# Lee Da-hae (이다해)
**Lee Da-hae** (이다해) is a South Korean actress and model known for leading roles in Korean television dramas such as *[My Girl](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-girl-2005-tv-series)*, *The Slave Hunters*, and *[Hotel King](https://www.edgepedia.org/hotel-king)*, and for work in the Chinese entertainment market. Her birth name is Byun Da-hye (변다혜), and she was born in Seoul in 1984[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae). She holds Australian as well as South Korean nationality, having grown up in Sydney[2](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4%ED%95%B4).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, Seoul, South Korea; birth name Byun Da-hye (변다혜)[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae) |
| Stage name | Debuted as "Lee Da-hye", later changed to "Lee Da-hae"; English name Cherry Byeon[2](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4%ED%95%B4) |
| Breakthrough | MBC daily drama *Heaven's Fate* (왕꽃 선녀님, 2004), in the role of Moon Cho-won[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935) |
| Signature role | Joo Yoo-rin in *My Girl* (SBS, 2005), which made her popular across Asia[4](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=93034) |
| Education | Burwood Girls High School, Sydney; theater and film at Dongguk University[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae) |
| Languages | Has studied Chinese since 2005; as of 2010 had studied it for five years[5](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2010021007403743063) |
| Marriage | Married the singer Se7en in May 2023 after about eight years of dating[6](https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/07/14/2026071407543790661) |
## Early life and education
Lee Da-hae was born in Seoul in 1984 and moved with her parents to Sydney, Australia while she was in the fifth grade of elementary school[2](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4%ED%95%B4). She attended Burwood Girls High School in Sydney and later completed a theater and film degree at [Dongguk University](https://www.edgepedia.org/dongguk-university) in South Korea[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae). The Korean film database Cine21 additionally records that she entered the film major of [Konkuk University](https://www.edgepedia.org/konkuk-university)'s College of Arts in 2009[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935).
In 2001 she placed as jin (runner-up) in the 71st national Miss Chunhyang pageant, a traditional beauty and talent competition that has served as a springboard into entertainment careers[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935). She entered the industry that year, initially using the stage name "Lee Da-hye" before changing it to "Lee Da-hae" shortly afterward[2](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4%ED%95%B4).
## Television career
**Breakthrough, 2004–2006.** Her rise to stardom came with the MBC daily drama *Heaven's Fate* (왕꽃 선녀님) in 2004, in which she played Moon Cho-won[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935). In 2005 she appeared in two SBS dramas, *Green Rose* as Oh Soo-ah and *My Girl* as Joo Yoo-rin[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae). The *My Girl* role, a quick-witted con artist, made her familiar to audiences in Korea and popular across Asia through the [Korean Wave](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-wave)[4](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=93034) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2151545/). In a 2010 interview she said she had auditioned for *My Girl* herself because the character resembled her own outgoing personality[5](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2010021007403743063).
**Genre range, 2007–2014.** She followed with the title role in *Hello, My Lady!* (KBS, 2007), Min Hye-rin in the large-scale MBC drama *East of Eden* (2008), and Jin Dal-lae in *Robber* (SBS, 2008)[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae). In *The Slave Hunters* (추노, KBS2), a period action drama, she played Kim Hye-won, also called Un-nyun[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935). Sources differ on the broadcast year: Cine21 and DramaWiki list 2009[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935) • [8](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Da_Hae), while AsianWiki lists 2010[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae). Filming took place in deep mountain locations, and she described the cold as the hardest part of the production[5](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2010021007403743063).
In *Miss Ripley* (MBC, 2011) she played Jang Mi-ri and received the Best Actress Award at the 2011 Korean Cultural Entertainment Awards[8](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Da_Hae) • [4](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=93034). For *IRIS 2* (KBS2, 2013), her first action drama, she trained at an action school before filming began and said she felt the burden of comparison with [Kim Tae-hee](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-tae-hee) and [Soo Ae](https://www.edgepedia.org/soo-ae), the leads of the earlier series entries[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/443951wpp/lee-da-hae-feels-burdened-about-being-compared-with-kim-tae-hee-and-soo-ae). She then played Ah Mo-ne in *Hotel King* (MBC, 2014)[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae).
**Later work.** Her subsequent dramas include *The Good Witch* (SBS, 2018), in which she played the dual roles of Cha Sun-hee and Cha Do-hee[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae) • [3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935), and *Beautiful* (뷰티풀, 2022)[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935). Her single feature film credit listed by AsianWiki is *Song of Dreams* (현재의 노래, 2011), in the role of A-ra[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae).
## Work in China and language study
Lee Da-hae began working in the Chinese market in 2012, appearing in *Love Actually* (HunanTV)[8](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Da_Hae) • [4](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=93034). Her fluency in Korean, Japanese, English, and Chinese has been cited as a reason for her popularity with Chinese audiences[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2151545/). In a 2010 interview she said she had first encountered Chinese while living in Australia, resumed study after finishing *Green Rose* in 2005, and by 2010, in her fifth year of study, could recognize about 60 percent of the [Chinese characters](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-characters) in her textbooks; she kept a diary in Chinese twice a week even during *The Slave Hunters* filming[5](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2010021007403743063).
## Personal life
Lee Da-hae dated the singer Se7en for about eight years before they married in May 2023[6](https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/07/14/2026071407543790661). She is 170 cm tall[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae), a height noted as tall for Korean women[10](https://www.soompi.com/article/383864wpp/56-lee-da-hae-looks-tiny-compared-to-joseph-cheng).
## References
1. [Lee Da-Hae profile, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_Da-Hae)
2. [이다해, 읽기전용위키](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%A4%ED%95%B4)
3. [이다해, Cine21 person database](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=24935)
4. [李多海, 搜狗百科](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=93034)
5. [이다해 인터뷰, 아시아경제 (2010)](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2010021007403743063)
6. [이다해·세븐 결혼 보도, 스타뉴스](https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2026/07/14/2026071407543790661)
7. [Lee Da-hae, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2151545/)
8. [Lee Da Hae, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Da_Hae)
9. [Lee Da Hae Feels Burdened About Being Compared with Kim Tae Hee and Soo Ae, Soompi (2012)](https://www.soompi.com/article/443951wpp/lee-da-hae-feels-burdened-about-being-compared-with-kim-tae-hee-and-soo-ae)
10. [5'7" Lee Da Hae Looks Tiny Compared to Joseph Cheng, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/383864wpp/56-lee-da-hae-looks-tiny-compared-to-joseph-cheng)
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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 L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license