WHETHER you are a fan of K-pop or K-drama, you have probably heard the name Kim Sejeong.
Kim Sejeong is a South Korean singer who gained popularity as a member of I.O.I, the first girl group of Mnet’s survival show Produce 101 in 2016. She also debuted in the girl group Gugudan, and later on promoted as a solo artist.
The 26-year-old artist will be kicking off her first solo concert across Asia Pacific, including the Philippines. Her Manila concert is scheduled on October 1.
But singing and dancing are not the only talents she has. Kim is also an award-winning actress who is widely recognized for her roles in several K-dramas.
If you want to get to know more about the singer-actress’ work, here is a list of K-dramas that showcase her versatility:
School 2017
School 2017 is a 2017 coming-of-age television series that revolves around a class of high school students who are trying to overcome the stress of being ranked by their grades.
At the center of it is the cheerful Ra Eun-Ho, played by Kim, whose dream of becoming a webtoon artist is put at risk when she is accused of being “Student X,” the mysterious troublemaker at their school. The student in question is actually the rebellious son of the school’s director, played by actor Kim Jung-hyun. The two students later become each other’s love interest.
While this is not the first television series appearance of the actress, School 2017 is Kim’s first major acting role and won her the “Best New Actress” award at the 31st KBS Drama Awards and the Popular Actress Award at the 2017 The Seoul Awards.
I Wanna Hear Your Song
Kim’s acting performance in 2017 led her to another lead role in the romance-mystery drama I Wanna Hear Your Song in 2019.
The actress plays the role of Hong Yi-young, a timpanist who suffers from insomnia and does not remember the murder she witnessed. She can only fall asleep by listening to tone-deaf singing. The solution to her problem is Jang Yoon, a tone-deaf pianist in an orchestra played by actor Yeon Woo-jin.
Kim’s character in I Wanna Hear Your Song earned her the “K-Drama Hallyu Star Award” at the 2019 KBS Drama Awards.
The Uncanny Counter Season 1 and 2
From a cheerful character, Kim showcased another side of her in the role of the fierce Do Ha-na in the first and second seasons of The Uncanny Counter.
This fantasy-action drama is about a group of paranormal-hunters, known as Counters, who run a noodle shop during the day and hunt evil spirits who possess humans at night.
Granted with superhuman strength and psychometry, Do Ha-na is capable of sensing evil spirits even if they are miles away from her, and can also read and enter memories. During the day, she’s the server of Eonni’s Noodles.
Other Korean Counters are So Mun (played by Jo Byeong-kyu), Ga Mo-tak (played by Yoo Jun-sang), Chu Mae-ok (played by Yeom Hye-ran), and Choi Jang-mul (Ahn Suk-hwan). There are also other Counters in other parts of the world in the drama.
The first season aired in 2020, while the second one began airing on July 29 with currently two episodes. The five main actors reprise their roles in the second season.
Business Proposal
One of Kim’s popular small screen projects is the 2022 romantic-comedy drama Business Proposal that got many K-drama fans hooked.
Kim displayed her versatility in this drama as she played the role of Shin Ha-ri who is a researcher in a food company. Ha-ri disguises herself as her best friend, Jin Young-so, and goes on blind dates to reject the latter’s dates. In return, Ha-ri receives money from her friend for helping her escape from the dates.
Things get complicated for Ha-ri when she encounters her boss, Kang Tae-moo (played by Ahn Hyo-Seop), during one of these blind dates. The pressure rises when her boss says he wants to marry Ha-ri, who he thinks is Young-so.
Both Kim and Ahn bagged multiple recognitions for their roles in the drama, including the “Best Couple” award at the 2022 SBS Drama Awards.
Today’s Webtoon
Kim starred in another coming-of-age drama where she gave life to the character of On Ma-eum, a former judo athlete who becomes a webtoon editor.
Today’s Webtoon narrates how Ma-eum overcomes the challenge of adjusting to her job as a webtoon editor, when her life used to revolve only around her sport. Ma-eum had to give up her athletic career because of an injury.
Two of the individuals who help her go through all her obstacles are her mentor Seok Ji-hyung (played by Choi Daniel) and her colleague Goo Jun-yeong (played by Nam Yoon-su).
