Shin Se-kyung

Though Shin Se-kyung has been linked with several of her co-stars throughout the years, the only relationship she has ever acknowledged was with Jonghyun, a member of the Korean boy band SHINee. A local news outlet reported on October 20, 2010, to have spotted them out on a date. Their respective agencies later issued statements to the press confirming the relationship. They dated for about nine months before parting ways in June 2011 due to their busy schedules.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named her the goodwill ambassador for their Korea Commission on January 15, 2014 to commemorate its 60th anniversary. The honour serves as recognition for her contributions in promoting Korean culture and education and her advocacy for the Korean language, especially by acting in ‘Tree with Deep Roots.’ In this capacity, she endorses the vision and the mission of the UNESCO Bridge program, both in Korea and outside.

Shin was born on July 29, 1990, in Yangcheon, a district of Seoul, South Korea. She studied at the Shinmok High School before enrolling at the Chung-Ang University from where she majored in Performing Arts.

Shin Se-kyung was an elementary school student when she appeared on the poster and cover of the legendary singer Seo Taiji’s fifth album ‘Take Five’, released in 1999. Using that as a launch pad, she got her first small screen role in SBS’s ‘The Land’ (2004). In the same year, she made her debut in films with ‘My Little Bride’, playing the role of Hye-won, a friend of the protagonist Bo-eun (Moon Geun-young).

Next, she landed her first starring role in the horror film ‘Cinderella’ (2006). Cast opposite veteran actress Do Ji-won, Shin gave a powerful and haunting performance in a film which was, for all intents and purposes, a severe criticism of the Asian perception of beauty and the use of plastic surgery to achieve it.

In 2009 and 2010, she did two back-to-back omnibus films, ‘Five Senses of Eros’ and ‘Acoustic’. In the former, she starred alongside Kim Dong-wook, Lee Si-young, and Jung Eui-chul in the segment ‘Believe in the Moment’; in the latter, in the ‘Broccoli’ segment, she was cast as a singer-songwriter who has a rare and quirky disease which forces her to live on instant cup ramen noodles.

Shin Se-kyung was the teenage Princess Cheonmyeong in the MBC historical drama ‘Queen Seondeok’ (2009). In SBS’ ‘Tree with Deep Roots’ (2011), another historical drama, Shin embodied the character So-yi, a fictional woman who plays an instrumental role in the creation of Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Based on the novel of the same name by author Lee Jung-myung, the series was both a critical and commercial hit.

Her next project was the 2012 aviation action drama ‘R2B: Return to Base’. Directed by Kim Dong-won, it was her first film with Korean cultural icon Rain.

The popular sitcom ‘High Kick Through the Roof’ can be considered as the turning point in Shin Se-kyung’s career. Produced by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), the series was a sequel to the 2006 series ‘High Kick’, which itself was an international success. It revolved around two sisters (portrayed by Shin and Seo Shin-ae) moving to Seoul from their remote countryside home to work as maids for the affluent Lee family. The show also starred Lee Soon-jae, Kim Ja-ok, Lee Hyun-kyung, and Choi Daniel.

In the 2011 crime noir ‘Hindsight’, she shared the screen space with one of the biggest stars of Korean cinema today, Song Kang-ho. Depicting issues such as age difference in romantic relations and the Korean underworld, the film told the story about an assassin (Shin) who is hired to kill a mob boss (Song), but falls in love with him instead. It was featured in the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama category at the 16th Busan International Film Festival. She earned her first Grand Bell nomination for the role.