Written by Joyce Chua
South Korean model and actress, Lee Sung Kyung is on fire! Aside from being the face of Laneige, her role as Kim Bok Joo in the drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, in which she played the titular character, also earned her the Excellence Award at the 35th MBC Drama Awards. This year, she appeared in The Player 2: Master of Swindlers as player 2 on the 12th episode and Doctor Slump as Han Woo-Ri on the 6th episode.
Lee’s career was kick-started by a couple of modelling contests that she took part in during her late teens — the local Super Model Contest in 2008, then the International Asia Pacific Super Model Contest in 2009. There, she was scouted by representatives from YGK-Plus, the modelling agency under YG Entertainment, one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea.
Aside from regular editorial and commercial photo shoots, Lee later branched out into acting and made her small-screen debut with a supporting role in hit TV drama It’s Okay, That’s Love, being the first model-actress promoted under the joint venture of YG Entertainment and K-Plus. Shortly after, she starred in a weekend drama, Queen’s Flower, in 2015, for which she won the “Best New Actress” in a Special Project Drama award at the MBC Drama Awards. Not bad for a new model-turned-actress! This esteemed actress then won “Excellent Actress” for Dr. Romantic 2 at the 2020 SBS Drama Awards and “Best Actress” for Dr. Romantic 3 at the 2023 SBS Drama Awards.
Other notable appearances she made thereafter include Cheese in the Trap (alongside Kim Go Eun and Park Hae-Jin), Doctors (where she played Park Shin Hye’s frenemy), Dr. Romantic series (as Cha Eun Jae) and in a cop action comedy movie, Miss & Mrs Cops in 2019. But it wasn’t until Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo that Lee took on her first leading role.
The drama, which focuses on the triumphs and failings of teenage athletes as they navigate their way to adulthood, was inspired by the real life story of Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran. Lee teamed up with her label-mate and fellow model-turned-actor Nam Joo Hyuk, to play the spunky, straight-talking weightlifting champion.
But that’s not all. While her versatility as an artist allows her to portray a drama queen in Cheese in the Trap, a mean girl in Doctors, and look flawlessly chic in editorial photo spreads in magazines like Grazia, CeCi, Elle, Dazed, InStyle, W and more, the multi-talented star also proves that she is just as good at singing and playing the piano. Check out her duet with The Papers titled “I Love You”, and her collaboration single with Eddy Kim, “My Lips Like Warm Coffee”, and “Love”, a duet with Loco.
On 8th July last year, Lee Sung Kyung successfully wrapped up her solo fan meeting in Manila, Philippines, as part of her 2023 tour titled ‘BE CLOSER’ presented by CDM Entertainment.
Back in February, Lee Sung Kyung made an appearance on ‘SUCHWITA‘, where she opened up about her close friendship with BTS member Suga, which gained over 2.3 million views!
Weightlifting Fairy certainly opened new doors for her while jet-setting as the brand ambassador of Laneige. Her porcelain skin and rosebud lips truly make her look so stunning (oh and in case you’re wondering about her eye colour, it’s real).
With more movie and drama roles coming up (look out for her next lead role in a melodrama In Your Brilliant Season and Nice Guy along with Lee Dong Wook soon), and potentially more music collaborations, it’s clear we’re not seeing the last of Lee Sung Kyung! In the meantime, excuse us while we fawn over her breathtaking visuals.
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