South Korean actress Son Ye-Jin

South Korean actress Son Ye-jin appeares in front of the camera in a movie preview of "Love Fiction" held at Mega Box theater in Seoul's Samsung-dong on Feb. 20, 2012.

Son Ye-jin has taken on a variety of roles in her career to date, propelling her to fame both in Korea and in other Asian countries. She first appeared in a supporting role in Park Ki-hyung's film "Secret Tears" in 2000, and then went on to take the lead in TV dramas such as "A Delicious Proposal", "Sun-hee and Jin-hee", and "Daemang". Her first high-profile role in cinema was in Im Kwon-taek's "Strokes of fire", which screened at Cannes and took home a Best Director award in 2002.

The biggest success of her early career was in the subsequent films "Lovers' Concerto" and "The Classic". Both were solid mid-level hits in Korea, and "The Classic" in particular-being a work of "My Sassy Girl" director kwak Jae-Yong - received wide exposure in countries such as Hong Kong and China.[1]

Son further solidified her status as a "hallyu" (Korean wave) star in 2003 by taking the lead in TV drama "Summer Scen"t, a part of the hugely successful series of TV dramas including "Autumn in my Heart" and "Winter Sonata" (though this drama would not attract the attention of the previous two).

Her next two films also proved to be huge hits in Asia: "A Moment to Remember", based on a famous Japanese TV series, set box office records in Japan and sold over two million tickets in Korea, while "April Snow" in which she co-starred with superstar Bae Yong-joon was also a smash hit in Japan and China (though not, incidentally, in Korea).

Son's most recent work sees her cast off her nice girl image. She took on the roles of a con artist in "The Art of Seduction", an ambitious reporter in "Spotlight", a femme fatale in "Open City", and a divorcée in the critically acclaimed 2006 TV drama "Alone in Love" opposite Kam Woo-seong.

In 2008, her portrayal of a polyandrous woman in "My Wife Got Married" bagged her Best Actress honors from the prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards and other local award-giving bodies.

After filming the dark mystery "White Night", Son wanted to do a more fun project, so she chose the romantic comedy Personal Taste, followed by the supernatural love story Spellbound (Korean title: "Chilling Romance").

She next stars in her first blockbuster action flick, "Tower", a remake of the 1974 Hollywood film The Towering Inferno.

Profile
Name: 손예진 / Son Ye Jin (Son Yeh Jin)
Real name: 손연진 / Son Yun Jin (Son Yeon Jin)
Profession: Actress and model
Birthdate: 1982-Jan-11
Birthplace: Daegu, South Korea
Height: 165cm
Weight: 45kg
Star sign: Capricorn
Blood type: RH+A
Family: Older sister
Talent agency: Barunson Entertainment

TV Series
"Secret Garden" (SBS, 2010) cameo
"Personal Preference" (MBC, 2010)
"Spotlight" (MBC, 2008)
"Alone in Love" (SBS, 2006)
"Summer Scent" (KBS2, 2003)
"Daemang" (SBS, 2002)
"Sun-hee and Jin-hee" (MBC, 2001)
"A Delicious Proposal" (MBC, 2001)

Movies
"Tower" (2011)
"Chilling Romance" (2011)
"White Night" (2009)
"My Wife Got Married" (2008)
"Open City" (2008)
"Yobi, The Five Tailed Fox" (2007)
"The Art of Seduction" (2005)
"April Snow" (2005)
"A Moment to Remember" (2004)
"Crazy First Love" (2003)
"The Classic" (2003)
"Lover's Concerto" (2003)
"Strokes of fire" (2002)
"Secret Tears" (2002)