Lee Min-jung

Lee Min-jung
Lee Min-jung at the Days of Wrath premiere, on October 24, 2013
Born	(1982-02-16) February 16, 1982 Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Education	Sungkyunkwan University - Theater
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Agent	MS Team Entertainment (2008–present)
Spouse(s)	Lee Byung-hun (m. 2013)
Children	1
Korean name
Hangul	이민정
Hanja	李珉廷
Revised Romanization	I Min-jeong
McCune–Reischauer	I Minjŏng

Lee Min-jung (Hangul: 이민정; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television, such as Boys Over Flowers. Lee rose to fame in 2009 for her leading role in the popular family drama Smile, You. She also starred in Big (2012), Cunning Single Lady (2014) and Please Come Back, Mister (2016).

Career

Lee Min-jung was a late starter in the world of Korean entertainment. Whereas most starlets launch their careers as teenagers, she debuted at 25 after graduating from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in Theater.^[1][2]

Lee began her career in playwright/filmmaker Jang Jin's stage plays, then appeared in the Christian-themed indie Pruning the Grapevine,^[3] while doing minor roles on film and television. She became a household name in 2009 through her supporting role in the popular high school series Boys Over Flowers, which then landed her first leading role in the weekend drama Smile, You.^[4][5] Lee's breakout role was in romantic comedy Cyrano Agency in 2010, where she swept Best New Actress awards at various local award-giving bodies. ^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Commercials and endorsements flooded in, and Lee gained a "goddess" label in the press.^[11] One of the challenges of her next film Wonderful Radio, was to strip her of that image.^[2] She successfully carried the film, with one review praising her as "expertly swinging from girly ditz, through self-centered pop diva (with memorable temper tantrums), to serious singer-songwriter."^[1][12] Co-star Lee Jung-jin said her actual personality is similar to the character's - "really upbeat and outgoing."^[2]

After playing a disillusioned fiancee to an ambitious fund manager in Midas,^[13] Lee returned to the romantic comedy genre in the body-swapping TV series Big written by the Hong Sisters.^[14] In 2013 she starred in another rom-com series All About My Romance, about a secret relationship between two politicians of rival parties.^[15] This was followed by Cunning Single Lady in 2014, in which she played the titular character who schemes to win her ex-husband back now that he's rich and successful.^[16]

On December 23, 2015, it was announced that Lee would be back acting for the first time since 2013, being cast in the SBS drama Please Come Back, Mister with Rain. The series began airing in February 2016.

Personal life

Her maternal grandfather was renowned painter Park No-soo, an important figure in Korean art history, who led the first generation of modernized traditional Korean ink painters who emerged after the country's liberation from the Japanese rule. Park died on February 25, 2013, at the age of 86.^[17]

Lee married actor Lee Byung-hun on August 10, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul.^{[18][19][20][21]} The couple had briefly dated in 2006, then resumed their relationship in 2012.^{[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]} Lee gave birth to their first child, Lee Joon-hoo, a boy on 31 March 2015.^[32][33][34]

Filmography

Television series

Film

Music video appearance

Theater

Discography

Endorsements

Lee Min-jung at the LG Tromm Love Hands Talk Concert, on July 19, 2012

• Pizza Hut
• LG Communications
• Bacchus
• Omphalos (2008)
• Tommy Hilfiger Denim (2009)
• Make Up For Ever (2009)
• SK Telecom (2009)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia (2009)
• Happy Point Card (2009)
• SCINIC Cosmetics (2009)
• Daewoo Matiz Creative (2010)
• Raemian (2010)
• Bestibelli (2010)
• Mind Bridge (2010)
• 1-Day Acuvue Define (2010)
• Chamisul Soju (2010)
• Shinhan Life Insurance
• Kolon Sport (2010)
• Dove Damage Therapy Shampoo (2010)
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese (2010)
• Skin Food - Mood Look,^[36] Watery Berry (2010–present)
• Stonehenge Jewelry
• Hankook Tire
• LG Tromm
• Outback Steakhouse
• Care Gargle Solution
• Vincis Bench

Awards and nominations

Lee Min-jung at the 2010 Director's Cut Awards

References

External links

• Lee Min-jung on Instagram
• Lee Min-jung on Cyworld
• Lee Min-jung at MSteam Entertainment
• Lee Min-jung Fan Cafe at Daum
• Lee Min-jung at HanCinema
  
• Lee Min-jung at the Korean Movie Database
• Lee Min-jung at the Internet Movie Database