I. Introduction
Kim Sang-eun (Korean: 김상은; born August 6, 1978), known professionally as Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress and singer. She rose to fame with her breakout role in the television drama The Legend (2007), and has since further participated in Beethoven Virus (2008), Athena: Goddess of War (2010), Me Too, Flower! (2011), Thrice Married Woman (2013), and The Penthouse: War in Life (2020-present).
II. Career
III. 2007–2013
In 2007, Lee made her acting debut in the fantasy television series The Legend opposite Bae Yong-joon. The high-profile, big-budget production shot Lee instantly to stardom. At the year-end MBC Drama Awards, Lee won the Best New Actress award, Popularity award, and Best Couple award (with Bae). She again won Best New Actress for TV at the Baeksang Arts Awards a year later. She then starred in 2008's Beethoven Virus wherein Lee played a violinist who gets diagnosed with a disease that results in complete hearing loss. She was next cast in Style, a TV series based on the 2008 chick lit novel of the same title. Inspired by The Devil Wears Prada, Lee played a hardworking assistant to a perfectionist fashion magazine editor played by Kim Hye-soo. She next starred in the Korean-Japanese romance film The Relation of Face, Mind and Love alongside Kang Ji-hwan, which marks her big-screen debut. In late 2009, she joined the seven-part "Telecinema" series, which brought together Korean stars and directors, and Japanese writers. Each "telecinema" was released in movie theaters and also aired on television on SBS. Lee then co-starred along Jung Woo-sung, Cha Seung-won and Soo Ae in the 2010 spy series Athena: Goddess of War, a spin-off to 2009's Iris.
In 2011, she starred in the television drama Me Too, Flower!, playing an ill-tempered police officer who falls in love with a young millionaire masquerading as a parking attendant. When Lee's five-year contract with Bae's agency KeyEast expired on December 31, 2011 she signed with Will Entertainment in March 2012. In 2013, she took on the leading role in Thrice Married Woman.
IIII. 2014–present
In April 2014, Lee signed with a new management agency, HB Entertainment.This was followed by a three-picture contract with Hollywood indie outfit Maybach Film Productions as a screenwriter. In 2015, Lee starred in the two-episode fantasy drama Snow Lotus Flower. In 2016, Lee made her big screen comeback in the action thriller film Musudan. In May 2016, Lee left HB Entertainment and signed with new management agency BH Entertainment. In 2018, after a three-year hiatus, Lee made her return to the small screen in the melodrama My Mister.[36] The same year, she was cast in the horror mystery drama The Ghost Detective. From 2020-Present, she has appeared in TV series The Penthouse: War in Life aired on SBS TV.
III. Discography
IIII. Digital Singles
[2008.12.24] Love Virus (러브 바이러스)
[2009.08.14] Keobkeikgwa Oegyein (컵케익과 외계인)
[2010.10.04] The Vampire Romance
IV. Filmography
IVI. Television series
2007 The Legend Sujini / Saeoh on MBC
2008 Beethoven Virus Du Ru-mi on SBS
2009 Style Lee Seo-jung on SBS
2010 Athena: Goddess of War Han Jae-hee on MBC
2011 Me Too, Flower! Cha Bong-sun on MBC
2013 Thrice Married Woman Oh Eun-soo on SBS
2015 Drama Special: Snow Lotus Flower Han Yeon-woo on SBS
2018 My Mister Kang Yoon-hee on tvN
The Ghost Detective Sun Woo-hye on KBS2
2020–present The Penthouse: War in Life Shim Su-ryeon / Na Ae-kyo on SBS
IVII. Film
2009 The Relation of Face, Mind and Love
2011 Athena: The Movie
2016 Musudan
IVIII. Music video
2010 Please Come Back to Me by Vibe
