Formerly a child actress who gained acclaim by the time she was a teenager, Kim So-hyun has become one of the biggest youth Korean actors on streaming and the big screen. She successfully transitioned from child roles to becoming a lead in dramas, stealing hearts wherever she goes. Born in Australia, Kim moved back to South Korea as a child and made her professional acting debut in 2006, when she was only seven years old. After that, she continued landing small roles in television shows, and by 2010, she already was in the main cast of movies and has appeared in historical and serious dramas alike.
Kim’s popularity as an actress exploded when she appeared in the drama Moon Embracing the Sun, and from there, it was only an upwards climb for her so far. She began taking on lead roles when she appeared in School 2015, and easily began to be seen in some of the biggest k-dramas of the later-2010s. Despite her age, she has become one of the most successful television actors in South Korea and has two upcoming dramas that fans can look forward to in 2023. Until then, these are her best television shows and movies ranked to go back to her older filmography.
12 The Last Princess
A historical movie, The Last Princess transports us back in time to when Korea was unified and under the colonial rule of the Japanese. Set in 1925, the protagonist is Deok-hye, the last princess of Joseon, and she has to move to Japan to get an education. Forced to stay in Japan and not return to her homeland, Deok-hye becomes affiliated with those involved with the independence movement in Korea. But when their plot is found out, that creates an entirely new set of problems for the young princess, and she may never be able to return to her beloved Korea.
11 Pure Love
Pure Love was released in 2016, and stars Kim So-hyun and EXO member Do Kyung-soo. Taking place across two different periods, the movie tells the story of lost love. In 1991, a group of friends gets together to start their summer, and they are ready to have the time of their lives. A young man in the group named Beom-sil is smitten with a girl in the group: Soo-ok. He becomes convinced she is the perfect girl for him, but she’s dealing with her problems: she can no longer walk properly due to an injury, and he’s forced to carry her everywhere. Pure Love is a love story that shows the power of such memories.
10 Rooftop Prince
Rooftop Prince is one of the television shows that Kim appeared in when she was quite young, and it is also a pretty well-known Korean drama. Starring Han Ji-min, Park Yoo-chun, Lee Tae-ri, and Choi Woo-sik, among many other recognizable names, a man returns to South Korea from the United States to tell everyone his cousin is missing. Life continues onwards, and two years later, a group of men dressed in old garments appears atop a house. One of them says he is the Crown Prince of Joseon, and the men with him are members of his court. But modern Seoul is nothing like where they came from originally.
9 Radio Romance
Yoon Doo-jun and Kim So-hyun star in the lead roles of the 2018 romantic drama Radio Romance. Kim’s character has worked for five years as an assistant writer, but is dreaming of the day she can take charge and write her scripts. However, her writing skills aren’t the best, which is why she has never been able to move up to a better role. But when the only show she’s ever written is about to be canceled, she tries to get a top actor (Yoon) to come on and save it before it’s too late.
8 I Can Hear Your Voice
Released in 2013, I Can Hear Your Voice has become one of the more recognizable dramas released in the early 2010s. Lee Bo-young portrays Jang Hye-sung, who, while growing up, didn’t have the best upbringing. That affects her work now as a public defender, but things are about to drastically change when she meets a high schooler who can read people’s minds (Lee Jong-suk). As it turns out, she has a connected past to him, and when they decide to team up to bring justice in the court and their cases, it will change them both in the process.
7 The Tale of Nokdu
2019’s The Tale of Nokdu is an underrated gem in Kim So-hyun’s filmography. Jang Do-yoon portrays a man who has decided to find out the truth about his birth and family. But to do so, he must disguise himself as a woman, as the information he needs lies in a village that only allows women to be there. While he is there, he meets a young woman who denies her fate. She is told she needs to become a kisaeng, but instead, she wants to pursue the path of revenge because of a wrong that was done against her family.
6 River Where the Moon Rises
In River Where the Moon Rises, a classic Korean folktale comes to life. The story is about a princess named Pyeonggang (Kim) who, despite her royal upbringing, has been trained as an assassin. When she realizes the extent of her heritage and the corruption happening in the kingdom, she decides she needs to take matters into her own hands. A warrior, she runs into On Dal (Na In-woo), who is the exact opposite of her. He loves peace and tries to stay away from conflict, but the more he continues to be involved with her, he is forced into bad situations for him.
5 Bring It On, Ghost
Ok Taec-yeon and Kim So-hyun lead Bring It On, Ghost, a supernatural series. Kim portrays a high schooler who died in a car accident. She roams the Earth as a ghost, unable to move into the next lifetime, but then she meets an economics student who can see ghosts. He utilizes this power as an exorcist, which is how he pays for his education. But when she thinks he can help her move on, she teams up with him to find out the truth not only about themselves but ghosts as a whole.
4 Love Alarm
A Netflix drama, both seasons of Love Alarm have been wildly successful on the streaming platform. Kim portrays Kim Jo-jo, a struggling high schooler who doesn’t have the best home life. In this world, an app called Love Alarm has just been released, and when one presses the button on the app, it finds people nearby who are in love with you. This leads to problems when Jo-jo finds herself in a love triangle with two male classmates (Song Kang and Jung Ga-ram). Set across two seasons, Jo-jo has to learn to deal with not only her problems but theirs as well.
3 Who Are You: School 2015
School 2015 is a continuation of the popular School franchise and was one of the first main character adult roles Kim took on in her career. In the show, she plays two roles: identical twins who were separated at birth. One lives in an orphanage and is bullied by her classmates, while the other goes to school in wealthy Gangnam and is wildly successful. The two have opposite personalities as well, but their lives are about to change when they meet each other for the first time.
2 Guardian: The Great and Lonely God
Guardian: The Great and Lonely God was one of the most popular Korean dramas of the 2010s, and the fantasy drama’s quality is a testament to why it was so popular. Starring Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Yoo In-na, and Lee Dong-wook, the series is about a love story between a cursed goblin, or dokkaebi, and how he meets his fated lover centuries after his curse began. Kim So-hyun appears in the series as the goblin’s younger sister in historical Korea, who, after a series of unfortunate events, is sacrificed.
1 Moon Embracing the Sun
Moon Embracing the Sun launched many careers to all-new heights, including Kim Soo-hyun and Kim So-hyun. The historical 2012 drama takes place in the Joseon Dynasty, where politics and familial relations turn sour. A Queen Dowager orders the death of her stepson to keep the lineage of the throne in her favor, and a pregnant witness to the murder escapes the palace. Years later, her child and the Crown Prince will cross paths and fall in love, but their romance will not be an easy one, revealing dark secrets within the royal court.