Uee

Uee
Uee in 2013
Born	Kim Yu-jin (1988-04-09) April 9, 1988 Daegu, South Korea
Other names	Uee U-ie
Occupation	Singer actress
Years active	2007–present
Agent	Pledis Entertainment (2009–present)
Musical career
Genres	K-pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Good Entertainment Pledis Entertainment
Associated acts	Five Girls After School 4Tomorrow

Kim Yu-jin (born April 9, 1988), better known by her stage name Uee (sometimes romanized as U-ie), is a South Korean singer and actress. She has been a member of girl group After School since 2009, and has acted in various television dramas including Queen Seondeok (2009), Ojakgyo Family (2011), Jeon Woo-chi (2012), Golden Rainbow (2013), High Society (2015) and Marriage Contract (2016).

Early life

Kim Yu-jin was born April 9, 1988 in Daegu, South Korea.^[1] Her father, Kim Sung-kap, is a professional baseball coach for the South Korean team, Nexen Heroes.^[2][3] She has an older sister, Kim Yu-na.^[4] Uee attended Incheon Physical Education High School. While in high school, she was a swimmer and competed in the Korean National Sports Festival.^[5]

Career

Uee originally desired to be an actress and went to many auditions, but she debuted as a singer first.^[6] In 2007, Uee was a member of the girl group Five Girls (Hangul: 오소녀; RR: O Sonyeo) under Good Entertainment, which also included Yubin, Jun Hyoseong, Yang Jiwon, and G.NA. The group starred in a reality show on MTV called Diary of Five Girls, but disbanded before their scheduled debut due to Good Entertainment's financial troubles.^[7]

In April 2009, Uee joined the girl group After School with their single "Diva".^[8][9] In July, she made her acting debut in MBC's historical drama, Queen Seondeok, which was well received and won various awards.^[10] In August, Uee appeared in Mighty Mouth's music video for "Love Class" (연애특강) with Hyuna from 4Minute,^[11] after which she was cast for SBS's You're Beautiful playing Yoo He-yi.^[12] Later that month, she joined the project group, 4Tomorrow, releasing the song, "Dugeundugeun Tomorrow" (Hangul: 두근두근 Tomorrow) on October 6, 2009. The group was composed of Uee, Han Seung-yeon, Hyuna, and Gain.^[13] That same year, she joined the reality show, We Got Married and was paired with Park Jae-jung.^[14] Uee ranked eighth on Forbes Korea's list of most hardworking idols in 2009–2010.^[15]

Uee had lead roles in two television dramas in 2011. In Birdie Buddy, she played Sung Mi-soo, a country girl who strives to become a professional golfer. The drama's director, Yun Sang-ho, praised Uee's "flawless acting", saying, "I believe actors from idol groups such as Uee and Luna improve more quickly because they have so much talent and passion".^[16] In Ojakgyo Family, she played Baek Ja-eun, a university student with a difficult family history.^[6] Uee and her co-star, Joo Won, both studied acting at Sungkyunkwan University and already knew each other.^[17][18] She earned praise for her natural acting in Ojakgyo Family, and received Best New Actress awards at the Paeksang Arts Awards and KBS Drama Awards.^[19][20] Uee released her first solo single, "Sok Sok Sok" (쏙쏙쏙), on June 21, 2011.^[21] She also co-hosted the variety show Night After Night.^[22]

Uee at an After School fan meeting in 2012

In January 2012, Uee became a permanent host on the KBS music show, Music Bank, along with Lee Jang-woo. She continued hosting the show until April 2013.^[23] From November 2012 to February 2013, she starred as princess Hong Mu-yeon in Jeon Woo-chi, a historical drama set during the Joseon Dynasty. When she was cast for the role, Uee expressed her desire to be seen as a serious actor, saying "I want to do away with the 'idol singer-turned-actor' in this piece and really step up my performance".^[24] During the shoot, she was praised for her ability to immerse herself in the character and give a detailed performance.^[25][26]

Uee was a permanent cast member of SBS's survival variety show Barefooted Friends in 2013.^[27] During the show, she performed the song "Hero" at a special concert. The song was produced by Duble Sidekick and featured After School's Jungah. Uee co-wrote the lyrics, which were about her father, and the song was released on the soundtrack album My Story, My Song on August 19.^[28][29] She had a lead role in the drama Golden Rainbow,^[30] which aired from November 2013 until March 2014. She played the character Kim Baek-won, and received an Excellence Award at the 2013 MBC Drama Awards for the role.^[31]

In mid-2014, Uee was a member of the survival variety show Law of the Jungle, appearing in the Indian Ocean episodes.^[27][32] In April of that year, she told Ilgan Sports she had lost some of her passion for singing and dancing, and plans to further her acting career once she graduates from After School.^[33] She played Do Do-hee, a national swimming champion, in the drama Hogu's Love, which aired in February and March 2015.^[34] She was then cast in the SBS drama High Society, which aired in June and July. Her character, Jang Yoon-ha, hides her identity as an heiress of a chaebol in order to find true love.^[35][36][37] In an interview, Uee acknowledged that some viewers were disappointed with her performance, and she had "never been more criticized for poor acting".^[38]

In October 2015, Uee joined the variety show, Fists of Shaolin Temple, where the cast members received martial arts training.^[39] Uee's next drama, MBC's Marriage Contract, begin airing on March 5, 2016. Her character, Kang Hye-soo, is a single mother with a terminal illness who enters into a contract marriage.^[40][41] In November, UEE starred in the MBC drama Night Light alongside Jin Goo and Lee Yo-won. She plays a poor woman who turns her life around with an opportunity.

Personal life

On May 2, 2016, Uee's agency confirmed that she and actor Lee Sang-yoon are in a relationship.^[42]

Discography

Singles

Filmography

Television drama

Variety show

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uee.

• Uee on Facebook
• Uee at the Internet Movie Database
• Uee at HanCinema