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Lee Yoo-young

Lee Yoo-young

Actor · Born December 8, 1989 (36) · Seoul, South Korea

Lee You-young is a South Korean actress who has won numerous awards for her film roles. Born on December 8, 1989, she made her acting debut in the 2014 film “Late Spring,” for which she became the first Korean to win the Best Actress award at the 14th Milan International Film Festival and also received many other Best New Actress awards. She has since starred in other short films and films. In 2017, she made her small-screen debut in the television drama “Tunnel.” In December 2016, Lee was confirmed to be in a relationship with co-star Kim Joo-hyuk until his death on October 30, 2017 in a traffic collision. Best New Actress ("The Treacherous") - 2015 (36th) Blue Dragon Film Awards - November 26, 2015 Best New Actress ("Late Spring") - 2015 (52nd) Daejong Film Awards - November 20, 2015

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 8, 1989 (36)
From
Seoul, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on Motif · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 12% in 30 days

What are Lee Yoo-young's films like?

Across their 15 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
45%
Bonds
15%
Self
13%
Power
12%
Survival
10%
Society
5%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 5

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 10 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 10
Shapeshifter
3 of 10
Hero
3 of 10
Herald
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Contemplative
8
Melancholic
6
Romantic
3
Dread
2
Other
13

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lee Yoo-young's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 17 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lee Yoo-young's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

36 credits, 17 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Pro Bono(2025)

    Show 12 episodes · as Oh Jeong-in

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Firefighters(2024)

    as Seo-hee

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Treat Me Carelessly(2024)

    Show 16 episodes · as Kim Hong-do

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • Ms. Apocalypse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    as Young-mi

  • Besties in Wonderland (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · Actor

  • Insider (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · as Oh Soo-yeon

  • The Prayer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    as Gan Ho-joong / Yeon Jong-in

  • Perhaps Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    as Jung-won

  • Dr. Brain(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · as Jung Jae-yi

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Traces of Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    as Lee Joo Young

  • Diva(2020)

    as Soo-jin

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • SF8 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as Ganhojoong / Yeon Jung-in

  • I Am Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    as Eun-seo

  • The Lies Within(2019)

    Show 16 episodes · as Kim Seo-Hee

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • My Fellow Citizens(2019)

    Show 36 episodes · as Kim Mi-Young

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage(2019)

    as Yang Hee-sook

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Nothing or Everything (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • Grass(2018)

    as Soon-young

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Soul-Mate(2018)

    as Hyun-ji

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Your Honor(2018)

    Show 32 episodes · as Song So-Eun

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Herstory (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    as Sun-young

  • You Drive Me Crazy!(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · as Han Eun-Sung

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Marionette(2017)

    as Han Seo-rin

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Tunnel(2017)

    Show 16 episodes · as Shin Jae-Yi

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Yourself and Yours(2016)

    as So Minjung

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Clocking Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    as Mae-goo

  • Clocking Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · as Mae Goo

  • Mr. Cowper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    as Yin-ae

  • Fatal Intuition(2015)

    as Si-eun

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Treacherous(2015)

    as Seol Jung-mae

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • A Lonely bird (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    as Jung-won

  • The lunch date (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    as Seo-yeon

  • Late Spring (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    as Min-kyung

  • Men (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • a flowers does not wilt, but... (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    as Soo-young

  • KBS Drama Special (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 36 titles from 2010 to 2025; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

The Firefighters (2024)

$25M worldwide

Highest rated

Tunnel (2017)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Treacherous (2015)

Film career

20102025

Peak 2016 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 2 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 2015Screen debut· The Treacherous
  • 2017First top-billed film· Marionette
  • 2019Career best· The Lies Within

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting36 of 36: 36 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

2010s24 · acting2020s12 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 14% of 7 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Lee Yoo-young's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Diva (2020)

60th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Tunnel (2017)

Midcredits 95th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Lee Yoo-young work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lee Yoo-young's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steve M. Choe shares the most, 4.

Actors

Cinematographers and editors