Kim Yu-jin, better known by her stage name Uee, is a South Korean actress and singer best known for her time with the South Korean girl group ‘After School,’ which was founded by ‘Pledis Entertainment.’ Uee entered the world of beauty and entertainment as a singer, despite her desire to be an actress and countless tryouts. She first joined the girl group ‘Five Girls,’ which disintegrated before their debut due to financial concerns with ‘Good Entertainment.’ She later joined the girl group ‘After School’ in April 2009. In the same year, she made her acting debut in the MBC historical drama series ‘Queen Seondeok.’ She went on to star in a number of prominent TV programs and variety shows over the next few years, many of which earned her prizes and acclaim. Television series such as ‘Ojakgyo Family,’ ‘Golden Rainbow,’ and ‘Marriage Contract,’ as well as variety shows such as ‘We Got Married,’ ‘Music Bank,’ and ‘Law of the Jungle in New Zealand,’ are among her major works. She is currently associated with ‘Yuleum Entertainment’ after quitting ‘After School and its agency, ‘Pledis Entertainment.’
Childhood and Adolescence
She was born in Daegu, South Korea, on April 9, 1988. Her father, Kim Sung-kap, is a professional baseball coach for the Nexen Heroes, a team based in Seoul, South Korea. Her older sister is Kim Yu-na.
Uee was a physical education student at Incheon High School. During her high school years, she continued to swim and competed in the Korean National Sports Festival, an annual sports tournament conducted in South Korea.
The Career of Uee
Uee, who aspired to be an actor, entered the industry and went through multiple auditions. Finally, she made her singing debut in the entertainment sector.
She joined ‘Five Girls,’ a South Korean girl group signed to the ‘Good Entertainment’ record company, in 2007. G.NA, Yang Jiwon, Jun Hyoseong, and Yubin were the other members of the group.
The MTV reality show ‘Diary of Five Girls’ included Uee and other members of ‘Five Girls.’ ‘Good Entertainment’s financial issues, on the other hand, led to the group’s disbandment before its anticipated debut.
In April 2009, the South Korean girl group ‘After School,’ created by ‘Pledis Entertainment,’ confirmed Uee’s inclusion in the group. The electro-dance song ‘Diva,’ which was released as a digital single on April 9, 2009, and later included as a B-side in the group’s second single album named ‘Because of You,’ was the group’s first song to feature Uee.
‘Diva’ became a hit and a critical and financial success. The song, which was originally performed by the group on M! Countdown on April 9, 2009, won the group the ‘Cyworld Digital Music Awards’ ‘Rookie of the Month’ award for April 2009.
In 2009, she made her acting debut in the popular South Korean historical drama ‘Queen Seondeok.’ In the MBC series, she played the role of young Mishil. In the same year, she played Yoo He-Yi, a double-faced actress, in the South Korean romance comedy musical drama ‘You’re Beautiful,’ which aired on SBS.
She joined the project group ‘4Tomorrow,’ which also featured Gain, Hyuna, and Han Seung-Yeon, in October 2009. On October 6, 2009, the single ‘Dugeundugeun Tomorrow’ was released.
She also starred alongside Park Jae-Jung in Season 2 of the South Korean reality-variety show ‘We Got Married’ in 2009. At the 9th MBC Entertainment Awards that year, she received Best Newcomer – Female (Variety Show) for the show that aired on MBC.
She was named #8 on Forbes Korea’s most hardworking idols list in 2009–2010.
In 2010, she continued to co-host the MBC variety show “Night After Night.”
Before gaining lead parts in TV dramas ‘Birdie Buddy’ and ‘Ojakgyo Family’ in 2011, she appeared in cameo appearances in the series ‘My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox’ (2010) and ‘All My Love’ (2011).
In the family drama ‘Ojakgyo Familial,’ she received praise for her depiction as Baek Ja-Eun, a 25-year-old college student with problematic family background. It also earned her the Best New Actress (TV) award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2012 and the Best New Actress (KBS Drama) award at the 25th KBS Drama Awards in 2011.
She released her first solo song, ‘Sok Sok Sok,’ on June 21, 2011, which included JR of NU’EST.
From January 2012 to April 2013, she was the permanent host of the South Korean music program ‘Music Bank.’ Lee Jang-woo, a South Korean actor and singer, was her co-host on the KBS variety show.
From November 21, 2012, until February 7, 2013, she starred as Hong Mu-Yeon, Princess of Yuldo, in the South Korean fantasy period television series ‘Jeon Woo-chi,’ which aired on KBS for 24 episodes.
She appeared on the South Korean reality-variety show ‘Barefooted Friends’ as a regular cast member in 2013. On August 19, the song ‘Hero,’ which she co-wrote, was released on the soundtrack album ‘My Story, My Song’ as she was performing on the show. During the show, she performed it in a special concert.
She played Kim Baek-won in the South Korean weekend love drama ‘Golden Rainbow,’ which aired on MBC for 41 episodes from November 2, 2013, to March 30, 2014.
At the 32nd MBC Drama Awards in 2013, she won the Excellence Award for Actress in a Special Project Drama for the role.
Other SBS variety series in which she appeared include ‘Law of the Jungle in the Indian Ocean (2014), ‘Fists of Shaolin Temple’ (2015), and ‘Law of the Jungle in New Zealand’ (2017). In 2015, she won the Best Teamwork Award for ‘Fists of Shaolin Temple’ at the 9th SBS Entertainment Awards.
She starred in the South Korean television series ‘Hogu’s Love’ and ‘High Society’ in 2015. She also appeared in the South Korean TV series ‘She Was Pretty’ in a cameo role.
In 2016, she received Best Actress at the 29th Grimae Awards and Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama at the 35th MBC Drama Awards for her stunning depiction of Kang Hye-soo, a terminally sick striving single mother, in the South Korean weekend melodrama “Marriage Contract.” From March 5, 2016, until April 24, 2016, MBC broadcasted 16 episodes of the series.
She next played one of Lee Se-primary jin’s parts in ‘Night Light,’ a 20-episode South Korean melodrama that aired on MBC from November 21, 2016, to January 24, 2017.
Uee graduated from ‘After School’ on May 31, 2017, after her contract with ‘Pledis Entertainment’ expired. She then signed with ‘Yuleum Entertainment,’ her current management firm, in June 2017.
She has been starring as Kang Soo-jin in the South Korean comedic romance TV series ‘Manhole’ since August 9, 2017, which airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST) on KBS2.
Uee’s Personal Experiences
She had a love relationship with Lee Sang-Yoon, a South Korean actor, and subsequently with Kangnam, a Korean-Japanese musician and TV personality.
Estimated Net worth
Net Worth Estimated in 2021: $1 million to $5 million.