Background and career
Yunjin Kim (Korean: 김윤진; born November 7, 1973) is a South Korean-American actress. She is best known for her role as North Korean spy Bang-Hee in the South Korean film Shiri (1999) and Sun-Hwa Kwon on the American television series Lost (2004–2010). Her other notable works include Seven Days (2007), Harmony (2010), and Ode to My Father (2014).
Kim was born in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. She emigrated to the United States with her family in 1983–1984. They lived in Staten Island, New York. She joined the middle school drama club in the 7th grade and performed in the musical My Fair Lady. Kim attended high school at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, graduating in 1989. From there, she went on to study drama at the London Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA), and later earned her BFA degree in drama at Boston University. She is also a trained dancer and martial arts fighter.
After graduation, Kim played several minor parts on MTV, in soap opera-style dramas on ABC, and on the off-Broadway stage. In 1996, Kim decided to return to Korea, where she starred in Splendid Holiday (1997). She was then cast in the TV drama Wedding Dress. Her breakthrough debut came in the 1999 film Shiri, South Korea's first blockbuster film. Shiri became the highest-grossing film in South Korean history at the time. In November 2000, she continued her association with Kang Je-gyu in The Legend of Gingko. After acting in a Japanese film and a feature set in Los Angeles, Kim appeared in the sci-fi feature Yesterday. Then in 2002, Kim took the lead role in the feature film debut of documentarist Byun Young-ju, Ardor. In 2004, Kim started appearing in the U.S. television series Lost, which ran for six seasons. In 2006 she was featured on the cover of Stuff, as well as an inside spread. In 2006, Maxim named Kim number 98 on its annual Hot 100 List.
In 2013, she had a leading role in the ABC drama series Mistresses.
In 2018, Kim returned to South Korean television by headlining the series Ms. Ma, Nemesis. In 2022, she starred as Seon Woo-jin in the South Korean remake of Money Heist, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area. In 2023, she acted as Principal Jina Lim in English-Korean Netflix TV Series, XO, Kitty. In 2025, she appeared in the Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix animated musical film, KPop Demon Hunters as the voice of Celine.
Kim married her former manager Park Jeong-hyeok in March 2010 on the island of Oahu, after shooting her final scenes for Lost.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
