Actor You Need to Know: Lim Ji-yeon

Lim Ji-yeon’s portrayals have a certain “mystery” about them, the core of her arresting performances. Her appeal, acting talent, and nuanced characterization combine to enhance the sense of enigma and allure she brings to the role. Lim Ji-yeon is a fine actor—who looks, talks, walks, and behaves exactly like a character [she’s playing] should—capturing the most minute of their details, and in doing so, she inevitably becomes a major draw to watch on screen.

Lim, 34 at the time of writing, is an acting major at Korea National University of Arts who had her acting debut with the short Dear Catastrophe in 2011. Her first significant role on the big screen came with 2014’s Obsessed, about a married, celebrated military veteran, Colonel Kim Jin-pyeong (Song Seung-heon), and his secret affair with the captain’s wife, Jong Ga-heun (Lim). 

Obsessed became a box office success, thanks in part to superstar Song Seung-heon’s debut R-rated film and obviously to its cinematic excellence. It’s noteworthy in its upfront sexual moments and how effortlessly they’re performed. Props to Lim for turning in such a natural (not forgetting that it was her maiden film) and for playing the most challenging, bold scenes next to Song Seung-heon. But Obsessed is about much more than just the sex; it’s about deeply felt emotions and profound love and how they can make or break lives. And it surely showcased Lim’s acting skills—that she’s here to stay.

Ga-heun got a distinct voice as Lim molded her to fit the character’s needs. She’s just fantastic at expressing Ga-heun’s pain, her post-traumatic stress disorder, her weakness, and how she’s insatiably drawn into a fatal attraction for this stunningly attractive man. Her guts may make you detest her, but that’s precisely why you may like her as well. She received a slew of honors for the role, including Best New Actress at the 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, 51st Grand Bell Awards, and 51st Baeksang Arts Awards.

Lim has since played a variety of roles—an aspiring concubine in the historical drama The Treacherous (2015), a vivacious woman in the romantic melodrama High Society (2015), a vengeful one in the period piece The Royal Gambler (2016), a North Korean defector in the romance comedy Blow Breeze (2016), and more diverse roles in the fantasy rom-com Welcome 2 Life (2019), the thriller fantasy film Spiritwalker (2021), the web series Rose Mansion (2022), and the sequel of Money Heist: Korea—Joint Economic Area (2022), among others. Her portrayals have often met with accolades and admiration for her capacity to inhabit the varied characters that she plays. 

Her first negative role in the very popular revenge psychological thriller series The Glory (2022–2023) shot her to global notoriety. The Glory follows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), an elementary school teacher who sustained chronic physical assault and bullying at the hands of Park Yeon-jin (Lim) and her high school gang. She thus quits, only to show up years later with a carefully thought-out plan of payback.

Lim made Yeon-jin disgusting to the bones with her gestures (if you’ve seen the drama, you know), powerplay, vile manners, and how unabashedly she abuses and bullies Dong-eun at every chance she gets. All that oozes a tangible sense of villainy, her piercing stares teasing at the intricacy of her crooked criminal mind. For her work, Lim took home Best Supporting Actress (Television) at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards and Best Supporting Actress at the second Blue Dragon Series Awards.

Next, she starred alongside Kim Tae-hee in the crime suspense drama Lies Hidden in My Garden. The Glory and Lies Hidden in My Garden got her the Actor of the Year (series category) award at the 2023 Bechdel Day awards. She received rave reviews for how authentic she played a victim of domestic violence in Lies Hidden in My Garden. Lim drew special attention for her act in The Glory for bringing to life a complex and dynamic evil force, as well as for a character of contrasts within Lies Hidden in My Garden. 

I infer Lim Ji-yeon is a star thespian because of the strong sense of attachment she makes with you, and you feel each aspect of her characters’ experiences. Her upcoming projects include the crime action revenge thriller Revolver, with Ji Chang-wook and Jeon Do-yeon, set for release on August 7, and the period drama The Story of Lady Ok, reportedly debuting this year.