# Kim Sun-young (김선영) (actress, born 1976)
**Kim Sun-young** (김선영; born 1976) is a South Korean actress who began on the stage in 1995 and became widely known through television roles in *Reply 1988* (2015–2016) and *Crash Landing on You* (2019), before winning major film awards for *Three Sisters* (2020) and *Concrete Utopia* (2023).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) Most sources give her birth date as 1976, though IMDb lists April 16, 1976, in Ganggu-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun, South Korea.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6728658/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (IMDb lists 1976, in Ganggu-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun)[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6728658/bio/) |
| Stage debut | 1995, in the play "After the Play"[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) |
| Film debut | *She's on Duty* (2005)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) |
| Breakthrough | *Reply 1988* (2015–2016), as the single mother Sunyoung[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp) |
| First lead role | *Communication & Lies* (2017), directed by her husband Lee Seungwon[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp) |
| Major film awards | Baeksang Arts Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress for *Three Sisters*; Daejong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress for *Concrete Utopia*; Asian Film Festival Best Actress for *Dream Palace*[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) • [5](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1007145257) |
| Height | 168 cm[6](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Sun_Young_%281976%29) |
## Early life and stage career
Kim Sun-young first took an interest in theater while in high school. She studied philosophy at Hallym University, where she became president of the college's drama club, and a former professor and theater critic introduced her to the Performing Arts Academy. She made her stage debut in 1995 with the play "After the Play".[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) • [7](https://namu.moe/w/%EA%B9%80%EC%84%A0%EC%98%81%281976%29)
Her move to film came late. The comedy *She's on Duty* (2005), in which she played a math teacher, was her first screen appearance, followed by a supporting part in the family drama *Ice Bar* (2006); she then stayed away from the cameras for several years. *Love Clinique* (2012) marked her comeback, and in 2014 she began working in television series.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) For years she was cast in small parts under the generic label "Ajumma," meaning a middle-aged woman, and few viewers remembered her face.[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp)
## Breakthrough on television
A short but memorable performance in the hit biopic *Ode to My Father* (2014) drew attention, and her portrayal of the mother of one of the protagonists in *Reply 1988* (2015–2016) took her to a new level of fame.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) In that series she played Sunyoung, a single mother raising two children, whose romance with a neighbor in a similar situation moved many viewers.[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp)
Her first lead film role came with *Communication & Lies* (2017), the directing debut of her husband, the playwright and stage director Lee Seungwon, with whom she runs a theater troupe; she played dual roles as an academy director and a supermarket owner. They worked together again on the black comedy *Happy Bus Day* (2016), which earned her a Wildflower Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.[4](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp) • [8](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=99037)
Television success followed in quick succession. She played one of the colorful locals of the fictional port town of Wungsan in *[When the Camellia Blooms](https://www.edgepedia.org/when-the-camellia-blooms)* (2019), and months later she appeared in *Crash Landing on You* (2019–2020) as Na Wol-suk, which earned her first Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actress in the television category.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) She also won Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 KBS Drama Awards for *Homemade Love Story* and at the 2020 MBC Drama Awards for *Kkondae Intern*.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29)
## Film awards and recent work
In *Three Sisters* (2020), starring alongside Moon Sori and Jang Yoon-ju, Kim played the eldest sister, who joined a cult and is diagnosed with cancer. The role brought her a Baeksang Arts Award in the film category, a Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 42nd ceremony, and a best supporting actress honor from the Korean Association of Film Critics.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29)
**Lead recognition.** Her first international lead award came for *Dream Palace* (2022), director Kang Seong-won's feature debut about a woman fighting residents over a discounted apartment sale in a new-city high-rise: Kim won Best Actress at the 20th Asian Film Festival, which closed in Rome on April 5, 2023, the second year in a row a Korean actress took the prize after Ko Doo-shim.[5](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1007145257) • [9](https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=436927&id=&lang=k&menu_cate=) For *Concrete Utopia* (2023), in which she played the aggressive residents' association leader Geum-ae, she won Best Supporting Actress at the 59th Daejong Film Awards in November 2023.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) • [10](https://news.nate.com/view/20240308n18150) In March 2024 she received the Actress of the Year award in the film section at the 22nd Directors Cut Awards, capping a run that also included the Asian Film Festival, Daejong, and the Woman in Film Korea Award for *Dream Palace*.[10](https://news.nate.com/view/20240308n18150)
Her later screen work spans both media: films including *Exhuma* (2024) as Oh Kwang-sim and *Hijack 1971* (2024) as Young-sook, and series including *Queenmaker* (2023), *Crash Course in Romance* (2023), *[A Virtuous Business](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-virtuous-business)* (2024), *[The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-trauma-code-heroes-on-call)* (2025), and *[Our Unwritten Seoul](https://www.edgepedia.org/our-unwritten-seoul)* (2025).[2](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29) • [8](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=99037) She is represented by the agency Kang Entertainment.[6](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Sun_Young_%281976%29)
## References
1. [KIM Sunyoung, People database, Korean Film Council (KOFIC)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20150459)
2. [Kim Sun-Young (1976), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Kim_Sun-Young_%281976%29)
3. [Kim Sun-young Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6728658/bio/)
4. [Kim Sunyoung, KOREAN ACTORS 200, KoBiz](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/200_actors/Kim_Sunyoung.jsp)
5. [김선영, 영화 '드림팰리스'로 아시안 필름 페스티벌 여우주연상 수상, SBS News](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1007145257)
6. [Kim Sun Young (1976), DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Sun_Young_%281976%29)
7. [김선영(1976), Namu Wiki](https://namu.moe/w/%EA%B9%80%EC%84%A0%EC%98%81%281976%29)
8. [김선영 (KIM Sun-young), Cine21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=99037)
9. ['드림팰리스' 김선영, 아시안 필름 페스티벌 여우주연상 수상, KBS World](https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=436927&id=&lang=k&menu_cate=)
10. [김선영, 디렉터스컷 어워즈 올해의 여자배우상 수상, Nate News](https://news.nate.com/view/20240308n18150)
---
*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 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 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