Early career Kim participated in the 1992 Miss Gangwon Pageant and made her acting debut as a KBS talent in 1994.
Breakthrough role She gained recognition for her portrayal as the evil mistress Shin Ae-ri in the
SBS revenge drama
Temptation of Wife which marked a significant shift in her career. Subsequently, she appeared in various dramas and movies, showcasing her talent in diverse roles. In 2014, she earned the award for Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film at the 3rd Madrid International Film Festival for her performance in the film
Late Spring. She also gained international attention for her role in
The Villainess, which had its world premiere at the
70th Cannes Film Festival in May 2017.
Career resurgence In the 2018 series
Sky Castle, Kim Seo-hyung plays Coach Kim, a ruthless college entrance exam private tutor for wealthy families in an exclusive neighborhood. Coach Kim is known for her perfect success rate in getting students into top universities and uses psychological pressure to manipulate parents and children. Her character is driven by a dark past and a desire for revenge against society. She represents the damaging effects of South Korea's elite education system. In 2022, Kim starred in her first OTT drama
Recipe for Farewell, which was based on the autobiographical essay book
It Might Be a Little Spicy Today (오늘은 좀 매울지도 몰라) by Kang Chang-rae, which was published in 2018. Kim took on the role of Jung Da-jung, an independent woman who is the head of a small book publishing company in Seoul. The series centers around her poignant journey after she is diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. Facing difficulties eating due to her condition, she makes an extraordinary request to her estranged husband, Kang Chang-wook (played by
Han Suk-kyu), a humanities lecturer who only knows how to cook ramen: she asks him to cook for her every day. Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards. In the independent film Vinyl House (also known as "Greenhouse"), Kim played the leading role of Moon-jung, a dedicated caregiver for a blind couple, Tae-kang and Hwa-ok, who also has dementia. Moon-jung lives in a vinyl house and dreams of finding a proper home for herself and her son. The film explores the difficult choices she makes after one of her elderly charges dies in an accident. Kim's performance in this challenging role earned her seven Best Actress nominations, winning six awards, including one at the 27th Busan International Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the 2023 Buil Film Awards. ==Filmography==