Son Ye-jin's Real Name: Son Eon-jin

Quick answer: Son Ye-jin (손예진) was born Son Eon-jin (손언진) in Daegu, South Korea, in 1982, according to KBS's K-Star profile. The Korean Film Archive's KMDb database also gives 손언진 as her real name, romanized there as Son Un-jin. SBS reported in 2018 that she received her first award under that birth name. A Library of Congress record romanizes it as Son Yeon-jin.

Real name and early life

KBS says she was born in Daegu in 1982 and that her real name is Son Eon-jin. KMDb lists her as Son Ye-jin, with the hanja 孫藝珍, born in 1982. Korea JoongAng Daily says she started in a cosmetics advertisement at 19, before her acting debut.

The SBS report from October 2018 explains how rarely her birth name is heard. At the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards that year, host Shin Hyun-joon announced that he would call her by her real name, Son Eon-jin, as she received a Prime Minister's commendation. SBS quotes her as saying that receiving an award under her real name for the first time since her debut was startling. She said she would take it as a reminder not to lose her original resolve.

Career highlights

Korea JoongAng Daily says she made her acting debut as the female lead in the 2001 MBC drama Delicious Propose. KBS notes that a 2001 Pocari Sweat commercial became a huge hit and made her a byword for innocent beauty. She became known as the "icon of first love" through the romance films Lover's Concerto (2002) and The Classic (2003). The Korea Herald adds A Moment to Remember (2004) and says all three are considered Korean romance masterpieces.

Korea JoongAng Daily lists later leading roles in the historical drama The Last Princess (2016) and the thriller The Negotiation (2018). On television she starred in Something in the Rain (2018) and Crash Landing on You. The Korea Herald says she was starring in the JTBC series Thirty-Nine in 2022.

In 2025 she starred opposite Lee Byung-hun in Park Chan-wook's black comedy thriller No Other Choice. Korea JoongAng Daily says the film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, was nominated for three Golden Globes, and was shortlisted for an Academy Award.

Name notes for searchers

Ye-jin is a stage name; Son is her real family name. Romanizations of her birth name vary: Son Eon-jin, Son Un-jin (KMDb), and Son Yeon-jin (Library of Congress). Yonhap and the Korea Herald report that she married her Crash Landing on You co-star Hyun Bin on March 31, 2022, at Grand Walkerhill Seoul, and Korea JoongAng Daily says they have one son.