# Kang So-ra
**Kang So-ra** (강소라) is a South Korean actress who debuted in the 2009 film *4th Period Mystery* and became widely known through the 2011 hit film *Sunny* and the television drama *Misaeng* (2014).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) • [2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832) Born in 1990 in South Korea, she has worked across film, television, and variety programs for more than a decade.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990, South Korea[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) |
| Debut | *4th Period Mystery* (*4교시 추리영역*), 2009[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) |
| Breakthrough film | *Sunny* (2011), which recorded over 7 million viewers; she played the teenage Ha Chun-hwa, leader of the film's girl group[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) |
| Notable dramas | *Dream High 2* (2012), *Misaeng* (2014), *Doctor Stranger* (2014), *Warm and Cozy* (2015), *Revolutionary Love* (2017), *Strangers Again* (2023)[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832) |
| Award | Excellent Actress (mini series) for *Warm and Cozy* at the 2015 MBC Drama Awards, December 30, 2015[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) |
| Personal life | Married a Korean medicine doctor in 2020; their first child was born in 2021, and she has two daughters[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) • [4](https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/08/14/VXRURBX6CBC3DJ3ZN3CRTI55RQ/) |
## Early career and breakthrough
Kang made her screen debut in the 2009 mystery film *4th Period Mystery* (released in some markets as *The Clue*), playing Lee Da-jung, a student obsessed with becoming a private detective.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) • [3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) She then built her early résumé on cable and network television, appearing in *Rude Miss Young-Ae* and *Doctor Champ* in 2010.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885) In a later interview she described taking the *Rude Miss Young-Ae* season 7 role because, at that stage of her career, she was not in a position to turn down acting work.[5](https://kangsora.wordpress.com/category/interview/)
The turning point came with *Sunny* (2011), in which she played the teenage Ha Chun-hwa, the head of the film's seven-member girl group. The film drew over 7 million viewers, and the Korean Film Council's database credits the role with making her popular in both the film and television industries.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885)
## Television work
Through the 2010s Kang moved between genres. She played Shin Hae-sung, a student at an arts high school, in KBS2's *Dream High 2* (2012), Na Do-hee in *A Witch's Love*-era family drama *Don't Look Down on Me* (못난이 주의보, 2013), Oh Soo-hyun in *[Doctor Stranger](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-stranger)* (2014), and An Young-yi in tvN's office drama *Misaeng* (2014).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832) Her *Misaeng* character's office wardrobe drew attention among working viewers; Kang later said she chose accessible brands in muted, neutral tones to dress like a real office worker on Seoul's Teheran-ro business district.[6](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20230301_0002210019)
In 2015 she led MBC's *[Warm and Cozy](https://www.edgepedia.org/warm-and-cozy)* as Lee Jung-joo, a role that earned her the Excellent Actress award for a mini series at the 2015 MBC Drama Awards.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) • [2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832) She followed it with *Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho* (2016) and *[Revolutionary Love](https://www.edgepedia.org/revolutionary-love)* (2017).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832)
## Return to drama with Strangers Again
After a six-year gap from television following *Revolutionary Love*, Kang returned in the Genie TV original drama *Strangers Again* (남이 될 수 있을까), which ended its run on February 23, 2023.[7](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202302270001) She played Oh Ha-ra, a star divorce lawyer at the Doo-hwang law firm known as the "goddess of litigation," professionally sharp in other people's divorces but awkward at her own breakups; Jang Seung-jo played her ex-husband Goo Eun-beom.[7](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202302270001) • [8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1572262wpp/kang-sora-dishes-on-her-strangers-again-character-chemistry-with-jang-seung-jo-and-more)
Kang said her own recent marriage informed the performance, and that she studied dating and divorce reality programs such as *I Am Solo* and *Exchange* to observe unfiltered emotions for the role.[7](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202302270001) • [6](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20230301_0002210019) The series ran 12 episodes and held ratings in the 1 percent range throughout its broadcast on ENA, with an upward trend she noted in interviews.[6](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20230301_0002210019) She also described how production conditions had changed since her earlier dramas: the 52-hour workweek system lengthened shooting schedules while episode counts shortened, requiring more compressed performances.[6](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20230301_0002210019)
## Film work
Kang's film credits include *My Paparotti* (2013) as Sook-hee, *Race to Freedom: Um Bok Dong* (2019) as Kim Hyung-shin, and *Secret Zoo* (2020) as the veterinarian Han So-won.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) In *Secret Zoo* she spent much of the film inside a lion costume; she said the headpiece alone weighed 10 kg and the body suit was heavier still, though her character's limited movement made the shoot manageable.[9](https://www.tenasia.co.kr/article/2020010813684) The role led her to make donations for wild animals, and she described it as a character with no road back, defending a polar bear named Black Nose from being sold.[9](https://www.tenasia.co.kr/article/2020010813684) She had a cameo as Soo-jin in *Waiting for Rain* (2021).[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra)
Her early career also included variety and voice work: she appeared on the reality program *[We Got Married](https://www.edgepedia.org/we-got-married)* season 3 in 2011 and provided the Korean voice of Merida in the animated film *Brave* (메리다와 마법의 숲, 2012).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832) • [5](https://kangsora.wordpress.com/category/interview/)
## Personal life
Kang married a Korean medicine doctor in 2020, and the couple's first child was born in 2021.[3](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra) She has two daughters.[4](https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/08/14/VXRURBX6CBC3DJ3ZN3CRTI55RQ/) She described the period around marriage and childbirth as a career gap that brought fear as well as time for reflection, and prepared for her 2023 return with acting lessons, saying that acting is like a muscle.[10](https://www.hankyung.com/article/202303058068H) • [11](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202303091642003)
## References
1. [KANG So-ra, Korean Film Council (KOBIZ) people database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20112885)
2. [강소라, 씨네21 인물 정보](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=70832)
3. [Kang So-Ra, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Kang_So-Ra)
4. [Kang So-ra's Chaotic Summer Vacation with Two Daughters, The Chosun Daily](https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/08/14/VXRURBX6CBC3DJ3ZN3CRTI55RQ/)
5. [Interview archive, kangsora.wordpress.com](https://kangsora.wordpress.com/category/interview/)
6. [[인터뷰] 강소라, 연애 서툰 돌싱녀…"나는솔로 참고했죠", 뉴시스](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20230301_0002210019)
7. ['남이 될 수 있을까' 강소라 "결혼, 제 경험으로 연기를 채웠죠", 일간스포츠](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202302270001)
8. [Kang Sora Dishes On Her "Strangers Again" Character, Chemistry With Jang Seung Jo, and More, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1572262wpp/kang-sora-dishes-on-her-strangers-again-character-chemistry-with-jang-seung-jo-and-more)
9. [[TEN 인터뷰] '해치지않아' 강소라 "사자탈 연기 후 야생동물 위해 기부하게 됐죠", 텐아시아](https://www.tenasia.co.kr/article/2020010813684)
10. [강소라 결혼·출산 공백기, 두려움도 있었지만…, 한국경제](https://www.hankyung.com/article/202303058068H)
11. ['출산 후 복귀' 강소라 "연기도 근육, 레슨까지 받으며 변신 노렸죠", 스포츠경향](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202303091642003)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames I to Ka*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license