Kwon Nara Age, Wiki, Family, Education, Career, Net Worth

Kwon Nara spent seven years singing with Hello Venus, a girl group that never quite reached the top, before she discovered that her real stage was a drama set. She was born on March 13, 1991 (35 years old), in Incheon, South Korea, and grew up in Bundang, Seongnam.

She is a South Korean actress and former K-pop idol whose cool, poised look hides a famously gentle and clumsy streak that fans adore.

Her first major role came in the SBS romantic comedy Suspicious Partner (2017). She followed it as Choi Yoo-ra, an actress carrying the weight of her own life, in My Mister (2018).

Her first lead role, the warm psychiatrist Han So-geum in Doctor Prisoner (2019), won her Best New Actress at the KBS Drama Awards. A year later, she played Oh Soo-ah, the first love of Park Seo-joon‘s character, in the JTBC hit Itaewon Class (2020).

Her biggest honour is the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards, earned for Royal Secret Agent.

Quick Facts of Kwon Nara

Full Name	Kwon Ah-yoon
Birth Name	Kwon Na-ra (권나라)
Profession	Actress, Former Singer
Age	35 years old
Date of Birth	March 13, 1991
Nationality	South Korean
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Pisces
Birthplace	Incheon, South Korea
Current Address	Yet to be updated
Gender	Female

Kwon Nara Early Life and Education

Kwon Nara was born at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon, South Korea, and spent her earliest years at a daycare in the city’s Gojan-dong neighbourhood. When she was seven, her family moved to Bundang in Seongnam, and she has called herself a Bundang native ever since.

Her name came from her father, who chose “Nara” in the hope that his daughter would grow into a big person. Life did not make it easy for her at first. She battled asthma for seven or eight years as a child and once needed surgery after a traffic accident.

Those years of illness and accidents, including a serious crash involving a drunk driver, led her parents to suggest a new name. She legally became Kwon Ah-yoon, yet she kept Kwon Nara for her work.

As a little girl, she was chubby, and because her mother loved pink and kept buying her pink clothes, classmates nicknamed her “Pink Pig.” Her father helped her get fit by taking her on dawn hikes up the mountains.

She was also far tougher than her elegant image suggests. She started judo in the first grade of elementary school and earned a 2nd dan certificate by her third year of middle school.

As a child, she dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, but the screen pulled at her early. She spent about a year at the acting academy of Sidus HQ and made her first screen appearance at 15, with a small cameo in the film Mr. Wacky (2006).

In her third year of middle school, she was scouted on the street, which opened the door to life as a trainee. She learned singing and dancing to prepare for university entrance exams in broadcasting entertainment, and the thrill of improving made her want to sing too.

That path eventually led her to Fantagio, where she trained alongside future bandmate Alice before debuting with the girl group Hello Venus.

Education

Kwon Nara spent all her school years in Bundang. She attended Seongnam Singi Elementary School and Yangyeong Middle School before graduating from Bundang Daejin High School.

She then enrolled at Dongduk Women’s University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting Entertainment through the School of Performing Arts.

School	Seongnam Singi Elementary School Yangyeong Middle School Bundang Daejin High School
Alma Mater	Dongduk Women’s University
Highest Qualification	Bachelor’s Degree (Broadcasting Entertainment)

Kwon Nara Personal Life

Kwon Nara keeps her love life almost entirely out of the public eye, but she has never hidden how close she is to her family. Most of what fans know about her private world comes from her sisters, her parents and a dog named Hodu.

Relationships and Rumoured Boyfriends

Kwon Nara has never confirmed a relationship publicly, and she is not known to be dating anyone at present.

The only major dating rumour came on August 1, 2019, that she was in a relationship with actor Lee Jong-suk. At the time, both were signed to A-Man Project, the agency Lee had founded, and the report cited industry insiders who claimed the two had been seen together.

Their agency denied it the same day, calling the report groundless and describing the pair as a close senior and junior in the industry.

She has opened up a little about love in interviews. She once revealed that she had dated three times, and that each time the other person made the first move.

She described her ideal partner as someone kind and warm. She added that character matters most to her, and that she pays close attention to how a person treats their elders.

Parents

Kwon Nara’s parents have stayed out of the spotlight, and their names have not been made public. She has occasionally shared photos with them on social media and has said that she looks exactly like her father.

Her father has shaped her life in quiet but lasting ways. He chose the name “Nara,” encouraged the dawn hikes that helped her get fit as a child, and once rushed to rescue her when a stranger with a knife nearly attacked her in high school.

Her mother’s love of pink also left a mark, since it was the reason a young Nara wore so many pink outfits that classmates called her “Pink Pig.”

Siblings

Kwon Nara is the eldest of three daughters. Her younger sisters are Kwon Ah-young, born as Kwon Ha-ra in 1994, and Kwon Yeon-jae, born as Kwon Bo-ra in 1997. Both changed their names at the same time as their older sister.

The three are famously close. Her youngest sister even works as part of her makeup team, while her sisters affectionately call her “Halmui,” a playful word for grandma.

Relationship Status	Single (no confirmed relationship)
Boyfriend	Yet to be updated
Rumoured Boyfriend	Lee Jong-suk (2019, denied by agency)
Parents	Father: Yet to be updated Mother: Yet to be updated
Siblings	Sisters: Kwon Ah-young (born Kwon Ha-ra), Kwon Yeon-jae (born Kwon Bo-ra)

Kwon Nara Career

Kwon Nara’s career has moved in two clear acts. The first was seven patient years as an idol in Hello Venus, a group that never reached the top. The second began when she stepped onto a drama set in 2017 and quietly built one of the steadiest acting careers of any former idol of her generation.

Childhood Cameo and Hello Venus Years (2006 to 2016)

Kwon Nara’s first screen appearance came at just 15, with a small cameo in the film Mr. Wacky (2006). Years of training followed before she debuted with Hello Venus on May 9, 2012, alongside members including Alice and Yooyoung.

The group’s first mini album, Venus, carried a title track that reached number 35 on the Gaon chart. Hello Venus was first managed by Tricell Media, a joint venture between Pledis Entertainment and Fantagio. When the two companies parted ways in 2014, the group went through a lineup change and stayed with Fantagio.

Nara was known in the group as its visual and a sub-vocalist. Despite several comebacks, including Wiggle (2015), the group never broke into the mainstream, and some fans began describing her as a phoenix with tied wings.

Acting kept calling her back during these years. She made a cameo in the SBS drama Take Care of Us, Captain (2012), which starred Koo Hye-sun and Ji Jin-hee, appearing in its 20th episode alongside bandmate Yooyoung.

From 2016, she also took on modelling and ambassador work alongside her singing. That same year she showed her grit on SBS’s Law of the Jungle in East Timor, where the production team later praised how hard she worked in 40-degree heat.

Breakthrough as an Actress (2017 to 2018)

Kwon Nara’s real turning point came in 2017 with the SBS romantic comedy Suspicious Partner, starring Ji Chang-wook and Nam Ji-hyun, with Choi Tae-joon. She played Cha Yoo-jung, a prosecutor and the ex-girlfriend of Ji Chang-wook’s character, who desperately wants him back.

Ironically, she was cast partly because of her cold, polished image, though she later admitted her real personality was nothing like it. The role earned her a Best New Actress nomination at the 2017 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2018, she joined tvN’s My Mister, the acclaimed melodrama led by Lee Sun-kyun and IU. She played Choi Yoo-ra, an actress whose path becomes tangled with a failed film director played by Song Sae-byeok. The role brought her a Baeksang Arts Awards nomination for Best New Actress.

Later that year, she appeared in SBS’s legal drama Your Honor, starring Yoon Shi-yoon, Lee Yoo-young and Park Byung-eun. She played Joo-eun, a news anchor and the girlfriend of Yoon Shi-yoon’s upright judge Han Soo-ho, earning another SBS Best New Actress nomination.

The independent film Fantasy of the Girls (2018) also reached cinemas that year. She played Lee Ha-nam alongside Roh Jeong-eui and Jo Soo-hyang, in a film she had shot back in 2016.

First Lead Role and Itaewon Class (2019 to 2020)

In 2019, Kwon Nara landed her first lead role in KBS2′s prison medical thriller Doctor Prisoner. She played Han So-geum, a psychiatrist at Taegang Hospital who volunteers at a prison, opposite Namgoong Min as the ousted surgeon Na Yi-je. Kim Byung-chul, Choi Won-young and Lee Da-in completed the main cast.

The drama held on to the top of its time slot, and Nara won Best New Actress at both the Korea Drama Awards and the KBS Drama Awards that year.

The same spring, Hello Venus officially disbanded on May 8, 2019, after Nara chose not to renew her contract with Fantagio. In June 2019, she signed with A-Man Project and began working purely as an actress.

Her next role made her a household name. In JTBC’s Itaewon Class (2020), based on the hit webtoon, she played Oh Soo-ah, the first love of Park Seo-joon‘s Park Sae-ro-yi and the head of strategic planning at the rival Jangga Group.

The cast also included Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-myung, and Ahn Bo-hyun. When she was cast, many netizens doubted her, but the series became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history and streamed worldwide on Netflix.

The role earned her a Baeksang Arts Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and in 2020 she ranked 33rd on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list.

Leading Lady in Period and Fantasy Dramas (2020 to 2022)

Kwon Nara stepped into a historical drama for the first time with KBS2′s Royal Secret Agent, which aired from December 2020 to February 2021. She played Hong Da-in, a courtesan and female investigator, opposite Kim Myung-soo (L) as the secret royal inspector, with Lee Yi-kyung and Lee Tae-hwan.

The playful action comedy became another ratings success, and it brought her the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards.

She then took on her first fantasy role in tvN’s Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, which premiered in December 2021. She played Min Sang-woon, a woman who was once an immortal bulgasal and is reborn as a human, hiding her identity while seeking revenge to protect her family.

The drama starred Lee Jin-wook, along with Lee Joon and Gong Seung-yeon, and streamed globally on Netflix.

In June 2022, she signed with C-JeS Entertainment. That September, she reunited with her Itaewon Class castmates Park Seo-joon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Ryu Kyung-soo and Lee Joo-young on TVING’s Young Actors’ Retreat.

The variety show brought together the casts of three dramas, so she shared the trip with Park Bo-gum, Kim Yoo-jung and Chae Soo-bin from Love in the Moonlight, and her old Suspicious Partner co-star Ji Chang-wook from The Sound of Magic.

The Midnight Studio and Agency Moves (2023 to 2024)

After her contract with C-JeS ended in April 2023, Kwon Nara joined Ghost Studio in June 2023.

Her next drama, ENA’s The Midnight Studio, aired from March to May 2024. She played Han Bom, a passionate former prosecutor turned lawyer, opposite Joo Won as Seo Ki-joo, a prickly photographer who runs a photo studio for ghosts. Yoo In-soo and Eum Moon-suk completed the studio crew.

Han Bom was a warm, fiery character, and the role showed a lighter, more comic side of her than viewers had seen before.

Variety Shows and Endorsements

Away from dramas, Kwon Nara has become a welcome guest on Korean variety shows. On JTBC’s Knowing Bros, she held her breath for 1 minute 39.5 seconds, a skill she discovered while preparing for Law of the Jungle.

In 2019, she appeared on MBC’s I Live Alone, showing her first month of living independently and her playful bond with her two younger sisters.

She has also built a steady advertising career. Around her Itaewon Class casting, she was being called the next “CF fairy” for her work with cosmetics and beauty brands.

Recent and Upcoming Work (2025 to 2026)

In July 2024, Kwon Nara was cast in the Disney+ series Knock-Off, starring Kim Soo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah, with Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Eui-sung, and Kim Mu-yeol. She plays Moon Yoo-bin, a master designer of counterfeit bags.

The big-budget series, set during the 1997 financial crisis, was planned for release in 2025. In March 2025, however, Disney+ put the release on hold after the controversy surrounding Kim Soo-hyun.

As of August 2026, Knock-Off has still not been released, and its future remains uncertain.

Kwon Nara signed with Sublime in June 2025, and in April 2026 she returned to Ghost Studio, the agency she had first joined in 2023. Her next drama project is yet to be announced.

Kwon Nara Filmography

Kwon Nara’s body of work leans heavily towards television, with nine dramas, two films and a handful of variety shows. Her screen résumé runs from a teenage film cameo in 2006 to a big-budget Disney+ series still waiting for release.

Kwon Nara Movies

Year	Title	Role	IMDb
2006	Mr. Wacky	Cameo	3.9
2018	Fantasy of the Girls	Lee Ha-nam	6.2

Kwon Nara TV Shows

Year	Title	Role	Platform	IMDb
2012	Take Care of Us, Captain	Cameo	Rakuten Viki	6.3
2016	Knowing Bros	Guest	Rakuten Viki	8.1
2017	Suspicious Partner	Cha Yoo-jung	Prime Video, Netflix	7.7
2018	My Mister	Choi Yoo-ra	Netflix	9.0
2018	Your Honor	Joo-eun	Prime Video	7.5
2019	Doctor Prisoner	Han So-geum	JioHotstar	7.5
2020	Itaewon Class	Oh Soo-ah	Netflix	8.1
2020	Royal Secret Agent	Hong Da-in	Prime Video	7.3
2021	Bulgasal: Immortal Souls	Kim Hwa-yeon	Netflix	7.4
2022	Young Actors’ Retreat	Cast member	Prime Video, Apple TV	8.6
2024	The Midnight Studio	Han Bom	Rakuten Viki	7.2

Kwon Nara Upcoming Projects

Year	Title	Role	Platform
TBA	Knock-Off	Moon Yoo-bin	Disney+ (release on hold)

Kwon Nara Awards and Achievements

Kwon Nara’s trophy shelf was built almost entirely on television, and it grew quickly once she stepped into lead roles. Her rookie prizes came from her first lead in Doctor Prisoner, while her biggest win so far came from the playful period drama Royal Secret Agent.

Her Major Wins

• Korea Drama Awards (2019): Won Best New Actress for Doctor Prisoner (2019).
• KBS Drama Awards (2019): Won Best New Actress for Doctor Prisoner (2019).
• KBS Drama Awards (2021): Won the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries for Royal Secret Agent (2020 to 2021), sharing the honour with Go Min-si of Youth of May.

Her Key Nominations

• SBS Drama Awards (2017): Nominated for Best New Actress for Suspicious Partner (2017).
• SBS Drama Awards (2018): Nominated for Best New Actress for Your Honor (2018).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2019): Nominated for Best New Actress in Television for My Mister (2018).
• KBS Drama Awards (2019): Nominated for the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries and the Netizen Award for Doctor Prisoner (2019).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2020): Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Television for Itaewon Class (2020).
• Seoul International Drama Awards (2021): Nominated for Outstanding Korean Actress for Royal Secret Agent (2020 to 2021).

Other Recognitions

• Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 (2020): Ranked 33rd on Forbes Korea’s annual list of the country’s most influential celebrities, the year Itaewon Class became a hit.
• Hanbok Ambassador (2020): Appointed as the official Hanbok Ambassador by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanbok Promotion Centre in October 2020, to promote traditional Korean dress during Hanbok Culture Week and on social media.
• Busan UN Memorial Ambassador (2015): Named a promotional ambassador for the UN Memorial site in Busan during her Hello Venus years.

Kwon Nara Controversies

Kwon Nara has never been at the centre of a personal scandal of her own making. The headlines that have followed her mostly came from rumours, online speculation and, more recently, a co-star’s controversy that left one of her biggest projects in limbo.

• The Lee Jong-suk dating rumour (2019): On August 1, 2019, a report claimed she was dating actor Lee Jong-suk, who had founded A-Man Project, the agency she had just joined. Their agency denied the report the same day, calling the two only close seniors and juniors in the industry.
• Backlash over her Itaewon Class casting (2019): When she was confirmed as Oh Soo-ah in Itaewon Class, most netizen reactions were negative, with many doubting whether she could handle one of the most coveted roles in the webtoon adaptation. The criticism faded once the series aired, and the role later earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
• Plastic surgery speculation (2020): In October 2020, middle school photos of her spread across online communities, and some netizens questioned whether she had undergone plastic surgery. Many others pointed to baby fat instead. She had previously denied having surgery, while openly admitting that she gets Botox.
• Knock-Off shelved after Kim Soo-hyun’s controversy (2025): Her Disney+ series Knock-Off was due for release in 2025, but Disney+ put it on hold in March 2025 amid the controversy surrounding lead actor Kim Soo-hyun and the late Kim Sae-ron.

Kwon Nara Net Worth

Kwon Nara has never disclosed her earnings, and no official or court-reported figure for her wealth exists. The numbers that circulate online come from estimates, which place her net worth at around $1 million to $5 million (approximately ₹9.6 crore to ₹48 crore).

Most of her income comes from acting, especially the lead roles she has held since Doctor Prisoner (2019). Advertising is her other major earner, and by the time she joined Itaewon Class, she was being called the next “CF fairy” for her work with cosmetics and beauty brands.

Her per-episode fees have never been officially reported by her agency or the Korean press.

Net Worth (Approx.)	$1 million to $5 million (approx. ₹9.6 crore to ₹48 crore)
Salary (Approx.)	Yet to be updated

Kwon Nara Height, Weight and Physical Stats

Height	In centimetres: 172 cm In meters: 1.72 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 7¾ inches
Weight	In kg: 52 kg In lbs: 114 lbs
Body Measurements	28-24-28 inches
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Black

Kwon Nara Social Media

Instagram	@hv_nara
YouTube	Kwon Nara

Interesting Facts about Kwon Nara

• Ddochi and Bundang’s Lee Na-young: Her fans call her “Ddochi,” a playful nickname for her clumsy, absent-minded side.
• Sleepy Nara: Her Hello Venus bandmates nicknamed her “Jam-nara,” or “Sleepy Nara,” because she could doze off anywhere.
• Road cycling fan: She took up road cycling as a hobby and often rides with her close friend, actress Jo A-young. She has even cycled up Seoul’s Namsan, and said the ride down with the wind in her face made the climb worth it.
• Secret gamer: She enjoys League of Legends and usually plays the support role. Her favourite champion is Heimerdinger, and she has played games since her trainee days.
• Music video cameos: Before her acting breakthrough, she appeared in the music videos for San E’s “Story of Someone I Know” and 2000won’s “I Hate Seoul.”
• If she were born a boy: Asked which male idol she would want to be if she were reborn as a man, she picked her former Fantagio labelmate Cha Eun-woo.
• Acting role model: She has named actress Kim Hyun-joo as her acting role model and said she especially enjoyed Kim’s drama I Have a Lover.

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