the Top Excellence Award in the Monday–Tuesday drama category at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2019, she played the ballerina Lee Yeon-seo in KBS2’s Angel’s Last Mission: Love, and at the KBS Drama Awards at year’s end she received the Top Excellence Award. In 2020, the films Innocence and Collectors opened, and in December she began tvN’s Mr. Queen.
In February 2021, Mr. Queen ended at a peak of 20.5%, and in December she renewed with YNK Entertainment. In 2022, she donated 100 million won to Good Neighbors for flood recovery. In 2023, she appeared in tvN’s See You in My 19th Life, the film Don’t Buy the Seller and JTBC’s Welcome to Samdal-ri, in that order.
In 2024, Welcome to Samdal-ri ended with a 12.4% rating, followed by the film Following in May and Dear Hyeri in September. In 2025, the cast of Netflix’s The Art of Sarah was announced, and in April she moved to Management Seesun.
In 2026, Netflix’s The Art of Sarah was released, followed by tvN’s Filing for Love. In July she won Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Series Awards for The Art of Sarah.
Shin Hye-sun (born Aug 31, 1989) debuted by appearing in KBS2’s School 2013, which began on Dec 3, 2012, the year she turned 23, and became known when she played a lead role for the first time in KBS2’s My Golden Life, which began on Sep 2, 2017, the year she turned 28. That year she also received an Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Shin Hye-sun when she debuted?
- In 2012, the year she turned 23. She joined KBS2’s School 2013, which began airing on Dec 3, 2012, through an audition. Some articles give her debut as 2013.
- How old was Shin Hye-sun when she became famous?
- In 2017, the year she turned 28, she played a lead role for the first time, in KBS2’s My Golden Life. She recalls that people began to recognize her as an actress from this drama. Some outlets name Stranger, from the same year, as her breakout.
- What were the ratings for My Golden Life?
- On Mar 4, 2018, the year she turned 29, episode 50 reached 45.8% nationwide by TNMS, the highest since its first broadcast in September 2017, according to Kyeonggi Ilbo.
- What awards has Shin Hye-sun won?
- In 2017, the year she turned 28, she received an Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards. In 2018, the year she turned 29, she received the Top Excellence Award in the Monday–Tuesday drama category at the SBS Drama Awards, and in 2019, the year she turned 30, the Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards. On Jul 31, 2026, the year she turned 37, she won Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Series Awards for The Art of Sarah.
- How old is Shin Hye-sun?
- Born in 1989, she turns 37 in 2026 (37 as of Oct 3, 2026).