# Kim Hyun-soo (김현수) (actress)
**Kim Hyun-soo** (김현수; born 2000) is a South Korean actress who began her career as a child performer in the film *Silenced* (2011) and became widely known for playing Bae Ro-na in the SBS hit series *The Penthouse: War in Life* (2020–2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) She is not the veteran actress [Kim Hye-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-hye-soo) (born 1970), who is often romanized the same way; the older actress starred in *The Thieves* and *Familyhood*, the 2016 comedy in which Kim Hyun-soo also appeared.[3](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10006380)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2000, South Korea; Maoyan places her birth in Osan, Gyeonggi Province[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/) • [4](https://www.maoyan.com/films/celebrity/12139) |
| Debut | *Silenced* (2011), as the hearing-impaired girl Kim Yeon-doo[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/) |
| Signature role | Bae Ro-na in *The Penthouse: War in Life*, all three seasons (2020–2021)[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more) |
| Award | Best Youth Actress ("Penthouse"), 2020 SBS Drama Awards, December 31, 2020[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) |
| First leading role | Ko Seo-yeon in *Solomon's Perjury* (JTBC, 2016–2017)[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/person/kim-hyeon-soo/umc.cpc.44tgyvv6ju5fj7ehkov0vqzsq?l=en) |
| Agency | HODU&U Entertainment Co. Ltd (listed by the Korean Film Council database)[7](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20129449) |
## Early career as a child actress
Kim's screen debut came in 2011 at age eleven, playing Kim Yeon-doo in *Silenced* (also released as *The Crucible*), Hwang Dong-hyuk's drama about abuse at a school for hearing-impaired children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/) • [8](https://filmfestival.biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/07th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2014.pdf) The film made her name widely recognized: the Chinese database Maoyan records that her debut role earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 49th Daejong Film Awards, Korea's major film prizes.[4](https://www.maoyan.com/films/celebrity/12139)
Through her school years she was repeatedly cast as the younger version of leading characters. On television these included the child So-yi in *Tree With Deep Roots* (SBS, 2011), young Mok Dan in *Bridal Mask* (KBS2, 2012), young Queen Seungman in *King's Dream* (KBS, 2012–2013), Na In-hae in *Good Doctor* (KBS2, 2013), and both Yi-hwa and the young Cheon Song-yi in *My Love From the Star* (SBS, 2013–2014), a series that ranks among the highest-rated Korean dramas internationally.[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) Her film work in the same period included the horror anthology *Horror Stories* (2012), *Murderer* (2014), *The Treacherous* (2015), and *Familyhood* (2016), the comedy starring Kim Hye-soo in which she played Dan-ji.[9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20129449) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29)
## Leading roles and The Penthouse
Her first leading role came with the JTBC school drama *Solomon's Perjury* (2016–2017), in which she played Ko Seo-yeon, a student at the center of a death investigation.[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/person/kim-hyeon-soo/umc.cpc.44tgyvv6ju5fj7ehkov0vqzsq?l=en) Further film work followed, including the romance *Be With You* (2018), the action film *The Swordsman* (2020, as Tae-ok), and the horror entry *Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming*, in which she played Ha-young; sources date the film 2020 or 2021.[9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20129449) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) • [10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kim_hyun_soo)
**The Penthouse breakthrough.** In October 2020 she joined the SBS series *The Penthouse: War in Life*, a revenge melodrama from writer Kim Soon-ok set among the residents of the luxury Hera Palace high-rise, where she played Bae Ro-na, the outspoken daughter of Oh Yoon-hee (played by [Eugene](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-actress) of S.E.S.).[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more) • [11](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a26895105/best-korean-dramas/) She stayed through all three seasons, which ran until September 10, 2021, and the series' Season 1 peak rating reached 16.7 percent.[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more) • [12](https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1006463717) • [13](https://programs.sbs.co.kr/en/drama/penthouse/main?div=main_top_relate) At the 2020 [SBS Drama Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/sbs-drama-awards) she received the Best Youth Actress award for the role.[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29)
The character's romance with Joo Seok-hoon, played by [Kim Young-dae](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-young-dae), drew an unexpectedly large fan following; Kim said in interviews that she had not anticipated its popularity, that the romance received little screen time because the show was a revenge drama, and that she hoped to play a romantic comedy in the future.[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more) • [12](https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1006463717) When the script for Season 2 declared that Ro-na had died, writer Kim Soon-ok assured her, "Ro Na won't die," and the character returned after a brief on-screen death; Kim said viewers' demands to "bring Ro Na back to life" left her grateful.[5](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more)
## Recent work
After *The Penthouse*, Kim's credits have included a guest appearance as Do Eun-young in *Artificial City* (JTBC, 2021–2022), the KBS2 telecinema *Drama Special: Anyone Anywhere* (2023) as Seo Gang-eun, and the mystery-thriller film *Commission* (2025) as Dan-kyung.[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29) • [9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20129449) IMDb also lists her in the upcoming 2026 mini-series *Scandal Love*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/) In addition to her SBS Drama Award, Korean profile sites credit her with a Best Young Actress prize at the APAN Star Awards for *My Love from the Star*.[14](https://kprofiles.com/kim-hyeonsoo-profile/)
## References
1. [Kim Hyeon-soo, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4694226/)
2. [Kim Hyun-Soo (2000), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kim_Hyun-Soo_%282000%29)
3. [KIM Hye-soo, Korean Film Council (KOFIC) People Database](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10006380)
4. [金贤秀 (Kim Hyeon-soo), Maoyan](https://www.maoyan.com/films/celebrity/12139)
5. ["The Penthouse" Star Kim Hyun Soo Dishes On Her On-Screen Romance With Kim Young Dae, Soompi (Sep 11, 2021)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1488256wpp/the-penthouse-star-kim-hyun-soo-dishes-on-her-on-screen-romance-with-kim-young-dae-which-scene-made-her-cry-in-real-life-more)
6. [Kim Hyeon-soo, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/kr/person/kim-hyeon-soo/umc.cpc.44tgyvv6ju5fj7ehkov0vqzsq?l=en)
7. [KIM Hyeon-soo, KOFIC People Database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20129449)
8. [7th Bengaluru International Film Festival catalogue (2014)](https://filmfestival.biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/07th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2014.pdf)
9. [KIM Hyeon-soo filmography, KOFIC](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20129449)
10. [Kim Hyun-soo, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kim_hyun_soo)
11. [The Penthouse: War in Life, Marie Claire K-drama guide](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a26895105/best-korean-dramas/)
12. [Kim Hyun-soo Shares that She Would Like to Go Romantic with Kim Young Dae Again, SBS Star (Sep 13, 2021)](https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1006463717)
13. [Penthouse, SBS program page](https://programs.sbs.co.kr/en/drama/penthouse/main?div=main_top_relate)
14. [Kim Hyeonsoo Profile, Kpop Profiles](https://kprofiles.com/kim-hyeonsoo-profile/)
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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 Ki to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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