Lee Ha-nui

Lee Ha-nui has been great friends with the actress Kim Tae-hee, whom she knows since her school days. Their friendship has remained in the news as Lee mentions her as her ‘most favourite person on the planet’.

Lee and actor Yoon Kya-sang were reported to be dating each other for some time, but they have never confirmed this. But when the couple went together on a holiday in Bali in 2013, the rumours were officially confirmed about them being in a relationship.

Lee Ha-nui was born in Seoul, South Korea on March 2, 1983 into a highly respected family. Her father was a high ranking government official while her mother was a well known classical musician and music teacher.

Lee grew up among highly artistic environment in the house. Her mother was a gayageum (a traditional Korean musical instrument) player. Lee and her older sister started practicing with the instrument from a very early age and they gradually developed a keen interest in music. They were well-supported by their parents.

As she grew up, Lee became more skilled in playing gayageum and was eventually honoured by the Kumho Art Centre for being a talented musician.

She also happens to be a third degree black belt holder in the martial art Tae-kwondo and a scuba diving enthusiast.

Apart from music, Lee loved acting and playing outdoor sports as a teenager and started shaping herself up for a career in films and TV. Although it would have been very easy for her to break into the industry, she decided on completing her education first.

She won the Miss Korea 2006 beauty pageant, which was her ticket to enter the Miss Universe contest in Mexico City. Despite being one of the strongest contenders for the title, she ended up as the third runner up. But this success was enough for her to kick-start a career in the entertainment field back in her home country.

She started doing musical theatre and among many others, her performance in ‘Polaroid’ was particularly praised. Her successful run at the Miss Universe contest also got her the chance to host the variety show ‘TV Entertainment Tonight’.

She made her acting debut in 2009 in a TV series ‘The Partner’, where she appeared as an attorney. Playing a grey shade character in her very first fiction series required some solid guts, and Lee exhibited them perfectly with her scintillating performance as a beautiful femme fatale.

It was followed by a major role in the romantic comedy series ‘Pasta’ in 2010, which revolved around workplace antiques in a restaurant.

In 2011, Lee made her big screen debut with a small role in the film ‘Hit’ and in the very same year, she delivered her career’s very first award-winning performance in the drama ‘Indomitable Daughters in Law’. For her role, she won the Best New Actress award at the MBC Drama Awards that year.