Seo Ju-hyun, better known as Seohyun, is a multi-talented South Korean actress, singer, presenter, and songwriter. She rose to fame as a member of the popular girl group Girls’ Generation and is also the leader of its sub-group TTS. Inspired by artists like BoA, Fin.K.L, and S.E.S, Seohyun pursued a career in music to express and connect with emotions through songs. Her debut with Girls’ Generation in 2009, particularly their hit single ‘Gee’, catapulted her to stardom. In addition to her successful singing career, Seohyun has showcased her acting skills in movies such as ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘My Brilliant Life’, as well as television dramas like ‘Warm and Cozy’ and ‘Ruby Ruby Love’. She has also impressed audiences with her theatrical performances in ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’. Seohyun’s versatility and talent have made her a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
Quick Facts
- South Korean Celebrities Born In June
- Age: 32 Years
- Family: Father – Kim Young-al
- Actresses
- South Korean Women
- Height: 5’6″ (168 cm)
Childhood & Early Life
Seohyn was born on 28th June, 1991 in Seoul, South Korea and is the only child in the family. Her mother Kim Young-al was the chairman at a piano school and thus, Seohyun was taught how to play the piano at a tender age. She learnt to play the violin and traditional Korean drums and also learnt horse riding and skating in her childhood. She is an accomplished guitarist and pianist as well.
Although her parents did not encourage her to become a celebrity, she gives credit to her parents’ upbringing which she says helped her in choosing her career path.
Seohyun attended Seoul Middle School and Daeyoung High School and then got transferred to Jeonju Arts High School from where she graduated on 9th February, 2010. She went on to major from Dongguk University in 2014 with fellow member Yoona of the band Girls’ Generation. She majored in acting and also received an achievement award at the graduation ceremony.
Early Career
She was accepted as a trainee in one of South Korea’s largest entertainment company S.M. Entertainment and she recalls her training days to be happy and heart-warming.
From 2010-2011 she appeared in Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s television variety show ‘We Got Married’. The show is about celebrities pretending to be married.
As Musician & Actress
It was on April 2012 that a subgroup of Girls’ Generation was formed and was named TaeTiSeo with Seohyun and fellow members Tiffany and Taeyeon. They went on to release three EP’s titled Twinkle (2012), Holler (2014) and Dear Santa (2015). Their first EP was a grand success and became the eighth highest-selling album of the year in South Korea.
Besides lending her voice to the band, she even started to focus on song writing and she co-wrote songs like ‘Baby Maybe’ and ‘XYZ’ for the Girls’ Generation album ‘I Got a Boy’ in 2013.
She was also given credit as the solo lyricist for ‘Only U’ for the albums ‘Holler’ and ‘Dear Santa’.
Seohyun debuted as an actress in 2013 in a small role in SBS’s television drama ‘Passionate Love’ in which she played the role of Han Yoo-rim, a student and the first love of the lead male character, who passes away in a car accident. For the portrayal of her role, she was appreciated by critics and audiences.
She acted in the biographical film of SM Town titled ‘I AM – SM Town Live World Tour in Madison Square Garden’ (2012) and ‘SM Town the Stage’ (2014). Seohyun also did a cameo role as herself in the film ‘Brilliant Life’ (2014).
Then in January 2014, she made her theatrical debut in the musical ‘Moon Embracing the Sun’ in which she played the lead role of Yeon-woo who is a daughter of a noble family and maintains a love relationship with both the king and his brother. This musical won nine nominations at the 2013 Musical Awards.
She was praised for her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara in the Korean version of ‘Autantenemporte le vent’, a French musical based on the film ‘Gone with the Wind’.
Seohyun acted in supporting and cameo roles for television programs from 2015 to 2016. The shows she acted in include ‘The Producers’ as herself, ‘Warm and Cozy’ as Hwang Yoo-ra and ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ as Woo-hee.
She was roped into the Korean version of the musical ‘Mamma Mia’ from February to June 2016 in which she played Sophie Sheridan, a twenty year old bride-to-be who desires to find out who her biological father is, on her wedding day. Seohyun was praised for her acting skills and critics stated that it was her performance that made the musical drama more entertaining.
In 2017, she played the lead role Lee Ruby in the television program ‘Ruby Ruby Love’. The story is about a genius girl who suffers from Sociophobia and stumbles upon a magical ring that helps her to become a successful jewellery designer.
She even released a solo album with her debut EP ‘Don’t Say No’ on January 2017 and the EP made it to the top positions of the South Korean Gaon Album Chart.
Recently, she started hosting a television reality show titled ‘What’s It Like Living Alone’ broadcast by OnStyle and also started to appear in the lead role of Kang So-joo in a television drama titled ‘Bad Thief, Good Thief’.
Awards & Achievements
In 2010, Seohyun was appointed by the Seoul Metropolitan Office as Korea’s Goodwill Ambassador for student fitness. In 2012, she was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nation 2012 Yeosu Expo.
On 11th October 2011, she was established as a UNICEF envoy at Changseong- Dong, Seoul for her contribution towards the ‘Help Children in Africa’ project.
She won a Special Acting Award (fantasy) at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards for her performance in the SBS’s historical drama ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.’
Further, the single from her extended play ‘Don’t Say No’ won her the first prize at M Countdown on 27th January, 2017.
Personal Life
Seohyun has kept her private life under wraps. There is no information of her having a romantic relationship, either in the present or in the past.