Known best for her role as Bae Su-yeon in the 2003 horror film A Tale of Two Sisters, this popular Korean actress also starred in the popular romantic comedy My Little Bride. For her work in the television series Painter of the Wind, she received a 2009 Baeksang Arts Award.
She started modeling when she was just twelve years old. The following year, she appeared in her first television series, Autumn in My Heart, playing the role of Eun-suh.
She and Kim Joo-hyuk both acted in the Korean film Love Me Not.
The granddaughter of educator and political prisoner Ryu Nak-jin, she grew up in Gwangju, South Korea. She later studied at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. She briefly dated actor Kim Bum.
She co-starred with Song Kang-ho in a 2015 South Korean film titled Sado.