The year she turned 15, she won the grand prize at the SunKyung Smart Model Contest at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul in July 1996 and made her entertainment debut.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 17, she played Oh Hye-kyo in the SBS sitcom Soonpoong Clinic and began to gain popularity.
In 2000, she played Yoon Eun-seo and Choi Eun-seo in KBS2’s Autumn in My Heart, which reached a peak viewership rating of 42.3%, and rose to stardom. In 2001, she appeared in MBC’s Hotelier and SBS’s Guardian Angel. In 2003, she played Min Su-yeon in SBS’s All In, which reached a peak rating of 47.7%, and won the SBS Drama Awards’ top excellence award for an actress.
In 2004, she played Han Ji-eun in KBS2’s Full House, whose ratings rose from 20% in the first episode to 40% in the last. In December 2005, she made her film debut in My Girl and I. In 2007, she played Jin-yi in the film Hwang Jin Yi and won best new actress at that year’s Korean Film Awards.
In 2008, she co-starred with Hyun Bin in KBS2’s Worlds Within. In 2012, she sang in a commercial song collaboration with John Park. In 2013, she played Oh Young in SBS’s That Winter, the Wind Blows opposite Jo In-sung.
In August 2014, she apologized officially over the controversy about under-reported taxes, and in September the film My Brilliant Life was released and drew 1.62 million admissions. In February 2016, she played Kang Mo-yeon in KBS2’s Descendants of the Sun, which reached a peak rating of 38.8%, and she married her co-star Song Joong-ki the following year. In October she received a presidential commendation, and in December the KBS Drama Awards grand prize, both together with Song Joong-ki.
She married Song Joong-ki on Oct. 31, 2017. In 2018, she starred opposite Park Bo-gum in tvN’s Encounter, whose first episode had the highest rating among tvN Wednesday-Thursday drama premieres. In 2019, she divorced Song Joong-ki, 1 year 9 months after the marriage.
In 2021, she played Ha Young-eun in SBS’s Now, We Are Breaking Up opposite Jang Ki-yong. In December 2022, Netflix’s The Glory part 1 was released, with her as the school violence victim Moon Dong-eun. Part 2 followed in March 2023, and for the series she won the Baeksang Arts Awards’ best actress in television and the Blue Dragon Series Awards’ grand prize.
The year she turned 44, she released the digital single “Huae” on Jan. 10. On the 24th of that month, the film Dark Nuns was released and drew 1.67 million admissions. In February, her casting in Netflix’s new series Tantara was announced. In June 2026, she ended her 14 years with UAA. In September, she was named a global ambassador for the Italian brand Bottega Veneta.
Song Hye-kyo (born Nov 22, 1981) debuted on Jul 21, 1996, the year she turned 15, by winning the grand prize at the SunKyung Smart Model Contest, and became known through the sitcom Soonpoong Clinic in 1998, the year she turned 17. She rose to stardom with KBS2’s Autumn in My Heart in 2000, the year she turned 19, and in 2023 won the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Series Awards grand prize for Netflix’s The Glory.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Won the grand prize in the finals at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, as a third-year student at Sookmyung Girls’ Middle School. She then worked as the exclusive model for the school uniform brand Smart.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · SunKyung Smart Model Contest grand prize · opens in a new tabPlayed Oh Hye-kyo in the new sitcom that began on March 2, and began to gain popularity with the role.
Played Yoon Eun-seo and Choi Eun-seo in the 16-episode drama that aired from Sept. 18 to Nov. 7. It reached a peak viewership rating of 42.3%, and she rose to stardom with the drama.
Source 03 · Top Star News (Korean) · Her signature drama male partners · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabAppeared in the two Wednesday-Thursday dramas in succession.
Source 33 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Song Hye-kyo · opens in a new tab Not confirmed in news reports; based on Wikipedia.Played Min Su-yeon in the 24-episode drama modeled on a real professional gambler, which reached a peak viewership rating of 47.7%. She won the SBS Drama Awards’ top excellence award for an actress for the drama.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Lee Byung-hun interview on All In · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Top Star News (Korean) · Her signature drama male partners · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabPlayed Han Ji-eun, an aspiring screenwriter, in a romantic comedy with Rain built on a contract marriage. Ratings began at 20% in the first episode and reached 40% in the last.
Source 20 · Ilyo Seoul (Korean) · Full House ratings · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Top Star News (Korean) · Her signature drama male partners · opens in a new tabHer first film, in which she played a high school second-year student opposite Cha Tae-hyun.
Source 21 · OhmyNews (Korean) · My Girl and I as her first film · opens in a new tabPlayed Jin-yi opposite Yoo Ji-tae in Jang Yoon-hyun’s period film. That December she won best new actress at the 6th Korean Film Awards.
Source 17 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Hwang Jin Yi released · opens in a new tabSource 18 · Edaily (Korean) · Korean Film Awards best new actress · opens in a new tabCo-starred with Hyun Bin in the 16-episode drama by writer Noh Hee-kyung and producer Pyo Min-soo.
Source 19 · Gwangju Maeil Shinmun (Korean) · Worlds Within · opens in a new tabSang in a commercial song collaboration with John Park.
Source 26 · Dispatch (Korean) · Digital single Huae · opens in a new tab Follows a 2025 article on “Huae” that described this as taking place in 2012. The song title and date could not be confirmed.Starred opposite Jo In-sung in the drama by writer Noh Hee-kyung and director Kim Kyu-tae. Episodes 1 and 2 aired back to back on the first night.
Source 22 · Asia Economy (Korean) · That Winter, the Wind Blows premiere · opens in a new tabSource 33 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Song Hye-kyo · opens in a new tab The role name (Oh Young) is from Wikipedia.Apologized officially over the controversy about under-reported taxes, at the press screening of the film My Brilliant Life.
Source 15 · Kyeongin Ilbo (Korean) · Official apology over tax controversy · opens in a new tabStarred opposite Kang Dong-won in the film based on the novel of the same name by Kim Ae-ran. It drew 1.62 million admissions.
Source 16 · OBS (Korean) · My Brilliant Life released · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Kyeongin Ilbo (Korean) · Official apology over tax controversy · opens in a new tabPlayed the army doctor Kang Mo-yeon in the drama, which reached a peak viewership rating of 38.8%. She married Song Joong-ki, her co-star in the drama, the following year.
Source 06 · MBN (Korean) · Descendants of the Sun premiere confirmed · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Top Star News (Korean) · Her signature drama male partners · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Star News (Korean) · The couple’s first Christmas · opens in a new tabReceived a presidential commendation together with Song Joong-ki at the ceremony at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.
Source 07 · Xports News (Korean) · Presidential commendation at the Popular Culture and Arts Awards · opens in a new tabWon the grand prize for Descendants of the Sun at the ceremony at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul.
Source 08 · Nocut News (Korean) · 2016 KBS Drama Awards · opens in a new tabHeld the wedding with many celebrity guests attending.
Source 09 · Star News (Korean) · The couple’s first Christmas · opens in a new tabIn the drama with Park Bo-gum, the first episode averaged 8.7% and peaked at 10.1% in household ratings on pay platforms, the highest among all tvN Wednesday-Thursday drama premieres.
Source 12 · Money Today Broadcasting (Korean) · Encounter premiere · opens in a new tabSong Joong-ki’s side said on June 27 that a divorce mediation petition had been filed, and on July 22 mediation concluded with no alimony or division of property. It came 1 year 9 months after the marriage.
Source 10 · Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Divorce mediation filed with the court · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Geumgang Ilbo (Korean) · Divorce mediation concluded · opens in a new tabPlayed Ha Young-eun, a team leader working in fashion, opposite Jang Ki-yong.
Source 31 · Top Star News (Korean) · Now, We Are Breaking Up, Ha Young-eun · opens in a new tabThe story of a school violence victim who prepares revenge, made with director Ahn Gil-ho and writer Kim Eun-sook.
Source 13 · Edaily (Korean) · The Glory part 1 release date · opens in a new tabSource 32 · Korean Lecturer News (Korean) · The Glory profile · opens in a new tabThe second half, in which the revenge begins in earnest, was released.
Source 14 · Financial News (Korean) · The Glory part 2 release date · opens in a new tabWon for The Glory at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Source 23 · Sports Hankook (Korean) · Baeksang Arts Awards · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabWon the grand prize for The Glory at the 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards at Paradise City in Incheon.
Source 24 · Asia Today (Korean) · Blue Dragon Series Awards grand prize · opens in a new tabReleased her own recording of the ballad Uhm Jung-hwa put out in 1997.
Source 26 · Dispatch (Korean) · Digital single Huae · opens in a new tabStarred in the occult horror film as Sister Junia. It drew 1.67 million admissions.
Source 25 · Asia Today (Korean) · Dark Nuns release date confirmed · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Top Star News (Korean) · Recent news (filmography roundup) · opens in a new tabHer casting was announced for the new series by writer Noh Hee-kyung, with Gong Yoo, Kim Seol-hyun, Cha Seung-won and Lee Ha-nee.
Source 27 · Geumgang Ilbo (Korean) · Casting for Tantara · opens in a new tabAnnounced on social media that she had ended her time with the agency, which she had been with since its founding in November 2012. It was later reported that she was preparing new management with an associate from her past overseas work.
Source 28 · MHN Sports (Korean) · Exclusive contract with UAA ends · opens in a new tabSource 29 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Preparing new management · opens in a new tabNamed a global ambassador of the Italian luxury brand.
Source 30 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Bottega Veneta global ambassador · opens in a new tab Date of the news report. The date of the selection is not given in the article.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1996–2026 · 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.
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Film & TV · South Korea
Nov 22, 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: 2026.09.28 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.