Nam Ji-hyun

Nam Ji-hyun (; born September 17, 1995) is a South Korean actress. Nam began her career in 2004 as a child actress in the television series. She is best known for her roles in Queen Seondeok (2009), Suspicious Partner (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), 365: Repeat the Year (2020), Good Partner (2024), and To My Beloved Thief (2025).

Early life and education Nam Ji-hyun was born on September 17, 1995 at Incheon, South Korea. When she was six, She and her family relocated to Bupyeong District. She attended Baekun Elementary School and Sangjeong Middle School before continuing her education at Incheon Choeun High School.

In 2014, she gained admission to Sogang University as a Psychology major in 2014, through regular admissions. despite her busy schedule as an active actress in between her studies.

Career 2004–2012: Beginnings as a child actress In February 2004, Nam began her acting career through MBC television series titled (2004). Before her official debut, she worked as a child model for a magazine and appeared on the MBC entertainment show Radio Report.

Nam secured a lead role the following year in the 2006 film My Captain, Mr. Underground, directed by Song Chang-soo. She played the bubbly second-grader Ji-min, whose family unit consists of her grandfather (played by ) and her dog, Yeoboya.

Nam appeared in the 2007 film Mapado 2: Back to the Island. This performance earned her the Best Young Actress award at the 2009 MBC Drama Awards. Later that year, Nam starred in Will It Snow for Christmas?, portraying the teenage Han Ji-wan, the love interest of Cha Kang-jin (played by Kim Soo-hyun). The adult versions of Han Ji-wan and Cha Kang-jin were later portrayed by Han Ye-seul and Go Soo, respectively.

In 2010, Nam portrayed the young Jeong-yeon (Park Jin-hee's character) in the SBS drama Giant. That same year, she was cast in the film Mr. Go and spent a year rehearsing and honing her Chinese and circus skills. However, due to Chinese investment in the production, she was replaced by a local actress at the request of Chinese authorities, leading to the cancellation of her role. She delivered a compelling performance as a young genius grappling with the aftermath of domestic violence. Director Lee Jung-hyang praised her interpretation and insight, noting her impressive emotional expression on set. He marveled at her combination of diligence and giftedness.

2013–2014: Transition period

Nam transitioned from a child actress to more mature roles, notably appearing in Jang Joon-hwan film Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), as Yu-kyung, the love interest of the protagonist Hwayi (played by Yeo Jin-goo). The film marked a turning point for both Yeo and Nam as they rebranded from child actors to full-fledged actors. For this role, Nam was nominated for Best New Actress at the 2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards.

That same year she appeared in the KBS2 family weekend drama What Happens to My Family? (2014) as Kang Seo-wool, a country girl with a strong Chungcheong dialect who moves to Seoul hoping to marry Cha Dal-bong (Park Hyung-sik). Her on-screen chemistry with Park Hyung-sik won them the Best Couple Award at the 2014 KBS Drama Awards,

That same year, Nam also appeared in the film Tunnel, where she portrayed Mi-na, trapped in a tunnel with the protagonist played by Ha Jung-woo. Director Kim Sung-hoon praised Nam's thorough preparation and ability to adapt to improvisation on set. He noted her composure and diligence. Nam's professionalism and talent left a lasting impression on the director, who acknowledged that there was much to learn from her, despite her young age. She won the Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries at 2017 SBS Drama Awards. Airing on tvN from September 10 to October 30, 2018, the drama peaked at 14.412% viewership, making it one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history. On Good Data's TV Drama Buzz-worthiness, the series ranked second for four weeks post-premiere, then first for three weeks from the second week of October. Nam also entered the Top 10 TV Drama TV Performer Buzz-worthiness, peaking at second in mid-October.

In 2020, Nam starred in the fantasy mystery thriller 365: Repeat the Year, portraying Shin Ga-hyun, a perfectionist webtoon writer. Her character, the artist behind the webcomic series "Hidden Killer" for three years, decides to "reset" her life by one year after an accident leaves her temporarily in a wheelchair. For this role, she won the Best Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Miniseries at the 2020 MBC Drama Awards. The series ran on TVING for eight episodes from July 16 to August 13, 2021, and was subsequently aired on tvN for five episodes in January 2022.

In 2022, Nam, Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hu starred together as three sisters in the tvN series Little Women, a loose adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name, penned by Jeong Seo-kyeong and directed by Kim Hee-won. The story centers on these sisters, who become embroiled with one of the country's wealthiest and most influential families. Nam portrayed Oh In-kyung, the middle sister and a reporter with a strong moral compass. The show received a perfect 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Nam's performance. Nathan Sartain from Ready Set Cut remarked that that Nam's depiction was "syringed with underlying vehemence," affirming her strong fit for the role. Meanwhile, Tanu I. Raj of NME noted that Nam’s character was "the most complex, layered, and nuanced" in the series.

In the following year, Nam returned to streaming platforms in 2023 to star as the main lead, Choi Soo-young, in a character-driven thriller High Cookie. Soo‑young, a non‑regular factory worker who became her family’s head after leaving school at 18, is drawn into a crisis when her younger sister falls into a coma after eating a wish‑granting but dangerously addictive homemade cookie. To save her, Soo‑young infiltrates the elite Jeonghan High School under the alias Lee Eun‑seo to track down the cookie’s creator and obtain an antidote.

Nam return to terrestrial television with SBS legal drama Good Partner, She portraying Han Yu-ri, a rookie lawyer in Divorce Team 1 at Daejeong Law Firm, alongside Jang Na-ra, Kim Jun-han, and Pyo Ji-hoon. The series was written by Choi Yu-na, a real-life divorce lawyer, and directed by Kim Ga-ram. Airing from July 12 to September 20, 2024, the drama peaked at 17.7% in Nielsen ratings. Its strong viewership led to a renewal for a second season; however, due to scheduling conflicts, Nam will not return for the new season. For her performance, she received the Top Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries in the Humanity/Fantasy Drama category at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards.

Other ventures Endorsements

Nam's endorsement career began in 2008 when she featured alongside Park Bo-young in a Johnson & Johnson Clean & Clear advertisement for their Deep Action Refreshing Cleanser. From 2008 to 2010, she was involved in the Female Students campaign" for educational reference book Ugongbi.

In 2012, she represented Waterbear Soft and Amos Edu SOL. The following year, she starred in a Nongshim Neoguri advertisement titled "Three Women," alongside Shim So-heon and Lee Kyung-eun.

Following her work on Suspicious Partner, Nam filmed a cosmetics commercial for Allets in 2017. In 2019, the cosmetics brand Hayejin released a pictorial featuring her. After the success of Good Partner, Nam became a model for Hyundai's New HD Commercial in 2024.

Philanthrophy On December 8, 2010, Nam Ji-hyun and fellow child actor Maeng Myeong-chang participated in the "2010 Hope Tree Campaign" organized by the NGO Good Neighbors, an initiative aimed at supporting underprivileged children globally and in South Korea. The actors, who were advertising models for the educational reference book Ugongbi, donated a portion of their modeling fees to assist low-income families, citing a desire to help peers facing financial obstacles to education.

Filmography

Film + Year Title Role Notes 2005 Shadowless Sword young Yeon So-ha 2007 Mapado 2: Back to the Island Girl in the past Astro Boy Cora animated, Korean dubbing 2010 Happy Ulleung Man Documentary narrator 2011 A Reason to Live Ji-min 2016 The Tunnel Mina The Map Against The World Soon-Sil

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2002 Radio Report 2008 The Great King, Sejong young Princess Shim East of Eden young Kim Ji-hyun It's Me, Grandmother Park Eun-ha 2011 Warrior Baek Dong-soo young Yoo Ji-sun 2012 Drama Special Series:"Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol" Park Hae-sol one-act drama Can't Live Without You Eun-deok To the Beautiful You Hong Da-hae 2014 Angel Eyes young Yoon Soo-wan 2016 Mystery Freshman Oh Ah-yeong Drama special Shopping King Louie Ko Bok-shil Lead role 2020 365: Repeat the Year Shin Ga-hyun Lead role 2021 JTBC Drama Festa:"Off Route" Kang Su-ji one-act drama 2022 Little Women Oh In-kyung Lead role 2024 Good Partner Han Yu-ri 2026 To My Beloved Thief Hong Eun-jo / Hong Gil-dong Make Me Tremble Yeon-soo

Web series Year Title Role 2021 The Witch's Diner Jeong Jin 2023 High Cookie Choi Soo-young

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 2015 "Shaking" Taeil (Block B)

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 Asia Artist Awards 2016 Best Entertainer Award, Actress Shopping King Louie Baeksang Arts Awards 2015 Best New Actress – Television What Happens to My Family? Blue Dragon Film Awards 2013 Best New Actress Hwayi: A Monster Boy Buil Film Awards 2012 Best New Actress A Reason to Live Daejeon Special FX Festival 2024 Best Actress High Cookie Dong-A.com's Pick 2018 Next Generation Noteworthy Actress Nam Ji-hyun KBS Drama Awards 2012 Best Young Actress Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol 2014 Best New Actress What Happens to My Family? Best Couple Award Nam Ji-hyun What Happens to My Family? Korea Consumer Agency Culture and Entertainment Awards 2024 Actor of the Year Good Partner Korea Drama Awards 2017 Excellence Award, Actress (Drama) Suspicious Partner MBC Drama Awards 2008 Best Young Actress East of Eden 2009 Queen Seondeok 2016 Best New ActressShopping King Louie Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Best Couple Award Nam Ji-hyun Shopping King Louie 2020 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Miniseries 365: Repeat the Year Best Couple Award Nam Ji-hyun 365: Repeat the Year SBS Drama Awards 2006 Best Young Actress My Love 2007 Lobbyist 2017 Excellence Award, Actress in a Wednesday-Thursday Drama Suspicious Partner Best Couple Award Nam Ji-hyun Suspicious Partner 2024 Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Humanity/Fantasy Drama Good Partner 2018 Popularity Award (Actress) Nam Ji-hyun