Beginnings Oh Yeon-seo made her entertainment debut in 2002 when she was 15-years-old under her birth name Oh Haet-nim, with the
SidusHQ-managed band
Luv. They released their first album,
Story, with the singles "Orange Girl" and "I Still Believe in You". The band was short-lived and disbanded six months later. Oh then shifted to acting and made her debut appearance in the 2003 drama
Sharp, but remained unknown.
2012–2013: Rising popularity Though she had a major role in the 2009 film
A Blood Pledge, it wasn't until she was cast in the family drama
My Husband Got a Family (2012) that she gained recognition. She then joined the popular variety program
We Got Married alongside MBLAQ's
Lee Joon. Towards the end of 2012, Oh was cast in daily drama
Here Comes Mr. Oh where she had her first lead role. In 2013, Oh played a thoracic resident surgeon in medical drama
Medical Top Team. She was appointed an ambassador for the first annual Animal Film Festival in
Suncheon along with
Kim Min-jun and
Kal So-won to help raise awareness for animal rights and welfare in August. Oh was also appointed a Red Cross Ambassador together with actor
Ryu Soo-young.
2014–present: Breakthrough and critical acclaim Oh played the lead role of Jang Bo-ri, a compassionate and selfless person, in the highly acclaimed series
Jang Bo-ri is Here! (2014). The drama's ratings peaked at 40.4%, and led to a surge in popularity for Oh. She had a hard time playing the character as she grew up in Gyeongsang-do but her character had to speak the Jeolla-do dialect, which she had never used in her entire life. In 2015, Oh played Shin Yool, the last princess of
Balhae, in the historical drama
Shine or Go Crazy, co-starring
Jang Hyuk. The series was a modest hit, and topped ratings in its timeslot throughout its run. Oh then starred alongside
Rain in the
SBS drama
Come Back Mister, which aired from February to April 2016. She played Han Hong-nan, a male character reincarnated in a female's body. Oh was praised for her chemistry with co-star
Lee Ha-nui, whom she has acted with in her previous project
Shine or Go Crazy. She also impressed viewers through her comedic portrayal of her masculine role. The same year, she starred in
Take Off 2, the sequel to the 2009 movie
Take Off where she plays a member of the first South Korean woman's national ice hockey team. In 2017, Oh starred in the
historical drama remake of the 2001 box office hit
My Sassy Girl alongside
Joo Won. In August 2017, Oh signed with new management agency Celltrion Entertainment. The same year, she was cast in tvN's fantasy romantic comedy/tragedy drama
A Korean Odyssey, written by the
Hong sisters. In 2018, Oh starred in the film adaptation of the
Cheese in the Trap alongside
Park Hae-jin, who also played the role of Yoo Jung in the drama. In 2019, Oh was cast in the romantic comedy drama
Love with Flaws. In October 2019, Oh re-signed with
SidusHQ. In 2021, Oh was cast in the web drama
Mad for Each Other which premiered on May 24 alongside
Jung Woo. Later in November 2021, Oh officially signed with Story J Company. In 2022, she was cast in
Café Minamdang as Han Jae-hui, a third-year homicide detective, alongside
Seo In-guk. later in the same year Oh has returned to the big screen, with the film
Men of Plastic, which will be released in November with
Ma Dong-seok,
Jung Kyung-ho and
Oh Na-ra. In 2026, Oh starred in
Channel A's
romantic comedy television series
Positively Yours opposite
Choi Jin-hyuk. It is based on the
Naver Webtoon of the same name by Lee Jung about a couple averse to marriage until a one-night stand changes their plans. ==Personal life==