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Yunjin Kim was born on November 7, 1973 in Seoul, South Korea. Kim was only ten years old when she and her family moved to the United States. While she was in 7th grade, she was a member of her middle school’s drama club, and as a result, got the opportunity to perform in a production of My Fair Lady. In pursuit of an acting career, Kim relocated to New York City, where she graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. For her tertiary education, she enrolled at the London Academy of Performing Arts, where she majored in drama, and ultimately obtained her acting degree from Boston University.
It was only until after finishing her academics that Kim was able to truly focus her time and energy on building her acting career. She landed small roles in various MTV shows and ABC drama series, and also tried her hand in several Broadway productions. She went back to Korea in 1996, under the encouragement of Korean television producers. Her trip back to her native land proved successful, as she was immediately cast in the Korean television series, Beautiful Vacation. Since then, Kim has done many more productions not just in Korea, but for other Asian countries as well. Among her projects in Asia include Wedding Dress, Shiri, Gingko Bed 2, Mr. Iron Palm, Rush, With Love, Yesterday, and Diary of June. Her work in the Korean film, Ardor (aka Milae), earned her Blue Dragon Award for Best Actress in 2002.
William Morris, an American agency, offered a three-year contract to Kim in 2003. Less than a year later, Jin became one of the cast members of the hit television series, Lost. Her role gave her the opportunity to share a 2006 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with the rest of the Lost cast.
In 2006, Kim made it to Maxim’s Hot 100 List, was placed on the cover of and given a spread in Stuff Magazine. A year later, she again was featured in Maxim magazine, where she was dubbed as “The Korean Julia Roberts.” She is a spokesmodel for a Japanese cosmetic line called Kanebo, and is a trained dancer and martial arts fighter.
Yunjin Kim's Hot List Profile