# Lee So-yeon (actress)
**Lee So-yeon** (이소연) is a South Korean actress born in 1982 who works in both film and television, best known for the villainous Jang Hee-bin in the historical drama *Dong Yi* (2010) and for lead roles in daily melodramas such as *Ruby Ring* and *Miss Monte-Cristo*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, South Korea; height 169 cm[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon) |
| Debut | 2002 film *Unborn But Forgotten* (Hayanbang)[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19371) |
| Breakthrough | So-ok in *Untold Scandal* (2003), the Korean adaptation of *Les Liaisons dangereuses*[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19371) |
| Signature TV role | Jang Hee-bin in *Dong Yi* (MBC, 2010)[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon) |
| Major award | Excellent Actress (daily drama) for *Ruby Ring*, 2013 KBS Drama Awards[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon) |
| Recent lead | Lee Hye-won in *The Two Sisters* (KBS2, 2024), 104 episodes[3](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-two-sisters/pFEq26arPTqXev0Z1tOeS1/) |
## Early career in film
Lee debuted in the 2002 film *Unborn But Forgotten* (하얀방), and her face first became widely known through the 2003 period film *Untold Scandal*, in which she played So-ok, a woman who falls into the scheme of the character played by Bae Yong-jun; the Korean Film Database profile describes this role as the one that made her impressionable to audiences[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19371). She followed it with *Feathers in the Wind* (2004) and *1.3.6* (2004), then *Highway Star* (2007) as Cha Seo-yeon and *Bravo My Life* (2007) as Kim Yoo-ri[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon). For *Bravo My Life* she received Best Foreign Actress at the 2007 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival in China[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_So_Yun).
## Television career
Lee moved between film and television from the mid-2000s, with early drama roles in *Spring Days* and *Super Rookie* (both 2005) and *Spring Waltz* (2006) as Song Lee-na[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon). Her profile rose sharply with *Dong Yi* (MBC, 2010), in which she played Jang Hee-bin; a Korean entertainment report describes her performance there as a layered character portrayal that made the drama the work that introduced her to a wide audience[5](https://www.nbntv.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=3011773).
**Daily-drama villain and revenge roles.** Her villain acting reached a peak, in the same report's account, with the KBS2 daily drama *Ruby Ring* (2013–2014), in which she played Jung Roo-bi; she won the Excellent Actress award for a daily drama at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards for the role[5](https://www.nbntv.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=3011773) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon). In *Miss Monte-Cristo* (KBS2, 2021) she played Go Eun-jo, who carries out a revenge plot, in a dual role credited as Go Eun-jo/Hwang Ga-heun[5](https://www.nbntv.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=3011773) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon). Between these she appeared in *Blessing of the Sea* (MBC, 2019), *A Korean Odyssey* (tvN, 2017–2018, episodes 9–10), *Man Who Dies to Live* (MBC, 2017), *Beautiful You* (MBC, 2015–2016), and *12 Years Promise* (JTBC, 2014)[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon).
**Recent work.** In *Twinkling Watermelon* (tvN, 2023) she played the adult Choi Se-kyung[1](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon). She then led the KBS2 daily drama *The Two Sisters* (피도 눈물도 없이) as the elder sister Lee Hye-won, separated from her younger sister (played by Ha Yeon-joo) by their parents' divorce and reunited with her two decades later; the series ran 104 episodes from January 22 to June 14, 2024[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1635432wpp/ha-yeon) • [3](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-two-sisters/pFEq26arPTqXev0Z1tOeS1/).
## Background and other activities
Korean profile sites list her education as Yangcheon Girls' High School, a withdrawn enrollment at the Korea National University of Arts, and the theater and film department of [Hanyang University](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanyang-university)[7](https://face-k.com/profile/6396/).
Agency listings differ across sources and dates: a Korean profile site lists Management Ollum[7](https://face-k.com/profile/6396/), DramaWiki lists New Ikkle Entertainment[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_So_Yun), and a 2024 Korean entertainment report names Ikle Entertainment[5](https://www.nbntv.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=3011773), consistent with an agency change over the course of her career.
## Name confusion
The romanization "Lee So-yeon" (or Lee Seo-yeon) is shared by several unrelated Korean performers. A younger actress born 2003, known for *Still 17*, *Hello, Me!*, and *Doctor Cha Jeong Suk*, appears under the name Lee Seo-yeon on IMDb[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10369680/), and the Korean Film Database separately lists a LEE Seo-yeon credited in *The World of Us* (2016) and *The House of Us* (2019)[9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20213908). Neither is the actress born in 1982 covered here.
## References
1. [Lee So-Yeon profile and filmography, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Lee_So-Yeon)
2. [이소연 (Lee Soyeon) profile, Cine21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19371)
3. [The Two Sisters, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-two-sisters/pFEq26arPTqXev0Z1tOeS1/)
4. [Lee So Yun, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_So_Yun)
5. ['피도 눈물도 없이' 복수의 화신 이소연, 내외경제TV](https://www.nbntv.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=3011773)
6. [Ha Yeon Joo And Lee So Yeon Are Tied With A Red Thread In "The Two Sisters" Poster, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1635432wpp/ha-yeon)
7. [이소연 (Soyeon Lee) 프로필, Face-K](https://face-k.com/profile/6396/)
8. [Lee Seo-yeon (born 2003), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10369680/)
9. [LEE Seo-yeon, Korean Film Database (KOFIC)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20213908)
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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; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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