If you look at Nam Ji-hyun’s filmography, you will find that she’s been in some of the most successful dramas of Korean television. An award-winning child actress, Nam Ji-hyun became famous for her younger-version portrayals of Han Ji-hye in the k-drama East of Eden (2008), Lee Yo-won in Queen Seondeok (2009), Han Ye-seul in Will It Snow for Christmas? (2009), and Ku Hye-sun in Angel Eyes (2014). She started to diversify her roles in the one-act drama Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol (2012), youth series To the Beautiful You (2012), and family drama What Happens to My Family? (2014). She was also cast in the movies A Reason to Live (2011), Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), and The Tunnel (2016).
As an adult, she’s starred in a few dramas in the leading role. No longer playing anyone’s younger persona, she’s proven that time and opportunity have only honed this talented actress’ skills.
Read more about Nam Ji-hyun.
We take a look at a few of her most memorable k-dramas:
Shopping King Louie / Shopaholic Louis (2016) | Suspicious Partner / Love in Trouble (2017) | 100 Days My Prince (2018) | 365: Repeat the Year (2020) | The Witch's Diner (2021) | Little Women (2022) | Good Partner (2024)
Shopping King Louie / Shopaholic Louis (2016)
Available on Kocowa, Netflix, Viki (territories and periods vary)
Nam Ji-hyun stars as Bok-shil, who is a good-natured country bumpkin. She finds herself lost in the big city and must now fend for herself and an even more clueless amnesiac chaebol Louis played by the adorable Seo In-guk.
In this sweet rom-com, Nam Ji-hyun shares very believable chemistry with Seo In-guk. Will two innocent souls make it in the big bad world or will Louis’ previous life have no room for a simple country lass?
Suspicious Partner / Love in Trouble (2017)
Available on AppleTV, Kocowa, Netflix, Viki (territories and periods vary)
In this suspense drama, Nam Ji-hyun plays Eun Bong-hee, a former Taekwondo athlete who becomes a prosecutor trainee. She trains under prosecutor Noh Ji-wook (played by Ji Chang-wook). Things get really complicated when Bong-hee is accused of her ex-boyfriend’s murder.
There are several mysteries to be solved and cases to be closed in this nail-biting drama. Bong-hee and Ji-wook must sort out the truth about their past if they can ever have a future together.
100 Days My Prince (2018)
Available on AppleTV, Netflix, Viki (territories and periods vary)
In this sageuk (historical drama), Crown Prince Lee Yul (Do Kyung-soo) survives an assassination attempt but develops amnesia. Seeking to free herself from the royal decree that all single women of a marriageable age should wed, Yeon Hong-shim (Nam Ji-hyun must really like these amnesia stories!) takes advantage of Lee Yul’s amnesia and convinces him that he is her long-lost fiancé.
Yeon Hong-shim teaches the prince a thing or two about peasant life and gets him to fall in love with her in the process. But will this Joseon Cinderella end up with the prince or will her desire for independence get in the way of true love?
365: Repeat the Year (2020)
Available on Kocowa, Viki (territories and periods vary)
Shin Ga-hyun (Nam Ji-hyun) is a webtoon artist who attempts to alter an unfortunate event in her life by agreeing to go back in time with nine other people in 365: Repeat the Year (2020). The time travel sets off a series of murderous events that result in the death of each of the time travelers. Ga-hyun’s life is at stake and yet she refuses to play the victim in this highly suspenseful story.
She doesn’t sit around waiting to be saved by the police detective (Lee Joon-hyuk), and instead forms an equal alliance with him in order to solve the mystery. Using both intellect and intuition, she sets off on her own investigation, confronts the villain(s), and makes sacrifices when the need arises. Without resorting to guns or unusual physical strength, Ga-hyun shows that a woman is just as capable of saving the day.
The Witch's Diner (2021)
Available on Viki (territories and periods vary)
In the web series The Witch’s Diner, Nam Ji-hyun plays down-on-her-luck Jeong Jin who is out to get revenge. She works for Jo Hee-ra (Song Ji-hyo) who wants to turn her restaurant into a magical one. Now, she’ll have to serve special food that grants people’s desires in return for the most precious things in their life.
Things are finally starting to look up for Jeong Jin but as with all supernatural contracts, there’s always a glitch in the fine print.
Little Women (2022)
Available on Netflix (territories and periods vary)
Nam Ji-hyun is Oh In-kyung, the middle child in the family that includes older sister Oh In-ju (Kim Go-eun) and younger sister Oh In-hye (Park Ji-hu). A news reporter, Oh In-kyung is always out to uncover the truth without fear or bias. That is until she and her sisters become embroiled with a chaebol (conglomerate) family and their schemes of murder, money laundering, and fraud.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world and the sisters must decide whom they can trust if they want to survive.
Read our full review here.
Good Partner (2024)
Available on Viki, Viu (territories and periods vary)
Han Yu-ri (Nam Ji-hyun) is a passionate and idealistic new lawyer who is navigating her first divorce case. She often clashes with her mentor, the seasoned divorce lawyer Cha Eun-kyung (Jang Na-ra), due to their differing views on justice and the role of a lawyer. Their relationship becomes even more complicated as Eun-kyung experiences her own marital crisis and hires Yu-ri to represent her.
The legal k-drama explores the complexities of South Korean divorce law and the personal dilemmas faced by the lawyers involved.
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