Kang Hye-jung (; born January 4, 1982) is a South Korean actress. Making her film debut in arthouse film Nabi (2001), she rose to stardom and critical acclaim in Park Chan-wook's 2003 revenge thriller Oldboy. A rising star early in her career, she gained acting awards for Han Jae-rim's relationship drama Rules of Dating (2005), and Park Kwang-hyun's Korean War comedy Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005).
Following roles as a developmentally disabled daughter in Herb (2007), a suicidal woman in Kill Me (2009), as well as her marriage to Tablo in 2009, Kang began starring in more conventional melodramas in TV and film such as Girlfriends (2009), Miss Ripley (2011), The Wedding Scheme (2012), Lucid Dream (2017) and Jugglers (2017–2018). Her major theatre stints include Korean stage adaptations of Proof (2010) and Educating Rita (2014–2015).
Career
1998–2009: Early rise, critical success Kang Hye-jung began working as a model in her first year of high school.
Throughout the late 1990s she appeared in small roles in TV dramas and sitcoms such as Jump and Nonstop 3. Her first film role was in Moon Seung-wook's arthouse/sci-fi film Nabi, for which she won a Best Actress award at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. Following this she appeared in a short film by Song Il-gon titled Flush as well as an internet film Naebang-nebang."Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Gang Hye-jung" . Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
Kang's first major hit film was opposite Choi Min-sik in the modern-day classic Oldboy by Park Chan-wook. Her portrayal of the character Mi-do won her considerable attention both domestically and abroad, and she also picked up acting honors from the Grand Bell Awards and Pusan Film Critics Association. The following year she also appeared in Cut, Park's 30-minute contribution to the omnibus horror film Three... Extremes.
It was in 2005, however, that Kang established herself as a star outside of her appearance in Oldboy. The sharp-edged relationship drama Rules of Dating, in which she starred opposite Park Hae-il, proved to be an unexpected hit, and then two months later she took a small but central role in box office megahit Welcome to Dongmakgol."A Rising Star in Her Own Right" . The Chosun Ilbo. July 31, 2005. In a 2005 survey of influential movie producers, she was ranked among the top ten most bankable stars.
In 2006, she starred in Love Phobia opposite then-boyfriend Cho Seung-woo, as well as the Thai film Invisible Waves by rising directorial star Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
After playing the developmentally disabled daughter to veteran actress Bae Jong-ok in the 2007 melodrama Herb, in 2009 Kang starred in two unconventional romantic comedies with roles she imbued with her trademark quirkiness. She said she chose Why Did You Come to My House? hoping to "expand the realms" of her lovelorn stalker character; the director said she had written the script with Kang in mind from the beginning. In Kill Me, she played a woman who, after several suicide attempts, hires a professional assassin (Shin Hyun-joon) to kill her, but he falls in love with her instead.
2009–present: Turn to conventional roles
Known for taking risky roles, Kang gradually started going off the predictable path that the public expected her to take. In the 2009 film Girlfriends, she played an ordinary twenty-something girl who goes through growing pains and lovelife troubles when she discovers that her boyfriend is also involved with two other women."Press Conference - Movie Girlfriends" . 10Asia. December 18, 2009."Interview: Kang Hye-jung - Part 1" . Asiae. December 17, 2009."Interview: Kang Hye-jung - Part 2" . 10Asia. December 17, 2009. Kang said that this career shift reflects the limited number of interesting scripts that she receives, as well as her calmer, softer state of mind after settling down."Kang Hye-jeong's Movie Picks" . 10Asia. February 18, 2010.
In 2010, Kang appeared in her first stage play Proof, portraying the role of Catherine, who worries whether she has inherited all of her mathematician father's genius and lunacy.
After making the little-seen 2007 KBS drama Flowers for My Life with Cha Tae-hyun, Kang returned to television in 2011 in MBC's Miss Ripley, a tale of one woman (Lee Da-hae) who spins a web of love, ambition and lies."Kang Hye-jung denies being pregnant" . 10Asia. April 20, 2011."Love, ambitions & lies in Miss Ripley" . The Korea Times. May 24, 2011."Miss Ripley taking cue from Shin Jeong-ah?" . The Korea Herald. May 17, 2011. Originally touted as a drama with four lead roles, Kang later expressed dismay and disappointment with her drastically reduced screen time.
Kang made her English-language debut in the culture-clash romantic comedy Wedding Palace. Director Christine Yoo reportedly cast Kang after her distinctly Korean beauty in Oldboy and Welcome to Dongmakgol grabbed Yoo's attention."Kang Hye-jung Cast in American Film Wedding Palace" . KBS Global. August 5, 2008. Shot over a one-year period between October 2008 through November 2009,"US-Korean co-production The Wedding Palace to shoot in Oct" . Screen International. July 29, 2008. the US-Korea co-production premiered at the 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival"Wedding Palace" . Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved 2012-11-04. and received the Independent Feature Filmmakers Award at the 2011 Cine Gear Expo."Film Series Winners". Cine Gear Expo 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
Kang was next seen in rom-com cable TV series The Wedding Scheme, about a kimchi factory president so determined to marry off her four daughters that she embarks on a grand marriage project by getting her girls to cohabitate with prospective groom candidates. Of her role as the second eldest daughter, a strong and smart career woman, she said, "I've played a lot of nice or innocent characters before, so I think of this as a chance to take on a new challenge.""Kang Hye-jung, Lee Gyu-han's The Wedding Scheme to air on April 2" . 10Asia. March 14, 2012.
Kang left her previous management agency YG Entertainment (which is also her husband's label) in 2013, and signed with C-JeS Entertainment. She then played a small role in E J-yong's mockumentary Behind the Camera, and wrote the lyrics to "Good Thing," one of the songs on Bobby Kim's album Mirror.
Kang starred in her second stage play Educating Rita in late 2014, about the relationship between a hairdresser and a middle-aged university lecturer. She also played a supporting role in the film How to Steal a Dog.
In 2016, Kang was cast in the film My Wife.
In 2017, Kang played a psychiatrist in the sci-fi thriller Lucid Dream. She made her return to television in December 2017 with office comedy series Jugglers.
Personal life Kang majored in Performing Arts at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Marriage and family On October 26, 2009, Kang married Tablo of hip hop group Epik High while she was three months pregnant."Kang Hye-jung Talks About Impending Marriage" . The Chosun Ilbo. September 19, 2009."Kang Hye-jung says Tablo always supportive" . 10Asia. October 20, 2009. The couple's daughter, Haru, was born on May 2, 2010."Actress Kang Gives Birth to Girl" . The Korea Times. May 2, 2010."Kang Hye-jung gives birth to baby girl" . 10Asia. May 3, 2010. Their family was featured in the variety The Return of Superman.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2000 Flush short film 2001 Nabi Yuki 2003 Oldboy Mi-do 2004 Three... Extremes Director's wife segment: "Cut" 2005 Hoodwinked! Red Puckett (voice) animated film, Korean dubbed Antarctic Journal Lee Yoo-jin Rules of Dating Choi Hong Sympathy for Lady Vengeance TV announcer (cameo) Welcome to Dongmakgol Yeo-il 2006 Invisible Waves Noi Thai film Love Phobia Ari 2007 Herb Cha Sang-eun 2009 Why Did You Come to My House? Lee Soo-kang Kill Me Seo Jin-young Triangle Oh Sung-hye telecinema Girlfriends Song-yi 2011 Wedding Palace Na-young American film 2013 Behind the Camera 2014 How to Steal a Dog Jeong-hyeon 2017 Lucid Dream So-hyun My Wife The Man Only I Can See Special appearance
Television series Year Title Role 1998 Eun-shil Jang Young-chae 1999 Jump 2003 Nonstop 3 Hye-jung (guest) Naebang nebang 2007 Flowers for My Life Na Ha-na 2008 On Air Herself (cameo, episodes 5 & 12) 2011 Miss Ripley Moon Hee-joo 2012 The Wedding Scheme Yoo Gun-hee 2013–2015 The Return of Superman Herself (episodes 1 – 58) 2014 Drama Festival:"Lump in My Life" Geum-ji 2017–2018 Jugglers Wang Jeong-ae
Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 1997 "Time" Taesaja 2002 "Please" Wax 2003 "Lonely Street Lights" Han Young-ae "Desperado" Position 2004 [Part 1] "Timeless" SG Wannabe [Part 2] "I Loved You to Death" 2008 "As I Look Into the Mirror" Gummy feat. Red Roc 2015 "Sold Out" Yankie feat. Tablo, Zion.T, Loco
Theater Year Title Role 2010 Proof Catherine 2014–2015 Educating Rita Susan
Discography Year Title Notes 2007 "Moments When We're Together" duet with Bae Jong-ok; track from the Herb OST
Awards and nominations + Year presented, name of the award ceremony, award category, nominated work and the result of the nomination Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2001 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival Best Actress Nabi 2003 Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Oldboy 2004 Grand Bell Awards Best New Actress Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best New Actress Busan Film Critics Awards Best Actress Korean Film Awards Best Actress 2005 Premiere Rising Star Awards Recipient Busan Film Critics Awards Best Actress Rules of Dating Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Actress Best Supporting Actress Welcome to Dongmakgol Korean Film Awards Best Actress Rules of Dating Best Supporting Actress Welcome to Dongmakgol 2006 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actress Rules of Dating Grand Bell Awards Best Supporting Actress Welcome to Dongmakgol 2007 Korean Film Awards Best Actress Herb KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actress Flowers for My Life
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