She’s been acting for 24 years

Kim started her career as a teen model back in high school. She then starred in Kim Hyun-chul’s One’s Lifetime music video before debuting on television. It took her a couple of years to find a breakthrough role, but she eventually stole the spotlight with the Cinderella-esque romcom Glass Slippers (2002) alongside Kim Ji-ho and Han Jae-suk. In 2004, she delighted fans once again in the classic Ms. Kim’s Million Dollar Quest and in the big-budget period drama Toji, the Land. In the last decade, Kim has maintained her fame with top-rated K-dramas, such as Twinkle Twinkle (2011), What Happens to My Family (2014) and I Have a Lover (2015).

She often collaborates with Ji Jin-hee

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She started volunteering after a personal tragedy

In 2010, after losing her father Kim Tae-beom, the Korean star travelled to Bangladesh and the Philippines to do volunteer work as the goodwill ambassador for Good Neighbors, a global NGO specialising in children’s rights.

“I literally fled to Bangladesh after a series of personal tragedies, but I was consoled by the smiles of children who are living in these dire conditions. The act of sharing has given me strength to live,” she said, according to Han Cinema. The actress also sponsored a child she met during a trip to the Philippines, and worked as an instructor for classes held by the NGO, according to The Chosun newspaper.

She’s a multifaceted star

While she’s she’s acted for over two decades, Kim is also a lifelong learner who picks up new hobbies in her spare time. She told Elle Korea that she is actually busier when she is not working.

“I work out three times a week and I go ahead and learn what I’ve always wanted to learn. I’ve learned botanical arts, floral arrangement, the violin, the piano and I’ve been learning the drums for a while now,” said Kim.

Not stopping there, the K-drama star has also written a book called Hyun-joo’s Hand-Crafted Story and has a few songs under her name too, like Sad Fate and Forgetfulness.

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She’s playing a lawyer next

In October, the cast attended the Busan International Film Festival together. Kim walked the red carpet in a stunning sparkly sheer black dress with a chic short haircut.