A graduate of Kaywon High School of the Arts, Kim made her acting debut in 1992. She worked as a television actress for over a decade before branching out into film, saying in an interview that, "I was getting older by the second, and I hated becoming complacent." In 2005, Kim made her first big screen appearance with a leading role in
Lee Yoon-ki's
This Charming Girl, a character study of a twenty-something single woman working at a post office. The film was well received by critics, and Kim herself was singled out for praise, with
The Japan Times commenting, "Kim's performance is a masterful balance of understatedness and open-wounded vulnerability." Kim won Best Actress at the
Singapore International Film Festival, In 2006 Kim appeared in several films, first with
Jo Jae-hyun in the melodrama
Romance, though she was publicly critical about the lack of depth to her character. In October 2006, she portrayed a victim of the
Sampoong Department Store collapse in
Traces of Love, which was selected as the opening film of the 11th
Pusan International Film Festival. In November 2006, Kim starred opposite
Han Suk-kyu in the romantic drama
Solace, receiving a nomination for Best Actress at the
Korean Film Awards. Her turn as a complex
antiheroine garnered praise, and she won a Top Excellence Award in Acting at the year-end
KBS Drama Awards and a nomination for Best TV Actress at the
Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2010 she starred in her first historical series
The King of Legend which focuses on
Geunchogo, the 13th ruler of
Baekje. Shortly before the drama's premiere, Kim was involved in a drunken hit-and-run accident (this was her second offense; her first
DUI was in 2000 for which she lost her license). Amidst a wave of complaints demanding that she be fired from the drama, broadcast station
KBS stuck by the actress, and Kim released an official apology and paid the fine of . She was later listed among the top 10 highest-paid entertainers on KBS for the year 2011, with a salary of . Starring roles followed in
Love Again (2012) and
One Warm Word (2013). When asked in an interview if she would consider appearing nude onscreen, Kim replied, "I don't want to take nude scenes to prove my passion for acting, which I have always had." In November 2020, Kim signed with new agency Lead Entertainment. In November 2022, Kim left Lead Entertainment and signed with new agency IOK Company. == Personal life ==