Beginning Lee's transition from photography to the performing arts began with a role in a short film directed by a colleague who had transferred from photography to film studies. In 2005, Lee made her professional acting debut in the musical
Five Drawings of Love. Originally cast as an understudy, she performed the role for one month due to the absence of a lead actor. In 2008, Lee auditioned for the musical
Laundry after seeing
Lee Jung-eun's portray the role of the grandmother. She successfully secured the part for the following season and remained with the production for three years. During this time, Lee participated in several other stage works, including
Roberto Zucco, directed by Oh Kyung-taek;
Almost, Maine, directed by
Yi Sang-woo; and
Comrades of the Century Wind, directed by Kim Soo-jin. Lee also collaborated with director Kim Dong-hyun on the play
Beeul (
Punishment). She has noted that the director's guidance during this production was a significant factor in her professional development. During rehearsals, Kim encouraged her to explore dramatic nuances beyond the comedic expressions she was primarily known for, an experience she describes as a lasting influence on her acting philosophy. Lee first met director Park Geun-hyung at the Namsan Drama Center while he was preparing
Jeon Myeong-chul Biography. This initial encounter led to their collaboration. Subsequently, Lee participated when the Alleyway theater company decided to stage
Ode to Youth for their 10th anniversary. Following this, she officially joined the Alleyway theater company and appeared in July performance of
Jeon Myeong-chul Biography. It was followed by lead role in youth drama
Red Bus, written and directed by Park Geun-hyung. In 2013, Lee began her acting career in television. Her first role was as a college friend of Na-jung (played by
Go Ara) in
tvN drama
Reply 1994. Despite a brief appearance, she made a lasting impression as a college student from Yeosu who engaged in whose hometown was better dispute with Hae-tae (played by
Son Ho-jun) from
Suncheon. In 2014, she starred in Park Geun-hyung's play,
Manchurian Front, which explored the lives of young Koreans in
Manchuria around 1940. Set in Xingjing (modern-day Changchun, China), the play followed students who met to discuss literature, history, and their shared ambition of achieving wealth and honor in Manchuria, aspiring to live like the Japanese. The play ran at Small Theater Siwol and was critically acclaimed, earning a spot as one of the BEST 7 performances of 2014 by the Korean Theater Company. She reprised her role in
Manchurian Front when it served as the opening performance for the 2015 Seoul Theater Festival at the Daehakro Jayu Theater. In 2015, Lee acted in play
The House of Bernarda Alba. Lee landed her first supporting role in 2015 as Mi-ran in the JTBC drama
Songgot: The Piercer, which starred
Ji Hyun-woo and
Ahn Nae-sang. The drama was based Choi Kyu-seok's webtoon
Awl, inspired by a true story from 2007. This was followed by minor film roles including
A Matter of Interpretation (2015),
Girl On the Edge (2015),
Life is but an Empty (2015). In the
Jang Hoon's
A Taxi Driver (2017), Lee played a pregnant woman who received a free ride from taxi driver Kim Man-seop (played by
Song Kang-ho). In 2017 Lee signed exclusive contract with C-JeS Entertainment. This was followed by her appearance as Katya in the Korean premiere of the play ''Valentine's Day'', a work by Golden Mask Award-winning artist Ivan Vymilfayev, at Jayu Small Theater until January 14, 2018. In 2018, Lee appeared in the drama
Life on Mars. She also played the older sister who informed Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in) that Haemi (Jeon Jong-seo) was a liar when he was searching for her in Lee Chang-dong's film
Burning (2018).
Critical acclaim and further recognition In 2019, Lee appeared in several film and television projects, including the dramas
When the Devil Calls Your Name and
Melting Me Softly. In the film
Birthday, she portrayed Jeong-suk, a relative providing support to the protagonists (
Sul Kyung-gu) and Soon-nam (
Jeon Do-yeon) following the loss of their son. She also appeared as the third older sister of Yong-nam (
Jo Jung-seok) in the action film
Exit, which recorded over 10 million admissions at the box office. Lee gained wider recognition for her role in
Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, film starring
Jung Yu-mi and
Gong Yoo. Based on the million-seller
novel of the same name by
Cho Nam-Joo, it was released on October 23, 2019. She portrayed Hye-soo, a character who encourages the protagonist's professional aspirations and assists in her return to the workforce. Her performance was noted for its portrayal of a supportive peer providing practical guidance to the titular character. Lee has been a frequent cast member in productions staged by the
National Theater Company of Korea. In 2020, she was cast as Princess Hamlet in the
gender-blind production of
Shakespeare's
Hamlet for the
National Theater Company's 70th anniversary. For this role, she won the
57th Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actress in a Play. In 2021, Lee collaborated with director
Yoo Je-won and actress
Shin Min-a in the
tvN series
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. She played Yeo Hwa-jung, a seafood restaurant owner and the village chief of Gongjin. In the series, her character is a divorcée co-parenting their son Yi-jun with her ex-husband, Jang Young-guk (
In Gyo-jin), and serves as the landlady for Yoon Hye-jin (
Shin Min-a). Later that year, Lee appeared as Hwang Ma-jin in the
JTBC drama
Only One Person. In November 2021, following the expiration of her previous contract, Lee signed an exclusive agreement with AM Entertainment. In 2022, she acted as Deaconess Jung, Yo-hwan's church figure (portrayed by
Hwang Jung-min) in the Netflix Original Series
Narco-Saints. Also in 2022, Lee starred in her first film leading role opposite Lee Han-seo in director Jang Seon-hee's independent film
Two Woman. The film depicted a chance encounter between a young girl delivering newspapers and a woman putting up flyers to find her lost child. It premiered at the 48th Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF). In 2023, Lee reunited with director Yoo Je-won and Jeon Do-yeon in the romantic-comedy TV series
Crash Course in Romance, portraying Kim Young-joo, the best friend of Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon). Her performance was noted for complementing Jeon's acting. This was followed by a role in
Destined With You. In 2024, Lee made a special appearance in
Yoo Je-won's drama
Love Next Door and acted as an announcer in the film
I, the Executioner. In 2025, she made a special appearance in
Kim Won-seok's drama
When Life Gives You Tangerines, written by
Lim Sang-choon. Also in 2025, she starred in the
tvN drama
Resident Playbook, a spin-off of
Hospital Playlist, where she was cast as Seo Jeong-min, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Jongno Yulje Hospital. Despite
a one-year delay, the drama was successful, earning Lee a reward trip to Bali with the cast and crew. == Personal life ==