Uee

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.
Uee

Uee at an After School fan meeting in 2012
Background information
Birth name Kim Yu-jin
Also known as U-ie
Born April 9, 1988
Daegu, South Korea
Origin South Korea
Genres K-pop
Occupation(s) Singer, actress
Labels Good Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment
Associated acts After School, 4Tomorrow
Korean name
Hangul 김유진
Revised Romanization Gim Yu-jin
McCune–Reischauer Kim Yuchin
Stage name
Hangul 유이
Revised Romanization Yui
McCune–Reischauer Yui

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), and Golden Rainbow (2013).

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, "Dugeunduguen 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 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".[15] 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.[16][17] She earned praise for her natural acting in Ojakgyo Family, and received Best New Actress awards at the Baeksang Arts Awards and KBS Drama Awards.[18][19] Uee released her first solo single, "Sok Sok Sok" (쏙쏙쏙), on June 21, 2011.[20] She also co-hosted the variety show Night After Night.[21]

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.[22] 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".[23] During the shoot, she was praised for her ability to immerse herself in the character and give a detailed performance.[24][25]

Uee was a permanent cast member of SBS's suvival variety show Barefooted Friends in 2013.[26] 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.[27][28] She had a lead role in the drama Golden Rainbow,[29] 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.[30]

In mid-2014, Uee was a member of the survival variety show Law of the Jungle, appearing in the Indian Ocean episodes.[31][26] 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.[32] She played Do Do-hee, a national swimming champion, in the drama Hogu's Love, which began airing in February 2015.[33]

Filmography

Television drama

Year Title Role Network
2009 Queen Seondeok young Mishil MBC
You're Beautiful Yoo He-yi SBS
2010 My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox Art major in college (cameo, ep 5)[34] MBC
2011 All My Love Kim Yu-jin (cameo, ep 182, 210)[35] MBC
Birdie Buddy Sung Mi-soo tvN
Ojakgyo Family Baek Ja-eun KBS1
2012 Jeon Woo-chi Princess Hong Mu-yeon KBS2
2013 Golden Rainbow Kim Baek-won MBC
2015 Hogu's Love Do Do-hee tvN

Variety show

Year Title Role Network
2009 We Got Married Season 2 Cast member MBC
2010 Night After Night Co-host SBS
2011 Running Man (Ep.34) Guest SBS
2011 Music Bank Co-host KBS2
2012 Music Bank Host KBS2
2013 Barefooted Friends Cast member SBS
2013 Running Man (Ep.137) Guest SBS
2014 Law of the Jungle Cast Member SBS

Discography

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
[36]
"Sok Sok Sok"
(featuring JR of NU'EST)		 2011 64 Non-album single
"Hero"
(featuring Kim Jungah)		 2013 — Barefooted Friends: My Story, My Song
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2009 MBC Entertainment Awards Best Newcomer – Female (Variety Show) We Got Married Season 2 Won[37]
2010 46th Baeksang Arts Awards Most Popular Actress (TV) You're Beautiful Nominated
2011 KBS Drama Awards Best New Actress Ojakgyo Family Won[19]
Popularity Award Nominated[38]
Best Couple with Joo Won Nominated[39]
2012 48th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actress (TV) Won[19]
Most Popular Actress (TV) Nominated
KBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Jeon Woo-chi Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated[40]
Best Couple with Cha Tae-hyun Nominated[41]
2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards Most Popular Actress (TV) Nominated
MBC Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama Golden Rainbow Won[30]

References

  1. ↑ Russell, Mark (April 29, 2014). K-Pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution. Tuttle Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4629-1411-1.
  2. ↑ Park Si-soo (March 7, 2014). "Stars and outstanding parents". The Korea Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ Kim Yeong-uk (January 22, 2010). "내딸 자랑스럽다"…유이, 시구 후 아버지 반응에 감동. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ Kim Hyeon-rok (June 22, 2011). "유이, 언니가 과거사진 대방출 "쌍꺼풀만 살짝"". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Uee to Show Off Swimming Skills in New Drama". The Chosun Ilbo. February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "After School's Uee Talks About Transition to Acting". The Chosun Ilbo. August 20, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ Kim JiYeon (February 3, 2012). "Spica’s Yang Ji Won Talks Being the Last Five Girls′ Girl". enewsWorld (CJ E&M). Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ Kang Seung-hun (April 7, 2009). "'유이는 춤이 일품인 애프터스쿨의 신입생'". Asia Economy Daily (in Korean). Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  9. ↑ Han Sang-hee (July 14, 2009). "Battle of Girl Groups Under Way". The Korea Times. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  10. ↑ Hicap, Jonathan M (January 1, 2010). "‘Queen Seon Duk’ sweeps 2009 MBC Drama Awards". Manilla Bulletin. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  11. ↑ "마이티마우스, '연애특강' 벅스 1위". Asia Economy Daily (in Korean). August 9, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ Ji Hyeong-jun (September 24, 2009). 박신혜-유이, '미소가 아름다워'. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  13. ↑ Lee Mi-hye (October 12, 2009). 복받은 이동건, 가인-한승연-유이-현아와 무슨관계? ‘4투모로우 뮤비 출연’ [Lucky Lee Dong-gun, What Connection with Gain-Han Seungyeon-UEE-Hyuna? "4Tomorrow Music Video Participation"]. Newsen (in Korean) (JoongAng Ilbo). Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Uie of After School Models for Anycall". The Korea Times. August 24, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ Lee InKyung (August 28, 2011). "F(x) Luna Cast as Heroine on Weekend Drama". enewsWorld (Mwave). Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  16. ↑ Yoon Go-eun (January 15, 2012). 주원 "유이 너무 예쁘고 안쓰럽다" [Joo Won "Uee is so pretty"]. Yonhap News (in Korean) (Nate). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ Lee JinHo (August 2, 2011). "Uee Reveals Close Relationship Co-Star Ju Won". enewsWorld. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ Eun, Elizabeth (September 5, 2011). "Singer-Turned-Actress Uee Shows Off Her Many Facial Expressions". enewsWorld. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Choi EunHwa (September 21, 2012). "After School′s Uee Cast as Lead of Drama ′Woochi′". enewsWorld. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  20. ↑ Kim Do-gyeong (June 21, 2011). "유이 '쏙쏙쏙'으로 음원차트 진입! '남친에게 고백하기 좋은 노래'". Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  21. ↑ Lee Na Lea (April 22, 2014). "After School’s Uee Considers Going to ‘The Jungle’". Newsen. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  22. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (April 5, 2013). "Taetiseo and After School's Uee Step Down as Music Program Hosts". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  23. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (September 24, 2012). "Uee takes on new KBS period drama". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  24. ↑ "[KBS New Drama ‘Jeon Woochi’] Uee Displays Charm As Cold Woman". KBS News. November 9, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  25. ↑ Ho, Stewart (November 8, 2012). "Still Cuts of Uee as Bewitched Woman for ‘Woochi’ Released". enewsWorld (Mwave). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Oh, Jean (May 21, 2013). "TV’s great outdoors: Korean survival shows hitting global circuit". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  27. ↑ "‘맨발의 친구들’ 유이, 父김성갑 응원가 ‘히어로’ 감동 무대". Sports Chosun (in Korean). August 18, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  28. ↑ "히어로 (Hero) (Feat. 정아)". Daum Music (in Korean). Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Uee Having Fun Learning the Ropes as an Actress". The Chosun Ilbo. April 12, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Kim Na-hyeon (December 31, 2013). "유이, 우수연기상 트로피 인증샷…"열심히 하겠습니다"". Money Today (in Korean). Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  31. ↑ Jin Eun-soo (April 23, 2014). "U-ie to join ‘Law of Jungle’". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  32. ↑ Kim Hee-eun (April 4, 2014). "U-ie looks forward to ending singing". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  33. ↑ Doo, Rumy (January 30, 2015). "Uee plays haughty swimming champion in new TV rom-com". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  34. ↑ Kim Kyeong-ae (August 26, 2010). "유이 '내 여자친구는 구미호'서 미대생으로 깜짝 출연!". BNT News (in Korean) (Korea Economic Daily). Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  35. ↑ "유이, MBC '몽땅 내사랑' 카메오". Yonhap News (in Korean). August 3, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  37. ↑ Ko Kyoung-seok (December 30, 2009). "Yoo Jae-seok wins grand prize at MBC Entertainment Awards". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Netizen Award". 2011 KBS Drama Awards. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Best Couple Award". 2011 KBS Drama Awards. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Netizen Award". 2012 KBS Drama Awards. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Best Couple Award". 2012 KBS Drama Awards. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

External links

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