Nam Ji-hyun is a South Korean actress who quite literally grew up in front of the camera. She was born on September 17, 1995 (30 years old) in Incheon, South Korea.
She first appeared on television at the age of nine and spent her childhood playing the younger versions of leading ladies, before turning into one of the most trusted lead actresses in Korean drama.
Nam earned early love as a child artist in shows like East of Eden (2008) and Queen Seondeok (2009). As an adult, she led hits such as Shopping King Louie (2016), Suspicious Partner (2017), and 100 Days My Prince (2018).
She later won wide praise for Little Women (2022) and the legal drama Good Partner (2024). For Good Partner, she won the Top Excellence Award for Actress at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards.
Quick Facts of Nam Ji-hyun
| Full Name | Nam Ji-hyun |
| Profession | Actress |
| Age | 30 years old |
| Date of Birth | September 17, 1995 |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Zodiac/Sun Sign | Virgo |
| Birthplace | Incheon, South Korea |
| Current Address | Yet to be updated |
| Gender | Female |
Nam Ji-hyun Early Life and Education
Nam Ji-hyun was born in Incheon, South Korea. When she was around six years old, her family shifted to the Bupyeong District of the city.
She stepped into the spotlight very young. According to interviews, her mother applied for her to appear on a radio programme, and a drama producer noticed her from there, which slowly opened the door to acting.
Education
Nam attended Baekun Elementary School and Sangjeong Middle School, and later studied at Incheon Choeun High School.
In 2014, she gained admission to Sogang University as a Psychology major through regular admissions. She completed her degree in February 2020, balancing her studies with a busy acting career.
| School | Baekun Elementary School; Sangjeong Middle School; Incheon Choeun High School |
| Alma Mater | Sogang University |
| Highest Qualification | Graduate (Psychology) |
Nam Ji-hyun Personal Life
Nam Ji-hyun is known for keeping her private life very quiet, and she has built one of the cleaner public images in the Korean entertainment industry.
Relationship Status and Rumours
As of now, Nam Ji-hyun is unmarried and has not publicly confirmed any relationship. She has often said in interviews that a person like Noh Ji-wook, the character played by Ji Chang-wook in Suspicious Partner, is close to her ideal type.
Because of their warm on-screen pairing, fans have long linked her romantically with Ji Chang-wook. However, neither actor has ever confirmed any real-life relationship, and these remain online rumours only.
So, her current relationship status is single, and further details are yet to be updated.
Family
Nam Ji-hyun has mostly kept her family away from the public eye. Her mother is often credited in interviews for helping her enter the industry as a child, though her name has not been made public.
The name and professions of her parents and siblings are yet to be updated.
| Relationship Status | Single |
| Boyfriend | Yet to be updated |
| Parents | Yet to be updated |
| Siblings | Yet to be updated |
Nam Ji-hyun Career
Nam Ji-hyun began acting in 2004 and is one of the rare Korean stars who moved from child roles to leading lady status without a break in between. She has worked across MBC, SBS, KBS, tvN, and streaming platforms.
Child Actress Years (2004 to 2012)
Nam made her acting debut in 2004 with the MBC series Say You Love Me. In 2005, she made her film debut in Shadowless Sword, playing the younger version of a character led by Yoon So-yi.
In 2006, she took a lead child role in the film My Captain, Mr. Underground alongside Lee Do-kyung, and won the Best Young Actress award for the SBS drama My Love.
In 2007, she played the young version of a character led by Jang Jin-young in the SBS drama Lobbyist. In 2008, she appeared in The Great King, Sejong, portraying the young Queen Soheon, later played by Lee Yoon-ji.
The same year, she gained real recognition as the childhood version of Kim Ji-hyun in East of Eden, whose adult role was played by Han Ji-hye.
In 2009, she played the young Deok-man in the hit historical drama Queen Seondeok, the childhood version of Lee Yo-won’s character. She also featured in Will It Snow for Christmas? as the teenage Han Ji-wan, with the adult roles later played by Han Ye-seul and Go Soo.
In 2011, she starred in the film A Reason to Live alongside Song Hye-kyo. In 2012, she headlined the one-act drama Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol, and made a special appearance in To the Beautiful You with Lee Hyun-woo.
Transition to Adult Roles (2013 to 2014)
In 2013, Nam made a key shift with the film Hwayi: A Monster Boy, where she played Yu-kyung opposite Yeo Jin-goo. In 2014, she appeared in Angel Eyes as the younger Yoon Soo-wan, sharing the screen with Kang Ha-neul, while the adult roles went to Koo Hye-sun and Lee Sang-yoon.
That same year, she played Kang Seo-wool in the family drama What Happens to My Family? opposite Park Hyung-sik. Their chemistry won them the Best Couple award, and Nam also received the Best New Actress prize.
Rise as a Leading Actress (2016 to 2018)
In 2016, Nam headlined the MBC romantic comedy Shopping King Louie as Ko Bok-shil, alongside Seo In-guk, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Im Se-mi. This was her first true lead role as an adult actress.
The same year, she appeared in the film Tunnel with Ha Jung-woo, and in the period film The Map Against the World with Cha Seung-won.
In 2017, she starred as Eun Bong-hee in the SBS legal drama Suspicious Partner alongside Ji Chang-wook. In 2018, she led the historical romance 100 Days My Prince opposite Doh Kyung-soo of EXO, Han So-hee, and Kim Seon-ho, a drama that became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable history.
Range and Streaming Work (2020 to 2024)
In 2020, Nam played the perfectionist webtoon writer Shin Ga-hyun in the thriller 365: Repeat the Year, sharing the screen with Lee Joon-hyuk. In 2021, she led the fantasy series The Witch’s Diner with Song Ji-hyo, Ahn Eun-jin and Chae Jong-hyeop.
In 2022, she joined Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hu as one of three sisters in the acclaimed series Little Women, playing the sharp reporter Oh In-kyung. In 2023, she led the school thriller High Cookie with Choi Hyun-wook and Kim Moo-yeol.
In 2024, she returned to network television with the SBS legal drama Good Partner, playing rookie lawyer Han Yu-ri alongside Jang Na-ra, Kim Jun-han, and Pyo Ji-hoon.
Recent and Upcoming Work (2026)
In early 2026, Nam returned to historical drama for the first time in eight years with the KBS2 series To My Beloved Thief, playing Hong Eun-jo opposite Moon Sang-min.
Her upcoming project is the TVING series Make Me Tremble, where she plays Yeon Su alongside Kim Jae-young.
Nam Ji-hyun Awards and Achievements
Nam Ji-hyun has collected awards at every stage of her career, first as a child actress and later as a leading lady. She holds multiple Best Young Actress trophies, followed by New Actress and Excellence honours from MBC, SBS, and KBS.
Her Major Wins
- SBS Drama Awards (2006): Won Best Young Actress for My Love (2006).
- MBC Drama Awards (2008): Won Best Young Actress for East of Eden (2008).
- MBC Drama Awards (2009): Won Best Young Actress for Queen Seondeok (2009).
- KBS Drama Awards (2012): Won Best Young Actress for Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol (2012).
- KBS Drama Awards (2014): Won Best New Actress and Best Couple Award, with Park Hyung-sik, for What Happens to My Family? (2014).
- Asia Artist Awards (2016): Won Best Entertainer Award, Actress, for Shopping King Louie (2016).
- MBC Drama Awards (2016): Won Best New Actress for Shopping King Louie (2016).
- SBS Drama Awards (2017): Won Excellence Award, Actress, for Suspicious Partner (2017).
- Dong-A.com’s Pick (2018): Won Next Generation Noteworthy Actress.
- MBC Drama Awards (2020): Won Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Monday to Tuesday Miniseries, for 365: Repeat the Year (2020).
- Daejeon Special FX Festival (2024): Won Best Actress for High Cookie (2023).
- Korea Consumer Agency Culture and Entertainment Awards (2024): Won Actor of the Year for Good Partner (2024).
- SBS Drama Awards (2024): Won Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries, Humanity and Fantasy Drama, for Good Partner (2024).
Her Key Nominations
- SBS Drama Awards (2007): Nominated for Best Young Actress for Lobbyist (2007).
- Buil Film Awards (2012): Nominated for Best New Actress for A Reason to Live (2011).
- Blue Dragon Film Awards (2013): Nominated for Best New Actress for Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013).
- Baeksang Arts Awards (2015): Nominated for Best New Actress, Television, for What Happens to My Family? (2014).
- MBC Drama Awards (2016): Nominated for Best Couple Award, with Seo In-guk, for Shopping King Louie (2016).
- Korea Drama Awards (2017): Nominated for Excellence Award, Actress, for Suspicious Partner (2017).
- SBS Drama Awards (2017): Nominated for Best Couple Award, with Ji Chang-wook, for Suspicious Partner (2017).
- SBS Drama Awards (2018): Nominated for Popularity Award, Actress.
- MBC Drama Awards (2020): Nominated for Best Couple Award, with Lee Joon-hyuk, for 365: Repeat the Year (2020).
Nam Ji-hyun Controversies
Nam Ji-hyun has kept a remarkably clean public image throughout her career and has never been at the centre of a personal scandal. The few issues linked to her name come from dating rumours and from remarks made by others about her.
Dating rumours with Ji Chang-wook (2017): After the two shared very affectionate moments on social media during the run of Suspicious Partner in 2017, fans widely speculated that they were a real couple. Ji Chang-wook later addressed the talk directly and called the dating rumour completely groundless, clarifying that they had simply worked hard together on the drama.
Resurfaced Kim Soo-hyun remarks (2025): In 2025, a 2010 interview resurfaced in which actor Kim Soo-hyun spoke about working with Nam Ji-hyun on Will It Snow for Christmas? when she was 15, referring to her as his girl and as a fox in a playful sense while praising her acting. The comments drew online backlash amid a separate controversy involving Kim Soo-hyun. The criticism was aimed at his choice of words, not at Nam Ji-hyun.
Nam Ji-hyun Net Worth
Nam Ji-hyun’s net worth has not been officially declared by her or her agency. Because of this, the figures found online are only estimates.
Her net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 million to $5 million (approx. ₹12 crore to ₹42 crore). Her main income comes from acting projects and brand endorsements.
Her exact per-project fee is not reliably published, so it is yet to be updated.
| Net Worth in Dollars (Approx.) | $1.5 million to $5 million (approx. ₹12 crore to ₹42 crore) |
| Salary (Approx.) | Yet to be updated |
Nam Ji-hyun Height, Weight and Physical Stats
| Height | In centimetres: 165 cm In meters: 1.65 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 5 inches |
| Weight | In kg: 50 kg In lbs: 110 lbs |
| Body Measurements | 34-24-34 inches |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
Nam Ji-hyun Social media
 @hyuniiiiiii_95917 |
Interesting Facts about Nam Ji-hyun
- She is a big cat lover and runs a dedicated Instagram account for her pet cats, Tancoo, Mone, and Uyu.
- Before her official debut, she worked as a child magazine model and appeared on the MBC show Radio Report.
- In 2010, she had a role in the film Mr. Go and trained in Chinese and circus skills for a year, but her part was later cancelled due to production changes.
- She appeared in the 2015 music video for the song Shaking by Taeil of the group Block B.
- She was academically strong in school and has said she topped her middle school and high school before entering Sogang University.
- In 2010, she took part in the Hope Tree Campaign by the NGO Good Neighbors and donated part of her modelling fees to support underprivileged children.
- Her agency, Management Soop, also represents big names like Gong Yoo, Bae Suzy, and Nam Joo-hyuk.
FAQs
How old is Nam Ji-hyun?
She is 30 years old. She was born on September 17, 1995, in Incheon, South Korea.
What is Nam Ji-hyun famous for?
She is known for Korean dramas like Shopping King Louie (2016), Suspicious Partner (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), Little Women (2022), and Good Partner (2024).
Who is the boyfriend of Nam Ji-hyun?
She is currently single and has not confirmed any relationship. Rumours about Ji Chang-wook remain unverified.
What is the education of Nam Ji-hyun?
She graduated from Sogang University with a degree in Psychology in 2020.
What awards has Nam Ji-hyun won?
She has won several honours, including the Top Excellence Award at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards for Good Partner.
Is Nam Ji-hyun the same as the 4Minute singer?
No. The actress and the former 4Minute member share the same name but are different people.
What is the latest drama of Nam Ji-hyun?
She starred in To My Beloved Thief in early 2026 and has the TVING series Make Me Tremble coming up.
