Shin Min-a

2003–2011: Rising popularity and breakthrough In 2003, she took the main role in the college romance movie Madeleine with Zo In-sung. For her role as a hairdresser, she practiced hairdressing for three months before the movie started filming. Her role earned her a New Star Award at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2005, she took on a supporting role in Kim Jee-woon's noir film A Bittersweet Life, reuniting her with previous co-star Lee Byung-hun. She then portrayed a deaf character in Sad Movie. This was followed by leading roles in the melodrama A Love to Kill with Rain, romantic comedy series The Beast and the Beauty with Ryoo Seung-bum, and psychological thriller Lucifer with Uhm Tae-woong and Ju Ji-hoon. In the 2007 film My Mighty Princess, Shin simultaneously played two characters. After her travels were documented on the cable channel O'live in 2008, Shin published a book titled Shin Min-a's French Diary in 2009.

In the 2008 film Go Go 70s, Shin played a sexy counterculture singer and won numerous accolades for her portrayal. She then acted as an unfaithful wife in The Naked Kitchen, and a cynical young woman in search of her father in Sisters on the Road, a critically acclaimed indie film which also stars fellow actress and close friend Gong Hyo-jin. But Shin became best known for her portrayals of supernatural horror icons revamped into endearingly innocent yet spunky heroines in the rom-com My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010).

2012–2021: Leading roles and international success

Shin starred in the historical drama Arang and the Magistrate (2012). After appearing in The X, a 2013 spy thriller short film directed by Kim Jee-woon, Shin returned to the big screen in 2014 with Gyeongju, an introspective arthouse romance opposite Park Hae-il. This was followed by the romantic comedy film My Love, My Bride, where she and Jo Jung-suk played a newly married couple; it was a remake of the same-titled 1990 hit that starred Choi Jin-sil and Park Joong-hoon.

In 2015, Shin and So Ji-sub were cast in the romantic comedy series Oh My Venus. For her character, an overweight lawyer, Shin underwent a three-hour makeup/prosthetic session every shoot. At the 2015 KBS Drama Awards, Shin won the Excellence Award, the Best Actress in a Miniseries award, and the Best Couple Award with So Ji-sub. She also won the Outstanding Korean Actress award at the 11th Seoul International Drama Awards. In 2016, Shin was cast opposite Lee Je-hoon in the fantasy melodrama Tomorrow, With You, portraying a 30-year-old amateur photographer who finds out that her better half can time travel. The drama was fully pre-produced and premiered in February 2017.

Shin took a break from acting for two years. In 2018, Shin was cast opposite Lee Yoo-young in the mystery film Diva, playing Yi Young, a diver who lost her memory after an accident. The film marks the directorial debut of Cho Seul-ye. It was showcased in the Korean Fantastic features section at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival held in July 2021. In 2019, Shin returned to the small screen after three years in the political drama Chief of Staff opposite Lee Jung-jae, as Kang Seon-yeong, a lawyer turned politician. In winter 2019, Shin reprised her role for the second season.

In 2021, Shin reunited with director Yoo Je-won in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, starring Kim Seon-ho and Lee Sang-yi. She played the role Yoon Hye-jin, a dentist who moved from the city to open a clinic in the seaside village of Gongjin. It was a remake of 2004 film Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong, which starred Uhm Jung-hwa and Kim Joo-hyuk. The series became a domestic hit with audience ratings peaking at 13.322% and went on to become one of the highest-rated television series on Korean cable television history. Following its release on Netflix, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha became one of the platform's most-watched non-English television shows. It remained on Netflix's non-English popular television show list for 16 weeks, and reached the top 10 charts in more than 20 countries. It also on Netflix's Top 10 Chart for television shows for more than two months from its last episode. She has also contributed her vocals to several singles and soundtracks.

2022–present: Continued success

Shin starred in Noh Hee-kyung's omnibus drama Our Blues. Shin played Min Seon-ah, a divorcee with one child who came to Jeju and met her childhood friend Lee Dong-seok. It premiered on tvN on April 9, 2022.

Shin was cast in the movie Our Season in 2020, which released in 2023. The film was her first big screen role in three years after the thriller Diva. Playing a woman whose dead mother gets a "trip from heaven" to visit her, Shin chose to appear in the film because of its heartwarming feel and relatable subject matter. She played against type with a gloomier character, as in her previous project, Our Blues—explaining her choice, she stated that she wanted to play a variety of roles. The same year Our Season was released, Shin also returned to television with the series No Gain No Love; it began airing in August 2024.

In 2025, Shin starred in Netflix's crime thriller television series Karma directed by Lee Il-hyung. It is based on the Kakao webtoon of the same name by Choi Hee-seon, about people who are unexpectedly entangled and destroy each other while pursuing their own desires.

Other ventures

Endorsements Along with Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Min-hee, and , she was considered one of the "four teenage commercial stars", She has since become one of the most in-demand and highest paid commercial endorsers in South Korea.

Notable among her forays into branded entertainment is the 2008 multi-episode Summer Days opposite Hyun Bin and Ryoo Seung-bum for LG Xnote featuring music by You Hee-yeol, as well as Friends & Love, a movie-style extended advertisement for Giordano in 2011 costarring Jung Woo-sung and So Ji-sub. In 2009, Shin went to Milan, Italy to shoot a photo spread for Elle Korea with Calvin Klein model Jamie Dornan. In 2011, she was chosen as the first Asian model for the DIY Project ad campaign of American clothing brand Rag & bone, and in 2012 was featured in The New York Times''' T Magazine''.

Shin is a Roger Vivier's Maison ambassador for Korea. On November 11, 2021, she was appointed as Gucci's brand ambassador with Lee Jung-jae.

Philanthropy Shin is a distinguished philanthropist whose cumulative contributions surpassed ₩4 billion by 2025. Her commitment to social welfare has been widely recognized, earning her a Presidential Citation in 2019 and the Good People Artist Award at the 14th Beautiful Artist Award in 2024. and reaching a milestone of ₩3.3 billion by the end of 2022. That year alone, her year-end gifts of ₩260 million to the Community Chest of Korea and Asan Medical Center brought her annual total to ₩360 million.

Shin has been a dedicated benefactor to medical sector, focusing on pediatric care and specialized treatment. Shin is a constant donor to the Community Chest of Korea. Since December 2009, she has donated ₩2 million monthly, supplemented by year-end gifts ranging from ₩50 million to ₩100 million. By 2015, her contributions totaled approximately ₩717 million. Per her wishes, these funds primarily support heating costs for the elderly living alone, medical expenses for children with burns, and education for immigrant children.

In August 2014, she took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge. In October 2015, she participated in the "Ohui Beautiful Face Campaign" and personally donated a ₩50 million to Seoul National University Children's Hospital. In September 2016, she donated ₩50 million to the same hospital. Since 2015, she has been a supporter of the Hallym Burn Foundation. She participated in the "Let's Share the Heart" talent donation campaign in November 2016. She donated of ₩100 million in December 2020, and another ₩100 million in December 2021. Shin have been supporting Asan Medical Center since 2018. In December 2021, she donated ₩100 million each to Asan Medical Center and the Korean Developmental Society to support psychological treatment for children affected by prolonged COVID-19 infections. Shin has also maintained a long-term partnership with Good Friends, an organization she began supporting in 2010 after being introduced by writer Noh Hee-kyung. Since then, her cumulative donations of ₩290 million have funded essential services for North Korean defectors, specifically targeting single mothers and their children.

She has also donated to disaster relief. In May, Shin donated ₩100 million to Nepal earthquake relief efforts via The Korean branch of Join Together Society. In March 2022, Shin donated to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, to help victims of the wildfires in Uljin County. In March 2025, Shin donated to the Korean Red Cross to help wildfire victims in the Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam.

Personal life On July 22, 2015, through their agencies, Shin and actor Kim Woo-bin confirmed their relationship. They met each other as models for the same fashion brand two months prior. In November 2025, Kim announced that they would be getting married in December. On December 20, their wedding took place at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2001 Volcano High Yoo Chae-yi 2003 Madeleine Hee-jin 2005 A Bittersweet Life Hee-soo Sad Movie Ahn Su-eun The Beast and the Beauty Jang Hae-ju 2007 My Mighty Princess Kang So-hwi / Ok-soon 2008 Go Go 70s Mimi Sisters on the Road Park Myung-eun Digital remaster in 2022 2009 The Naked Kitchen Ahn Mo-rae A Million Jo Yoo-jin 2013 The X Mia Short film 2014 Gyeongju Gong Yoon-hee My Love, My Bride Mi-young 2016 A Quiet Dream Min-ah Cameo 2020 Diva Lee Young 2023 Our Season Bang Jin-joo 2026 The Eyes Seo-jin / Seo-in

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2001 Beautiful Days Lee Min-ji 2003 Punch Jang Yoo-bin 2005 A Love to Kill Cha Eun-seok 2007 Lucifer Seo Hae-in 2010 My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho Gu Mi-ho 2012 Arang and the Magistrate Arang / Lee Seo-rim 2015–2016 Oh My Venus Kang Joo-eun 2017 Tomorrow, with You Song Ma-rin 2019 Chief of Staff Kang Sun-young Season 1–2 2021 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Yoon Hye-jin 2022 Our Blues Min Seon-ah 2024 No Gain No Love Son Hae-yeong 2025 Karma Lee Ju-yeon 2026 The Remarried Empress Navier

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 1999 "A Request" Lee Seung-hwan "Eyes Want to Travel" Leon Lai "Love and Remembrance" g.o.d 2000 "Since You Left Me" g.o.d "Do You Know?" Jo Sung-mo 2001 "With Coffee" Brown Eyes "I Love You" Cha Tae-hyun "Sad Love" g.o.d "A Fool" g.o.d "You Just Don't Know" g.o.d 2008 "Summer Day" You Hee-yeol feat. Shin Jae-pyung of Peppertones "My Happy Day" You Hee-yeol feat. Shin Min-a 2009 "Miracle Blue" Loveholics feat. Shin Min-a

Discography Title Year Album "Oppa, I Love You" 2003 Punch OST "Pray for Yoo-bin" "My Happy Day" 2008 You Hee-yeol – Summer Days "Night Train" Go Go 70s OST "A Year Later" 2009 The Naked Kitchen OST "Miracle Blue" Loveholics – In the Air "Sha la la" 2010 My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho OST "I Can Give You All" "Black Moon" 2012 Arang and the Magistrate OST