Lee Yo-won
South Korean actress (born 1980)
title: "Lee Yo-won" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980-births", "living-people", "people-from-jungwon-district", "actresses-from-seongnam", "south-korean-film-actresses", "south-korean-television-actresses", "south-korean-female-models", "20th-century-south-korean-actresses", "21st-century-south-korean-actresses", "dankook-university-alumni", "best-new-actress-blue-dragon-film-awards-winners", "south-korean-roman-catholics"] description: "South Korean actress (born 1980)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Yo-won" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary South Korean actress (born 1980) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Lee Yo-won |
| image | Lee Yo-won in October 2025.png |
| caption | Lee in October 2025 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Seongnam, South Korea |
| education | Dankook University – Theater and Film |
| occupation | Actress |
| years_active | 1997–present |
| agent | Management Koo |
| height | |
| spouse | |
| children | 3 |
| module | {{Infobox Korean name/auto |
| hangul | %이요원 |
| :: |
| name = Lee Yo-won | image = Lee Yo-won in October 2025.png | caption = Lee in October 2025 | birth_date = | birth_place = Seongnam, South Korea | education = Dankook University – Theater and Film | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1997–present | agent = Management Koo | height = | spouse = | children = 3 | module = {{Infobox Korean name/auto|child=yes|headercolor=transparent | hangul = %이요원
Lee Yo-won (; born April 9, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Seondeok in the eponymous hit period drama.
Career
Lee Yo-won was a sophomore in high school when she won a modeling contest and first appeared as a model in the November 1997 issue of fashion magazine Figaro. This led to commercials, then to minor roles in television series and movies. Though she started getting recognized by the public after the box-office success of anarchic comedy Attack the Gas Station (1999), her first notable acting role was in controversial TV drama Blue Mist (2001), where she played a young woman in her 20s who becomes romantically involved with a married man in his 40s.
Critical darling Take Care of My Cat (2001) followed shortly, for which she received several newcomer awards. In a later interview with Elle Korea in 2009, she cited the film as her most memorable work.
But after starring in a number of big-screen star vehicles that weren't received well by audiences and critics, Lee felt mentally and physically exhausted. After finishing the historical drama ** (lit. "The Great Ambition", 2002), she made the surprising announcement that she was temporarily retiring from the entertainment scene.
Lee made a successful acting comeback in 2005, as the lead actress in period drama Fashion 70's, which she chose because she wanted to work with TV director Lee Jae-gyu (who had previously directed Damo), and because it was not a typical love story, but depicted a woman's success in life and career. A supporting role followed in romantic comedy When Romance Meets Destiny.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Lee_Yo-won_in_March_2011_(2).jpg" caption="Lee Yo-won at the ''[[49 Days]]'' press conference in 2011."] ::
In 2007, Lee played the titular character in hit medical drama/romance Surgeon Bong Dal-hee, though her next series, melodrama Cruel Love was less successful in the ratings. She then switched to more serious fare as part of the ensemble cast of May 18, a film about the Gwangju massacre and one of the highest grossing Korean films of all time.
Tired of playing fragile characters, Lee portrayed Queen Seondeok of Silla in the massively popular period drama Queen Seondeok (2009). Her follow-up, fantasy melodrama 49 Days (2011) in which she played dual roles as a woman possessed, also resonated with audiences. Afterwards she appeared in The King's Doctor (2012) about a Joseon-era veterinarian turned royal physician, and Empire of Gold (2013) which revolved around a power struggle over a chaebol.
On the big screen, Lee said after her enjoyable experience working with Jeong Jae-eun on Take Care of My Cat, she wanted to work with other female directors, so she starred in Anna Lee's romantic mystery The Recipe (2010) and Bang Eun-jin's crime thriller Perfect Number (2012). In contrast, she was cast in the only female starring role in Kang Woo-suk's Fists of Legend (2013), about middle-aged men who join a televised mixed martial arts tournament/reality show.
In 2016, Lee made a successful comeback to the small screen with the quirky romantic-comedy My Horrible Boss. Her role as a hot-headed career woman was well-received, with many citing it as her "rediscovery role". She then participated in another film, titled Yes, Family, playing a reporter who is the oldest among-st four siblings. Lee also starred in the MBC drama Night Light, alongside Jin Goo and Uee.
In 2017, Lee starred in the black comedy series Avengers Social Club.
In 2019, Lee starred in the espionage melodrama Different Dreams and The Running Mates: Human Rights.
Personal life
Lee married businessman and professional golfer Park Jin-woo on January 10, 2003. The couple have two daughters & one son (born in Dec 2003, May 2014 and May 2015). Lee is Catholic.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2005 | 2007 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013 | 2017 | 2025 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scent of a Man | young Eun-hye | |||||||||||||||
| Attack the Gas Station | Ggal-chi | |||||||||||||||
| Take Care of My Cat | Shin Hye-joo | |||||||||||||||
| A.F.R.I.K.A. | Lee Ji-won | |||||||||||||||
| Surprise Party | Wang Ha-young | |||||||||||||||
| When Romance Meets Destiny | Go Yun-kyung | |||||||||||||||
| May 18 | Park Shin-ae | |||||||||||||||
| The Recipe | Jang Hye-jin | |||||||||||||||
| Perfect Number | Baek Hwa-sun | |||||||||||||||
| Fists of Legend | Hong Gyu-min | |||||||||||||||
| My Little Brother | Oh Soo-kyung | |||||||||||||||
| Galatea | AI Mom | |||||||||||||||
| The Beast (W/T) | Do Mi-Ae | |||||||||||||||
| :: |
Television series
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Hate You, But It's Fine | Lee Bit-na | ||||||||||||||||
| March | Jung Yo-won | ||||||||||||||||
| School 2 | Kim Yeon-jin | ||||||||||||||||
| Tough Guy's Love | Heo Ji-hye | ||||||||||||||||
| Blue Mist | Lee Shin-woo | ||||||||||||||||
| Pure Heart | Han Se-jin/Kang Hyun-joo | ||||||||||||||||
| The Great Ambition | Yoon Yeo-jin | ||||||||||||||||
| Fashion 70s | Han Deo-mi | ||||||||||||||||
| Surgeon Bong Dal-hee | Bong Dal-hee | ||||||||||||||||
| Cruel Love | Na In-jung | ||||||||||||||||
| Queen Seondeok | Princess Deokman/Queen Seondeok | ||||||||||||||||
| 49 Days | Song Yi-kyung | ||||||||||||||||
| *The King's Doctor * | Kang Ji-nyeong | ||||||||||||||||
| Empire of Gold | Choi Seo-yoon | ||||||||||||||||
| My Horrible Boss | Ok Da-jung | ||||||||||||||||
| Night Light | Seo Yi-kyung | ||||||||||||||||
| Avengers Social Club | Kim Jung-hye | ||||||||||||||||
| Different Dreams | Lee Young-jin | ||||||||||||||||
| The Running Mates: Human Rights | Han Yoon-seo | ||||||||||||||||
| Green Mothers' Club | Lee Eun-pyo | ||||||||||||||||
| :: |
Variety
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | tvN World Special "LOVE" | Vietnam |
| :: |
Music video appearances
::data[format=table]
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Please Baby Don't Cry" | Deep |
| "WAYO! WAYO! " | O.P.P.A | |
| 1999 | "Will You Forgive Me" | A4 |
| "To Her Lover" | K2 | |
| 2000 | "I Love You" | Position |
| 2001 | "I Wish You Happiness ({{lang | ko |
| 2002 | "울고 싶어지는 오후" | Ji Seo-ryeon |
| 2006 | "Liquor" | Vibe |
| 2007 | "Love's Greeting" | SeeYa |
| "Ice Doll" | ||
| 2009 | "I'm Terrible in Love" | Shin Seung-hun |
| 2012 | "Love Is All the Same" | Yangpa |
| :: |
Discography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Song title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Bidam ({{lang | ko |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table title="Year presented, name of the award ceremony, category, nominated work and the result of the nomination"]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | KBS Drama Awards | Popularity Award | Blue Mist | ||
| 9th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Take Care of My Cat | |||
| 22nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | ||||
| 4th Director's Cut Awards | Best New Actress | ||||
| 2002 | 38th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress (Film) | |||
| SBS Drama Awards | New Star Award | ** | |||
| 2005 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama | Fashion 70's | |||
| Top 10 Stars | |||||
| 2007 | 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | May 18 | ||
| SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Surgeon Bong Dal-hee | |||
| Netizen Popularity Award | |||||
| Best Couple Award with Lee Beom-soo | |||||
| Top 10 Stars | |||||
| KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Cruel Love | |||
| 2009 | 22nd Grimae Awards | Best Actress | Queen Seondeok | ||
| 10th Korea Visual Arts Festival | Photogenic Award | ||||
| MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | ||||
| Best Couple Award with Kim Nam-gil | |||||
| 2010 | Asia Model Awards | Special Award for Asian Drama | |||
| 2011 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | 49 Days | ||
| Producers' Award, Actress | |||||
| Top 10 Stars | |||||
| 2012 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama | The King's Doctor | ||
| 2013 | 6th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Empire of Gold | ||
| SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | ||||
| Top 10 Stars | |||||
| 2019 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Miniseries | Different Dreams | ||
| :: |
Listicles
::data[format=table title="Name of publisher, year listed, name of [[listicle]], and placement"]
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. | Forbes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Korea Power Celebrity | 22nd | |||
| :: |
References
References
- link
- link. (March 22, 2001)
- Shin, Yong-ho. (June 10, 2001). "Lee Transforms, Playing Vixen or Angel". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
- link. [[Ten Asia]]. Yoon. Tae-hee. (December 15, 2009)
- link. (October 10, 2002)
- Suh, Jung-bo. (May 12, 2005). "Weekend Date: Lee Yo-won". [[The Dong-A Ilbo]].
- link. Film2.0 via [[Twitch Film]]. (December 2, 2005)
- (January 4, 2007). "Dr. Drama". [[The Dong-A Ilbo]].
- (October 22, 2007). "Lee Yo-won to costar Kwon Sang-woo in Bad Love". Broasia.
- (July 25, 2007). "Lee Yo-won Conjures the Spirits of May 18". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
- Lee, Hyo-won. (July 10, 2007). "''May 18'' Remembers Heroes of Gwangju". [[The Korea Times]].
- Han, Sang-hee. (May 9, 2009). "New Epic Drama to Bring Rivalry, Love to TV". [[The Korea Times]].
- Lee, Ga-on. (June 8, 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Lee Yo-won - Part 1". [[Ten Asia]].
- Lee, Ga-on. (June 8, 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Lee Yo-won - Part 2". [[Ten Asia]].
- Nam, Woo-jeong. (September 25, 2012). "''Horse Doctor'' Lee Yo Won talks about her relationship with Cho Seung Woo". StarN News.
- Cho, Suyoun. (January 24, 2013). "Heroine of a hit series ''Empire of Gold'' Lee Yo won meets fashion magazine ELLE". BNTNews.
- (May 24, 2013). "Ko Soo, Lee Yo-won to Struggle for Power and Money in New TV Series".
- (October 18, 2010). "Lee Yo-won said that she became more muscular thanks to her husband".
- (December 2, 2011). "Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Yo-won cast in new movie".
- Hong, Lucia. (May 16, 2012). "Lee Yo-won to play a producer in Kang Woo-suk's new film". [[Ten Asia]].
- (March 25, 2016). "Lee Yo-won plays hard-headed career woman in drama". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
- (February 23, 2017). "Practice has made perfect for Lee Yo-won's career: The actress returns to the silver screen with 'My Little Brother'". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
- (November 18, 2016). "New MBC series 'Night Light' depicts world ruled by power, money and greed". [[Kpop Herald]].
- (August 15, 2015). "Lee Yo-won to lead star in "Buam-dong Avengers"". [[HanCinema]].
- link. (August 15, 2018)
- (October 18, 2010). "Lee Yo-won said that she became more muscular thanks to her husband". [[The Dong-A Ilbo]] via [[Hancinema]].
- (January 10, 2003). "Actress Lee Yo-won ties knot with businessman". [[Naver]].
- (August 9, 2011). "Lee Yo-Won and Family First Time Appearance Captured by Media Camera after 9 Years Marriage". [[Dispatch (South Korea).
- (July 25, 2014). "Actress Lee Yo-won gives birth to her 2nd child". [[Aju Business Daily]].
- (July 25, 2014). "Actress Lee Yo Won belatedly revealed to have given birth to her second child". [[Allkpop]].
- (May 19, 2015). "Actress Lee Yo Won revealed to have given birth to her third child". [[Allkpop]].
- link. Newsen. (October 19, 2010)
- link. (August 29, 2011)
- link. (July 4, 2002)
- link. Gyeonggi-do Min Ilbo. Nam. So-young. (August 20, 2017)
- link. [[Sports Chosun]]. Cho. Byung-kwan. (July 24, 2007)
- link. Top Star News. Lee. Ye-ji. 톱스타뉴스. (May 17, 2019)
- link. Joy News24. Kim. Yang-so. (June 19, 2020)
- link. Segye. Park. Min-kyung. (March 28, 2013)
- link. Ajou Economic Daily. Choi. Song-hee. (February 23, 2017)
- link. (May 1, 2001)
- link. (July 16, 2001)
- (May 27, 2021). "Lee Yo-won and Choo Ja-hyun in "Green Mothers Club"".
- (January 1, 2002). "KBS 연기대상에「태조왕건」최수종".
- link. (December 12, 2001)
- link. (January 2, 2002)
- link. (March 13, 2002)
- link. (January 1, 2006)
- (January 7, 2007). "2007 Year-end Korean drama awards round-up". Star Money.
- (December 10, 2009). "So Ji-sup, Lee Yo-won Named Best Actors". [[The Korea Times]].
- link. (November 25, 2009)
- (December 31, 2009). "Ko Hyun-joung wins grand prize at MBC Acting Awards". [[Ten Asia]].
- link. (January 13, 2010)
- (January 1, 2012). "Han Suk-kyu reclaims glory at SBS Drama Awards". [[The Asia Business Daily]].
- Cory Lee. (January 2, 2014). "Lee Bo-young Grabs 1st Top Prize at the 2013 SBS Drama Awards". [[Ten Asia]].
- (February 23, 2010). "Celebrity List". [[JoongAng Ilbo]].
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