Lim Ji-yeon Age, Wiki, Boyfriend, Family, Career, Net Worth

As a little girl, Lim Ji-yeon walked out of a performance of the musical Cats with one wish in her head: to become a cat and stand on that stage herself. She was born on June 23, 1990 (36 years old), in Seoul, South Korea.

She is a South Korean actress who describes herself as easygoing and says she has never been afraid of standing in front of people.

Her feature debut came with Obsessed (2014), which won her Best New Actress at both the Grand Bell Awards and the Buil Film Awards.

Her biggest turn arrived with Netflix’s The Glory (2022 to 2023), where she played the cruel school bully Park Yeon-jin. Viewers loved hating her, and the role won her the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2023.

She has since played a woman trapped in an abusive marriage in Lies Hidden in My Garden (2023), a runaway slave in The Tale of Lady Ok (2024 to 2025), and a Joseon villainess who lands in a modern actress’s body in My Royal Nemesis (2026).

Quick Facts of Lim Ji-yeon

Full Name	Lim Ji-yeon (임지연)
Romanised Name	Im Ji-yeon
Profession	Actress
Age	36 years old
Date of Birth	June 23, 1990
Nationality	South Korean
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Cancer
Birthplace	Seongdong District, Seoul, South Korea
Current Address	Yet to be updated
Gender	Female

Lim Ji-yeon Early Life and Education

Lim Ji-yeon grew up in Seoul as the middle child of the family, with an older sister and a younger brother. Her mother loved the performing arts and often took her along to plays and musicals, and watching actors on those stages slowly planted a dream in her.

One show stayed with her more than any other. After seeing the musical Cats, she came home thinking only one thing: she wanted to become a cat and stand on a stage herself.

She was a bold child who was never afraid of people watching her. She loved being in front of a crowd, whether at school events or at church playing the piano accompaniment.

Her parents were less sure. They could not tell whether their daughter had real talent, and acting looked like an uncertain career, so they turned down her wish to attend an arts middle and high school.

She went to a regular humanities high school instead. But when it came to university, she knew she could not let the dream go, and she finally persuaded her parents to let her study acting.

Off screen, she is far from the mysterious image the press gave her early on. She calls herself easygoing, and her friends burst out laughing whenever an article described her as an enigmatic newcomer.

Education

Lim Ji-yeon studied at Geumho Girls’ Middle School and Pungmun Girls’ High School in Seoul.

In 2009, she entered the Department of Acting at the School of Drama, Korea National University of Arts. Her year is often called a legendary class, with Park Jeong-min, Kim Jung-hyun, Byun Yo-han, and Jung Yeon-joo among her classmates, all still active today.

She also grew close to Kim Go-eun, who was one year below her and became a dear friend.

Her classes leaned heavily towards stage acting, which made her long to try acting for the camera. She kept appearing in short and independent films while still a student.

School	Geumho Girls’ Middle School; Pungmun Girls’ High School
Alma Mater	Korea National University of Arts (School of Drama, Department of Acting)
Highest Qualification	Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting

Lim Ji-yeon Personal Life

Lim Ji-yeon has never been one to hide her heart. Both times her romances made headlines, she confirmed them quickly and openly, and she talks about love with a refreshing lack of fuss.

Boyfriend

Lim Ji-yeon is dating actor Lee Do-hyun, her co-star from Netflix’s The Glory. On April 1, 2023, both agencies confirmed that the two had grown from close colleagues into a couple who were carefully getting to know each other.

Funnily enough, the pair shared very few scenes in the drama. They grew closer as the cast met up often to bond near the end of filming, and reports say sparks first flew during a cast trip in the summer of 2022. Lee is five years younger than her.

Their relationship soon faced a long gap. Lee enlisted on August 14, 2023, serving in the Air Force military band, while Lim stayed busy filming and waited for him.

One of their sweetest public moments came at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards in May 2024. Still in uniform, Lee won Best New Actor for the film Exhuma and called out to his girlfriend from the stage, thanking her by name.

Lee was discharged in May 2025, and the couple has stayed steady since. In July 2026, they were spotted enjoying a round of golf together, now in their fourth year as a couple.

Who is Lee Do-hyun?

Lee Do-hyun, whose real name is Lim Dong-hyun, is a South Korean actor born in 1995. A graduate of Chung-Ang University’s theatre and film department, he was spotted by director Shin Won-ho and debuted in tvN’s Prison Playbook (2017). He went on to star in Hotel del Luna, 18 Again, Sweet Home, Youth of May, The Glory and Bad Mother. His film debut Exhuma drew 11.91 million viewers.

Past Relationships

Before Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon was in a public relationship with Lee Wook, chairman of the W-Foundation. Her agency confirmed the romance on January 26, 2018, explaining that the two had been acquaintances before becoming a couple. They had been photographed on a date at a Seoul department store just days earlier.

The romance lasted about seven months. On July 29, 2018, her then agency Huayi Brothers confirmed the breakup, calling it a personal matter. The two chose to stay friends who support each other.

Parents

Lim Ji-yeon’s parents have stayed out of the spotlight, and their names are yet to be updated. Her father is a former police officer. Her mother loved theatre and musicals and often took her to shows, which first sparked her dream of acting.

Her parents initially worried about acting as a career and steered her towards a regular high school. She later persuaded them to support her choice to study acting at university.

Siblings

Lim Ji-yeon has an older sister and a younger brother. Further details about them are yet to be updated.

Relationship Status	In a relationship
Boyfriend	Current: Lee Do-hyun (Actor) Ex: Lee Wook (W-Foundation chairman)
Parents	Father: Yet to be updated Mother: Yet to be updated
Siblings	One Older Sister and One Younger Brother

Lim Ji-yeon Career

Lim Ji-yeon’s career did not follow a straight line upwards. She burst out with a bold film debut, spent years proving herself against doubts about her acting, and then reinvented herself so completely with one villain role that audiences started seeing her in a whole new light.

Short Films and a Daring Debut (2011 to 2014)

Lim Ji-yeon began acting while still at university, appearing in short and independent films. Her first credit was the short film Dear Catastrophe (2011), followed by shorts such as Poker Face Girl (2012), Just You (2013) and When September Ends (2013).

In 2013, while still a student, she landed the female lead in director Kim Dae-woo’s erotic period romance Obsessed. She played Jong Ga-heun, the wife of a young officer, who becomes the object of a forbidden love affair with a decorated colonel played by Song Seung-heon.

The film opened in May 2014 and turned the unknown newcomer into one of the most searched names in Korean cinema. Her performance swept Best New Actress at the Grand Bell Awards, the Buil Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, a rare triple crown that earned her the nickname “Chungmuro Cinderella” in the local press.

Television Debut and Rising Recognition (2015 to 2017)

In 2015, she played the ambitious concubine Dan-hee in director Min Kyu-dong’s period film The Treacherous, opposite Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Kang-woo.

That June, she made her small screen debut in SBS’s High Society as Lee Ji-yi, a bubbly woman who falls for a chaebol heir. The drama starred Uee, Sung Joon, and Park Hyung-sik. The role won her the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards and Best New Actress at both the Korea Drama Awards and the APAN Star Awards.

In 2016, she joined SBS’s historical drama The Royal Gambler as Dam-seo, a sword-wielding woman raised only to kill the king. She shared the screen with Jang Keun-suk, Yeo Jin-goo, Choi Min-soo and Jeon Kwang-ryul. She also made a short cameo in SBS’s The Doctors as a favour to writer Ha Myung-hee, who had written High Society.

Later in 2016, she starred in the comedy film Luck Key with Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Joon. She then headlined MBC’s weekend drama Blow Breeze as Kim Mi-poong, a cheerful North Korean defector, opposite Son Ho-jun and Han Joo-wan. The role brought her the Excellence Award at the 2016 MBC Drama Awards.

Lead Roles and Steady Growth (2018 to 2021)

In 2019, Lim Ji-yeon returned to television with MBC’s fantasy romantic comedy Welcome 2 Life, playing detective Ra Si-on opposite Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) and Kwak Si-yang. The role earned her the Top Excellence Award at the 2019 MBC Drama Awards. The same year, she played Young-mi in the crime film Tazza: One Eyed Jack, led by Park Jung-min.

In May 2020, she signed with Artist Company, the agency founded by Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung.

In 2021, she played Moon Jin-ah, the lover of Yoon Kye-sang’s character, in the action thriller Spiritwalker, which also starred Park Yong-woo. The role earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Grand Bell Awards.

That December, the romantic comedy The Magic, which she had filmed back in 2017, finally premiered on Seezn, with Lim as So Joong-hee opposite Sung Joon.

The Glory and a Career Rebirth (2022 to 2023)

In 2022, she starred with Yoon Kyun-sang in TVING’s mystery thriller Rose Mansion. That December, she joined Part 2 of Netflix’s Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area as Seoul, a brand-new character who did not exist in the Spanish original, alongside Yoo Ji-tae, Park Hae-soo and Jeon Jong-seo.

Then came the role that changed everything. In December 2022, Netflix released The Glory, written by Kim Eun-sook, in which Lim played Park Yeon-jin, a wealthy weather presenter who had led the brutal bullying of the heroine Moon Dong-eun in high school. It was her first-ever villain role.

The cast included Song Hye-kyo as Dong-eun, Lee Do-hyun, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon and Jung Sung-il as Yeon-jin’s husband. Part 2 followed in March 2023, and her cold, spoiled and furious Yeon-jin became one of the most talked-about villains of the year.

The shift in how people saw her was dramatic. For years, criticism of her acting had followed her since her debut, and The Glory finally shook that label off. She won Best Supporting Actress at both the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Series Awards in 2023.

She did not rest on that success. In June 2023, she played Chu Sang-eun, a pregnant woman trapped in an abusive marriage, in Genie TV and ENA’s thriller Lies Hidden in My Garden. Kim Tae-hee led the drama with Kim Sung-oh and Choi Jae-rim. Critics praised how far the role was from Yeon-jin. The role later earned her a first Baeksang nomination for Best Actress.

In August 2023, she also starred in SBS’s crime drama The Killing Vote as police officer Joo Hyeon, alongside Park Hae-jin and Park Sung-woong.

Leading Lady Era (2024 to 2025)

In August 2024, she played the mysterious Jeong Yoon-sun in director Oh Seung-uk’s crime film Revolver, opposite Jeon Do-yeon and Ji Chang-wook. The role won her Best Supporting Actress at the Buil Film Awards and Best Actor at the London East Asia Film Festival.

That November, she headlined JTBC’s historical drama The Tale of Lady Ok as Goo-deok, a runaway slave who takes on the identity of a noblewoman named Ok Tae-young and works as a legal advocate in Joseon. She starred opposite Choo Young-woo, who also played a dual role. It became her first solo lead in more than a decade of acting, peaking at 13.6% in ratings.

In January 2025, she joined tvN’s variety show Fresh off the Sea 2. Then, in November 2025, she starred in tvN’s romantic comedy Nice to Not Meet You as Wi Jung-shin, a political reporter pushed to the entertainment desk, opposite Lee Jung-jae, with Kim Ji-hoon and Seo Ji-hye in supporting roles.

Recent and Upcoming Work (2026 to 2027)

On May 8, 2026, she premiered SBS’s fantasy romantic comedy My Royal Nemesis. She played Shin Seo-ri, an unknown actress possessed by the spirit of Kang Dan-sim, a notorious Joseon villainess, opposite Heo Nam-jun and Jang Seung-jo.

She has said she chose the drama mainly because it was a comedy, as she wanted something bright after many dark genre roles. In its first week, it became the first SBS drama to reach No. 1 on Netflix’s global chart for TV shows not in English, and critics hailed it as one of the most notable works of her career when it ended in June 2026.

Next, she will lead the drama Alike as Lee Eun-seok, another dual role. Written by Kim In-young and directed by Noh Young-seop, it is a modern revenge take on The Prince and the Pauper, about a struggling job seeker fired and even sent to prison in place of a company heir who looks just like her.

Hosting and Variety Shows

Lim Ji-yeon took over as host of MBC’s entertainment news show Section TV in August 2015. On her first live broadcast, she said she had watched the show since she was ten and always thought that seat belonged to her. The role won her an Excellence Award at the 2015 MBC Entertainment Awards.

She also hosted the opening ceremony of the 2018 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival with Choi Min-ho, and the 2019 Asia Artist Awards with Leeteuk, Ahn Hyo-seop and Nancy.

On variety TV, she went survival style in SBS’s Law of the Jungle in Indochina (2015) and joined Son Hyun-joo and Kim Jun-hyun on Son Hyun-joo’s Simple Station (2021). In SBS’s Besties in Wonderland (2022), she travelled to Australia with Lee Kyu-hyung, Lee Sang-yi, Lee Yoo-young, Suho and Cha Seo-won. In 2025, she joined Yum Jung-ah, Park Joon-myun and Lee Jae-wook on tvN’s Fresh off the Sea 2.

Lim Ji-yeon Filmography

Lim Ji-yeon’s body of work began with student short films and grew into more than a dozen television dramas and a string of feature films. Her roles swing widely, from a forbidden lover and a sword-wielding avenger to one of television’s most hated bullies and a Joseon villainess with a comic streak.

Lim Ji-yeon Movies

Year	Title	Role	IMDb
2014	Obsessed	Jong Ga-heun	6.3
2015	The Treacherous	Dan-hee	6.1
2016	Luck Key	Eun-joo	6.9
2019	Tazza: One Eyed Jack	Young-mi	6.1
2020	Spiritwalker	Moon Jin-ah	6.2
2024	Revolver	Jeong Yoon-sun	5.5

Lim Ji-yeon TV Shows

Year	Title	Role	Platform	IMDb
2015	High Society	Lee Ji-yi	Rakuten Viki	6.7
2016	The Royal Gambler	Dam-seo	Rakuten Viki	7.3
2016	Blow Breeze	Kim Seung-hee	Apple TV	7.4
2019	Welcome 2 Life	Ra Si-on	Prime Video	7.3
2022	Rose Mansion	Ji-na	TVING	6.6
2022	Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area	Seoul	Netflix	5.9
2022	The Glory	Park Yeon-jin	Netflix	8.2
2023	Lies Hidden in My Garden	Chu Sang-eun	Prime Video, Rakuten Viki	6.8
2023	The Killing Vote	Joo Hyeon	Prime Video	7.1
2024	The Tale of Lady Ok	Ok Tae-young	Prime Video	8.1
2025	Nice to Not Meet You	Wi Jung-shin	Prime Video	6.8
2026	My Royal Nemesis	Kang Dan-sim	Netflix	7.5

Lim Ji-yeon Upcoming Projects

Year	Title	Role
TBA	Alike	Lee Eun-seok

Lim Ji-yeon Awards and Achievements

Lim Ji-yeon’s trophy shelf filled up in two big waves. The first came in 2014 and 2015, when Obsessed and High Society made her the rookie of the year almost everywhere, and the second arrived after The Glory in 2023, when critics who once doubted her acting began handing her their top supporting honours.

Her Major Wins

• Grand Bell Awards (2014): Won Best New Actress for Obsessed (2014).
• Buil Film Awards (2014): Won Best New Actress for Obsessed (2014).
• Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (2014): Won Best New Actress for Obsessed (2014).
• Korean Film Actors’ Guild Awards (2015): Won Best New Actress for Obsessed (2014).
• Korea Drama Awards (2015): Won Best New Actress for High Society (2015).
• APAN Star Awards (2015): Won Best New Actress for High Society (2015).
• SBS Drama Awards (2015): Won the New Star Award for High Society (2015).
• MBC Entertainment Awards (2015): Won the Excellence Award in the Music and Talk category for hosting Section TV.
• MBC Drama Awards (2016): Won the Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama, for Blow Breeze (2016 to 2017).
• MBC Drama Awards (2019): Won the Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Monday and Tuesday Miniseries, for Welcome 2 Life (2019).
• Asia Artist Awards (2019): Won the AAA Best Emotive Award (Actor).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2023): Won Best Supporting Actress (Television) for The Glory (2022 to 2023). She ended her speech by cheering herself on with her character’s famous line, “You’re so cool, Yeon-jin.”
• Blue Dragon Series Awards (2023): Won Best Supporting Actress for The Glory (2022 to 2023).
• Asian Academy Creative Awards (2023): Won Best Actress in a Supporting Role, both as the Korea national winner and at the Grand Final, for The Glory (2022 to 2023).
• Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards (2023): Won Best Supporting Actress for The Glory (2022 to 2023).
• Kinolights Awards (2023): Won Best Actress for The Glory (2022 to 2023).
• Bechdel Day (2023): Named Actor of the Year by the Korean Film Directors Association for The Glory and Lies Hidden in My Garden (2023).
• Buil Film Awards (2024): Won Best Supporting Actress for Revolver (2024).
• London East Asia Film Festival (2024): Won Best Actor for Revolver (2024).
• Blue Dragon Film Awards (2024): Won the Popular Star Award.

Her Key Nominations

• Blue Dragon Film Awards (2014): Nominated for Best New Actress for Obsessed (2014).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2015): Nominated for Best New Actress (Film) for Obsessed (2014).
• MBC Drama Awards (2019): Nominated for the Grand Prize (Daesang) for Welcome 2 Life (2019), plus Best Couple with Jung Ji-hoon.
• Grand Bell Awards (2022): Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Spiritwalker (2021).
• SBS Drama Awards (2023): Nominated for the Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre and Action Drama, for The Killing Vote (2023).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2024): Nominated for Best Actress (Television) for Lies Hidden in My Garden (2023), her first ever Best Actress nod at the Baeksang.
• Blue Dragon Film Awards (2024): Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Revolver (2024).
• Asian Film Awards (2025): Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Revolver (2024).
• Baeksang Arts Awards (2025): Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Film) for Revolver (2024).
• Korea Drama Awards (2025): Nominated for the Top Excellence Award, Actress, for The Tale of Lady Ok (2024 to 2025).

Other Recognitions

• Gallup Korea (2023): Ranked 18th in the Television Actor of the Year poll.
• Forbes Korea (2024): Ranked 33rd on the Korea Power Celebrity 40 list.
• Cine21 (2025): Ranked 4th among female actors who delivered standout performances in 2024.
• Brand of the Year Awards (2023): Named Best Actress in the OTT category.
• Korea First Brand Awards (2024): Named Best Actress, Drama, for the Vietnam market.
• Elle Style Awards (2024): Won the Most Wanted award.
• Asia Model Awards (2019): Named Korean Model Star.
• Honorary Police Officer (2023): Appointed by the Seodaemun District Police in Seoul in May 2023, promoting public safety and drug crime prevention for two years.
• Brand Ambassador Roles: Named Loewe’s brand ambassador in February 2024, and chosen in July 2025 as the first ambassador of Hansung Motor’s Culture Voyage program for Mercedes-Maybach.
• Best Couple Award (2026): She and Heo Nam-jun won Best Couple at the 2026 “Naengbu Awards” from the cooking show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, for their chemistry in My Royal Nemesis (2026).

Lim Ji-yeon Controversies

Lim Ji-yeon has never been caught up in a scandal of her own making, such as legal trouble or misconduct allegations. The debates around her have mostly been about her acting in her early years and one moment at an awards show that split public opinion.

• Cheering for Jung Woo-sung at the Blue Dragon Film Awards (2024): At the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards on November 29, 2024, Jung Woo-sung, co-founder of her agency Artist Company, took the stage days after admitting he was the father of model Moon Ga-bi’s son and promised to take full responsibility as a father. Lim was seen cheering and clapping loudly as he spoke, and some netizens questioned whether his situation deserved such applause. The moment was later cited in a year-end poll of film reporters that criticised the actors who cheered him.
• The SBS mid-year awards snub debate (2026): At SBS’s first half awards on July 2, 2026, the drama prize for My Royal Nemesis went to her screen partner Heo Nam-jun and writer Kang Hyun-joo, while Lim was left out. Since the drama had been planned around her as the solo lead, fans and media called it a “passing” of the female lead. The criticism was aimed at the broadcaster rather than at Heo, whose award was widely seen as well-earned, and Lim herself made no public complaint.

Lim Ji-yeon Net Worth

Lim Ji-yeon’s net worth is estimated at around $1.5 million to $5 million (roughly ₹13 crore to ₹44 crore). This figure comes from online estimations rather than any official disclosure, since neither she nor her agency has ever revealed her earnings or her per-episode drama fees.

Most of her income comes from acting. Since 2022, she has led a steady run of dramas, films, and variety work.

Brand deals form her second big earning stream. She has fronted Amorepacific’s Hanyul skincare line, became Loewe’s brand ambassador in 2024, and in 2025 was named the first ambassador of Hansung Motor’s Culture Voyage program for Mercedes-Maybach.

Her rising profile since The Glory suggests her earnings have grown well beyond her early career years. She is also known for quiet generosity, donating ₩10 million (about $6,500) towards South Korea’s first ALS care hospital in 2023 and ₩50 million (about $33,000) for wildfire relief in March 2025.

Net Worth (Approx.)	$1.5 million to $5 million (₹13 crore to ₹44 crore)
Salary (Approx.)	Yet to be updated

Lim Ji-yeon Height, Weight and Physical Stats

Height	In centimetres: 167 cm In meters: 1.67 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 6 inches
Weight	In kg: 48 kg In lbs: 106 lbs
Body Measurements	34-24-35
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Dark Brown

Lim Ji-yeon Social Media

Instagram

@limjjy2

Interesting Facts about Lim Ji-yeon

• A Policeman’s Daughter: Her father is a former police officer. Years later, she wore the badge herself in a way, when Seoul’s Seodaemun District Police made her an honorary officer in 2023.
• Geumho-dong Through and Through: She was born and raised in Geumho-dong, Seoul, and lived with her parents there until she was 27. When she finally moved out, she didn’t go far, choosing a new home in the very same neighbourhood.
• “Yeon-jin” Even at Home: The Glory made her villain’s name so famous that she said it felt like her own name had changed. Even her mother started texting her as Yeon-jin, with messages like “Yeon-jin, I’ve made stew.”
• Not a Real Bully: Her Park Yeon-jin was so convincing that many people assumed she must have been a school bully herself. She has laughed it off, insisting she was such a plain and innocent student that she barely has any dramatic school memories at all.
• An Ideal Type From Her Own Set: On her very first day hosting Section TV in 2015, she named Ju Ji-hoon as her ideal type, the same actor she had starred alongside in The Treacherous that year.
• A Quiet Songwriter: Beyond acting, her hobbies include writing poems and songs, playing the guitar, and watching musicals and stage plays.
• The “Pretty” Meme: A clip of her repeatedly calling Ji Chang-wook “pretty” on a talk show went viral as a meme. She later protested that she’d been misunderstood, explaining that in her vocabulary, “pretty” is a compliment for someone’s whole heart and effort, not just their looks.

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