by Hye Joon Worldwide, December 11, 2023
16

Welcome to the Ultra Fan Guide to Kim Hye Joon

This article will explore her roles in dramas, some fun facts that you may not know, some basic information about her alongside reasons why I think she’s great! 


Basic Information

Date of Birth: May 8, 1995

Zodiac Sign: Taurus 

Current Agency: ANDMARQ Entertainment

Also Known As: Kim Hye-jun 

Height: 163cm (5ft 4in)

Instagram: 김혜준 (@hyello._.o) •


Dramas

Lily Fever (2015)

Now, this was a pleasant surprise (as long as we forget the last episode, that is!). In Lily Fever, Kim Hye Joon plays the character Kim Kyung Ju. The story revolves around the love that forms between her and the other female lead, Jang Se Rang (played by Jung Yeon Joo). I really liked Kim Hye Joon in this because it not only showed her great acting skills in a difficult setting, but specifically, I really liked her eye contact and mannerisms as the show progressed, making her transform her character using these sort of non-verbal cues that perhaps would not be picked up on by all viewers. If you have only watched a few of her dramas before, I recommend your next one of hers to be this one. Lily Fever shows all of Kim Hye Joon’s amazing capabilities in one show. Whilst the story isn’t perfect, you will definitely be rooting for her all the way through. 


Reunited Worlds (2017)

In this, Kim Hye Joon plays the character Sung Soo Ji, the younger sister of the male lead Sung Hae Sung (played by Yeo Jin Goo). She’s a very friendly, hardworking girl who unfortunately hid a little too much (her intense illness that was thankfully solved in the later stages of the drama). To be honest, she didn’t appear as much as I had hoped, since every time she was on screen, she radiated her happiness and joy onto the other cast members, I could just sense it! But she could also play the sad moments well. I’ll never forget her sad, teary face that could transform my smile into tears. If you haven’t watched this yet, give it a try and see if the same thing happens to you. “Short screen time, big impact” would be the five words I would describe her in regards to this drama.


Just Between Lovers (2017)

 

In Just Between Lovers, Kim Hye Joon plays the character Lee Jae Young, the younger sister of the male lead Lee Kang Doo (played by Lee Jun Ho). She’s a doctor who is kind and hardworking, even if the results of these two traits don’t always appear as that. She didn’t get much screen time here as what I had originally anticipated - this drama is actually very heavily centric on the two main characters, but it still is a good drama and I do recommended watching this if you haven’t already, although this drama is so popular that this is probably the drama most people will know Kim Hye Joon from. 


Matrimonial Chaos (2018)

I will be completely honest in this Ultra Fan Guide. I really didn’t like this drama at all! I won’t go into too much detail, as this is not an article to focus on that sort of thing. However, I will say that it’s okay if you want to skip this one! 

Kim Hye Joon plays the character Kang Ma Ru. Whilst it was my least favourite character mentioned in this UFG, her acting was still very good: which is always a good sign! Professionals can always make bronze look like gold! (Well, I forgot the proper saying, but I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say ^^). If you are family-oriented, there is a nice sismance/general closeness of family relations between her, the female lead (played by Bae Doona), and a couple of others of the female cast. 


Kingdom & Kingdom Season 2 (2019 & 2020)

This was my first introduction to Kim Hye Joon. She plays the role of the Queen. This may be a very controversial opinion in dramaland, but I believe that Kim Hye Joon is the greatest performer to perform as a member of royalty, the greatest Queen of all time in the history of all dramaland. While this is a controversial opinion, some people may wonder why. After all, she’s a great actress (that’s obviously why I’m writing this UFG!). The reason this may be controversial is because she hardly talks in these two seasons, but her presence is so powerful that, even though her screen time could be considered limited, she is always in the mind of the viewer. Her aura is legendary, and this was the first time I ever saw Kim Hye Joon on my screen. Instantly, I was mesmerized. 


CHIP-IN (2020)

For me personally, it was a coin toss between CHIP-IN and the two seasons of Kingdom for the vote of ‘Most Mysterious Role Kim Hye Joon has played’. But now, writing up this Ultra Fan Guide, I’ve decided to give the slight edge to CHIP-IN, an almost perfect murder-mystery type drama that ensures viewers to keep guessing on who the murderer is. In this drama, Kim Hye Joon plays the character Yoo Bit Na, a somewhat brutally honest but otherwise seemingly kind-hearted girl who likes to keep to her high level of morals. Or does she? I thought she did amazing here. Every time the camera was on her, I kept on thinking to myself “Is she the one? No… she can’t be. Can she? I think she’s the killer… oh, but wait, no!” - I’m not even joking, I had these thoughts every time the camera focused on her! 


Inspector Koo (2021)

In the drama Inspector Koo, she plays the main antagonist, a young university student who commits crimes (usually murders) for fun. I loved that her character was just very smart for a villain and was kind of unabashedly "crazy" . She was also very funny, especially with her sidekick played by Lee Hong Nae.

Although I do not support her decisions at all, for a fictional character, she was a breath of fresh air especially as a horror/thriller fan. Normally, female killers are motivated by revenge or love, but K was just motivated by fun!





Connect (2022)

In Connect, Kim Hye Joon plays the character Lee I Rang, a novelist who basically saves the male lead whenever he is just about to get captured by his enemies (also the love interest for the male lead - but that’s debatable). She’s sneaky, smart, and reliable. I liked her in Connect because she successfully acts a difficult character (i.e. a character that hadn’t really been developed, but is already ‘newly associated’ with the male lead so she’s almost thrown into the deep end). Also, I really liked her style in this the most. Not only with choice of fashion, but also appearance. Do you agree with that? Which drama do you think Kim Hye Joon looks the best in?




List of Won Awards 

2019 

Best New Actress

 

2020

 Best New Actress 


2021

Rising Star Award


2022 

Best New Actress - Television


Fun Facts

  • She started her work as an actress by appearing in many commercials.
  • She studied theatre and film at Hanyang University.
  • Her birthday is May 8th, which is the same as another actress who I wrote an Ultra Fan Guide for (Park Jeonghwa).
  • She became a regular cast member of the late-night program Saturday Night Live Korea.

Sources: MyDramaList, Viu,  Lily Fever photo was taken by screenshot from this video. Reunited Worlds photo was taken by screenshot from this video. Special thanks to the MDL editing team and user: seo in guk enthusiast for their hard work! ^^

Edited by: devitto (1st editor)