2013–2018: Career beginnings Kim debuted as an actress in the 2013
KBS2 TV Novel's
Samsaengi, playing the teenage version of a supporting character. After gaining recognition for her role in the 2014
OCN's crime thriller
Bad Guys, Kim focused on her studies and only took minor roles to avoid affecting her academic performance, as she had received a full scholarship in 2015 to
Konkuk University. Her significant role during this period was a supporting character in the 2017 mystery thriller film
Memoir of a Murderer. 2019–2021: Rising popularity and transition to lead roles '' in 2019|left|210x210pxLeading up to her college graduation in February 2019, Kim began auditioning for more prominent roles. She successfully landed the role of Kang Ye-seo in
JTBC's
satirical drama
Sky Castle, being selected from a pool of 200 applicants. The drama's success contributed to her rising popularity and earned her the
Best New Actress award at the
55th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2019, Kim starred as the protagonist for the first time with
MBC's school fantasy drama
Extraordinary You, based on the
Daum webtoon July Found by Chance. She received further recognition, winning both New and Excellence Actress at the
MBC Drama Awards. During the same year, she was cast as one of the lead in the psychological thriller film
Midnight. Kim received her first leading film role in the 2020 production
The Girl on a Bulldozer. In the same year, she also confirmed to star in the 2021 pre-produced JTBC's television series
Snowdrop, in which she reunited with the production team of hit drama
Sky Castle. In April 2021, Kim received the offer to star in
tvN's historical procedural drama
Secret Royal Inspector & Joy. The television series premiered ahead of
Snowdrop.
2022–present: Breakthrough in 2022|231x231px In 2022,
The Girl on a Bulldozer was released theatrically, and Kim's performance as Goo Hye-young has received critical acclaim and garnered her several awards from award ceremonies such as the
Blue Dragon Film Awards and
Grand Bell Awards for Best New Actress, as well as the
Rising Star Asia Award at the
New York Asian Film Festival. Notably, Kim was also nominated for the
Best New Actress Film category at the
59th Baeksang Arts Awards. With the film's success, Kim earned a total of ten nominations, winning six of them. Her achievements were further recognized by
Forbes, which featured her in their
Forbes 30 Under 30 list. After focusing on the promotion and production of her two films
The Girl on a Bulldozer and
Ditto throughout 2022, Kim returned to the
small screen with 2024 tvN's
time slip drama
Lovely Runner. Her performance in the series garnered praise from both critics and audiences, with media outlets describing her as an "Actress You Can Trust" within the Korean entertainment industry. The role earned her first ever nomination for
Best Actress category at the
61st Baeksang Arts Awards. She was also placed 30th under
Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list. In 2024, Kim was cast in the
SBS‘s fantasy drama
No Tail to Tell, which aired in January 2026. She subsequently made her
silver screen comeback after four years with the horror film
Salmokji: Whispering Water, released theatrically on April 8. Which the film achieved strong
box office performance in South Korea. She is also set to appear as a cast member in tvN’s
variety show Fresh off the Sea in Calape, scheduled to premiere on April 16. Kim was also attached and confirmed to several upcoming film projects, including the crime film
Land and the action comedy
High School Detective. In addition, she was also confirmed to appear in forthcoming television series such as
Good Partner 2 and the Korean adaptation of Japanese novel
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store. ==Public image==