Yoo In-na (; born June 5, 1982) is a South Korean actress. After supporting roles in High Kick! Through the Roof (2009–10) and Secret Garden (2010), she rose to fame as the lead actress in the Queen and I (2012) and My Secret Hotel (2014). She then had starring roles in My Love from the Star (2013–14) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17) the latter of which was one of the highest rated cable television series in South Korea. She has since starred in the television series Touch Your Heart (2019), The Spies Who Loved Me (2020), and True to Love (2023).
Aside from acting, Yoo also ventured into radio. She was the DJ of Let's Crank Up the Volume from 2011 to 2016. In 2024 she announced her return as a Radio DJ, with the formation of her radio show on YouTube titled, Yoo In Radio.
Career At the age of 16, Yoo In-na joined an entertainment agency as an apprentice singer in 1998, and had nearly become part of a girl group. After 11 years and five different agencies, she could not be prominent. Yoo said she had difficulty memorizing the dance choreography required of K-pop singers, and after practicing for eight hours a day, six days a week, she had resigned from becoming an idol.
In 2006, Yoo joined YG Entertainment as an aspiring actress. She said, "If singing wasn't meant to be, I decided to give acting a go because it seemed fun. I never gave up. A lot of my friends did, though, even though they were prettier and more capable than me." She first came to note in 2009 with the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof on MBC. Several supporting roles followed, notably in the 2010 drama Secret Garden, which she received a Best New Actress award at the Baeksang Arts Awards, and as the second female lead in Hong sisters' romantic comedy The Greatest Love. To maintain public visibility, Yoo Inna joined the cast of the variety show Heroes, which aired from July 18, 2010, to May 1, 2011.
She was an MC for from March 3, 2011, to June 4, 2012, for which she won Best Variety Entertainer at the SBS Entertainment Awards. She was also the DJ for KBS Cool FM's Let's Crank Up the Volume, which became the highest-rated radio program in its timeslot across both AM and FM bandwidths under Yoo's tenure.Yoo in-a is considered one of the greatest radio DJ ever produced by KBS. Yoo In-na was a popular host known by many nicknames from listeners, such as 'Yudi' (Yoo In-na + DJ) and 'Kkuldi' (Honey Voice + DJ). She was regarded by young listeners as the 'number one preferred DJ'.
Yoo's vocals were featured in Humming Urban Stereo's 2011 digital single "You, That Day" (넌 그날). She also sang for the soundtrack of her 2011 film My Black Mini Dress alongside her castmates Yoon Eun-hye, Park Han-byul, and Cha Ye-ryun.
In 2012, Yoo starred in her first leading role in the tvN time-slip romance series Queen and I, and in and in 2013, she appeared in the KBS drama You Are the Best! and the SBS drama My Love from the Star, all of which recorded viewership ratings of over 30% and were greatly loved by viewers. In 2016-2017 she appeared in the tvN drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God playing the second female lead. The drama was a commercial success with the final episode recording an 18.68% nationwide audience share, making it the seventh highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, and she was nominated "Best Supporting Actress" at the 10th Korea Drama Awards.
In 2024 Yoo Inna opened her own radio YouTube show titled Yoo-In Radio with the first guest, Ko Young-bae from Korean band Soran.
In July 2025, following YG Entertainment’s announcement that it would discontinue its actor management division, Yoo signed her first exclusive contract in 19 years with a new agency, Chorokbaem Entertainment.
Personal life Yoo Inna is best friends with fellow singer-actress and You Are the Best! co-star IU, whom she has known since they met on the television show Heroes in 2010. IU has written three songs about Yoo or inspired by her: "You", "Drama", and "Dear My Crazy Soulmate".
At a June 7, 2012 fan meeting to mark the end of Queen and I, Ji Hyun-woo made a surprise public declaration that he was in love with his co-star Yoo. The declaration was covered significantly by the press in the following days, during which both the two actors and their agencies remained quiet on the issue, except for a message to his fans that Ji posted on Twitter on June 11. Speculation about their relationship status ended on June 17, when they were photographed on a midnight date at a park in Bundang, Gyeonggi, where Yoo lives. On June 18, Yoo confirmed on her radio show that they were dating. On May 14, 2014, their respective agencies confirmed in a press release that the couple had ended their relationship.
Philanthropy On January 2019 Yoo secretly donated 30 million won to Salvation Army's meal support project for undernourished children.
On February 9, 2023, Yoo donated 30 million won to help in 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake through Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association.
On 22 June 2024, Yoo participated in "Can you say it again?" event organised by social welfare organization Snail of Love. Yoo is a Soul Leader, a designation for high-value donors of the social welfare organization Snail of Love. She has donated a total of 230 million won, which was used to support 25 hearing-impaired children by covering the cost of cochlear implant surgeries and devices.
Advertisements and brand deals Yoo has been a sought-after model, especially in the beauty and fashion industries. In March 2019, Yoo was selected as the most valuable female advertising model. It was also the year Yoo signed most number of advertisement deals of her career. In December 2024, Yoo became the first-ever exclusive model for Meritz Financial Group's subsidiary Meritz Security, which has not had a model in the past 23 years.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Arang Hotel Lady Cameo 2010 The Fair Love Han Seul-yi 2011 My Black Mini Dress Min-hee 2012 Love Fiction Soo-jung / Kyung-sook 2015 Wedding bible 2020 Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP Ming-Ming Voice 2021 New Year Blues Lee Hyo-young
Television series Year Title Role Notes 2009–2010 High Kick Through the Roof Yoo In-na 2010 Secret Garden Min Ah-young 2011 The Greatest Love Kang Se-ri Birdie Buddy Lee Gong-sook 2012 Queen and I Choi Hee-jin 2013 You Are the Best! Lee Yoo-shin Potato Star 2013QR3 Jogging woman Cameo (Episode 4) 2013–2014 My Love from the Star Yoo Se-mi 2014 My Secret Hotel Nam Sang-hyo 2015 Bubble Gum Radio Voice 2016 One More Happy Ending Go Dong-mi 2016–2017 Guardian: The Lonely and Great God Kim Sun / Sunny 2018 Top Star U-back Radio DJ Cameo (Episode 5) 2019 Touch Your Heart Oh Yoon-seo / Oh Jin-shim 2020 The Spies Who Loved Me Kang Ah-reum 2021–2022 Snowdrop Kang Chung-ya 2023 True to Love Yeon Bo-ra / Deborah 2026Boyfriend on DemandDating Manager
Web series Year Title Role Notes 2015 We Broke Up Radio DJ for "Volume Up Stars" Cameo (Episode 8) The Secret Message Amy 2018 YG Future Strategy Office Yoo In-na Cameo (Episode 8)
Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2007 Raising a Pet Man: I'm a Pet Guest Season 1 Cheongmi's friend 2010–2011 Heroes Cast member 2011–2012 MC March 3, 2011 – May 30, 2012 2013 Little Big Hero Narrator Documentary WIN: Who is Next? MC 2014 Get It Beauty MC Mix & Match 2015 Fashion King Korea Season 3 2016 Candy In My Ear Guest 2018 Cafe Amor Cast member 2019 Funding Together with You Hee-yeol & Noh Hong-chul 2020 Love of 7.7 Billion Host with Shin Dong-yup & Kim Hee-chul 2021 Phone Cleansing Cast member with DinDin and Yoon Jong-shin JTBC Factual Narrator Still a Brilliant Day Documentary 3 Days Playlist Changwon K-POP World Festival MC Together Rewind Narrator Special Project (tvN 15th Anniversary) Sinabro Dream Operator Cast member with Lee Yong-jin and Kang Seung-yoon 2021–2022 Better Life, Together Narrator KBS Campaign The Museum Is Alive KBS documentary History Special Time 2022 Between Us Host with Lee Yong-jin and Aiki Chain Reaction with Zico, Lee Jin-ho, and Yujeong Brave Girls Ava Dream with Lee Yong-jin, Yoo Se-yoon, Yang Se-hyung, Lee Jin-ho, and Kim Hyun-chul 2024-ongoing Detectives' Trade Secrets Panelist with Defconn and Kim Poong 2024 Possessed Love with Shin Dong-yup, Yoo Seon-ho and Gabee 2025 Possessed Love 2 with Shin Dong-yup, Yoo Seon-ho and Gabee Let's Meet Now Host 2025-2026Switch My HomePanelistwith Sean (Jinusean), Yoon Doo-joon and Lee Eun-ji2026Hidden AgeMC2026Goblin 10th Anniversary TripCastwith Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook and Kim Go-eun
Web shows Year Title Role Notes 2021 Charging for Cha Live MC About Hyundai and Dingo Music Hull Watch Party Narrator 2025–present "Get it beauty (Mobile Live)" MC
Music video appearances Year Title Artist Length 2010 "Tell Me Goodbye" Big Bang 4:08 "In My Head" Brian Joo 3:19 2011 "You, That Day" Humming Urban Stereo 3:51
Radio shows Year Title Role 2011–2016 Yoo In-Na's Let's Crank Up the Volume Radio DJ 2024–present Yoo In Radio
Hosting Year Title Notes 2022 Opening ceremony 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival with Jang Hyun-sung
Discography Singles Title Year Album "You, That Day" 2011 That Day "My Black Mini Dress" My Black Mini Dress OST "Always For You" 2016 One More Happy Ending OST
Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result APAN Star Awards 2012 Rising Star Award Queen and I Asia Model Awards 2013 BBF Pop Star Award Yoo In-na Baeksang Arts Awards 2011 Best New Actress – Television Secret Garden DramaFever Awards 2017 Best Supporting Actress Guardian: The Lonely and Great God Fashionista Awards Best Fashionista – TV & Film Division KBS Drama Awards 2013 Best Supporting Actress You Are the Best! KBS Entertainment Awards 2014 Best Radio DJ Let's Crank Up the Volume Korea Drama Awards 2011 Best Supporting Actress Secret Garden, The Greatest Love 2017 Guardian: The Lonely and Great God 2019 Excellence Award, Actress Touch Your Heart MBC Drama Awards 2011 Best New Actress in a Miniseries The Greatest Love 2020 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries The Spies Who Loved Me Best Couple Award Yoo In-na The Spies Who Loved Me MBC Entertainment Awards 2019 Excellence Award in Variety (Female) Funding Together Olleh-Lotte Smartphone Film Festival 2011 Special award Yoo In-na Uninvited Guest SBS Entertainment Awards Best Entertainer in a Variety Show Netizen Popularity Award TV Entertainment Tonight Soompi Awards 2018 Best Supporting Actress Guardian: The Lonely and Great God Style Icon Awards 2014 Top 10 Style Icons Yoo In-na tvN10 Awards 2016 Romantic-Comedy Queen Queen and I
References
External links
Yoo In-na at YG Entertainment