Yoon Eun-hye

Yoon Eun-hye (born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005. Yoon has since moved on to acting, including a role in Princess Hours, as well as The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. In February 2007, she graduated from Kyung Hee Cyber University, receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, specializing in Tourism Management. Yoon Eun Hye debuted as a member of Baby V.O.X at the age of 15, replacing an ex-member (Lee Gai) in 1999. Yoon was the sub-vocal in the group, known for her cuteness and child-like traits. Being the youngest member of the group, she received little attention and was often overshadowed by her other four members. Following her replacement, the group released their third album Come Come Come in 1999. This album became their first major success, with their singles “Get Up” and “Killer” reaching the number one spot on the Korean music pop charts. Since then, the group released many hit albums which garnered them not just a large loyal fan base in Korea, but also in China, Thailand and other Asia markets. Yoon was often the prey of anti-fans. One infamous incident was during her debut year, she was shot in the eye by an anti-fan who tried to make her blind with a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar using a water gun. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctors confirmed that her cornea was damaged. Following fellow member Shim Eun Jin, Yoon Eun Hye ended her 6 years activities as a member of Baby V.O.X in July 2005 when her contract with DR Entertainment expired.

After her departure from Baby V.O.X, Yoon was left without a management company. However, this did not stop her from establishing her career in the entertainment business. During this period, Yoon continued to appear on many TV shows, doing MC hosting and taking up small role in several sitcoms. Yoon Eun Hye appeared as a regular guest on the variety show X-Man on SBS, in which she was popular with audiences. Due to her astonishing strength in the variety shows, she was labelled as "Young Girl Warrior". While on X-Man, Yoon became involved in a romantic "scandal" with K-pop singer Kim Jong Kook. Though the show raised her public profile, she left the show a year later in order to pursue an acting career. Yoon made her acting debut in the movie Escaping Charisma (also known as The Legend of Seven Cutter). In this movie, Yoon plays a tom-boy high school student, Han Min Joo, who is an ace boxer. It was reported that Yoon only took 2hrs to master the basic boxing techniques which normally takes a person a week to learn. Her athleticism was such that the boxing coach suggested a career in professional boxing. Originally, the movie was planned to be released in November 2005, but it only hit theatres the following year. The success of her first drama Princess Hours aided in ticket sales for this movie.

By late 2005 Yoon Eun Hye signed on with a new management company, Eight Peak, when she was offered her first major acting role in Princess Hours. Yoon played the lead role as the crown princess Shin Chae Kyung, which shot her to instant fame throughout Asia. Initially, fans of the Goong manhwa questioned her acting ability, and the manhwa fans sent out petitions against Yoon as the lead role, requesting her to be replaced. They even bombarded her Cyworld minihompy with harsh words. Yoon had thoughts of giving up the role initially but she released a statement not long after stating that she would ultimately do her best, displaying her determination to prove herself. Yoon successful performance in Coffee Prince, put her in the list of being one of the best actresses in Korean entertainment. From 19–27 November 2007, StarNews carried out their own 2007 Acting Awards, combining all 3 stations. StarNews surveyed a total 17 Chief Producers (5 from KBS, 7 from MBC and 5 from SBS) in nominating and selecting the winners. In this award, Yoon Eun Hye was named “Outstanding Actress” for her role in Coffee Prince. The Chief Producers evaluated Yoon’s acting and assessed her as having great potential for success. The success of Coffee Prince earned Yoon Eun Hye a fan base not only in Korea, but also in other countries. Riding the big success in her dramas, Yoon was crowned as “Drama Ratings Queen” by the media and netizens. Yoon’s growing popularity since Princess Hours and Coffee Prince resulted in many companies requesting her endorsement. Due to the overwhelming invitations, Yoon even had to turn down several advertisement requests. Consequently, Yoon was labelled as the "CF Queen" in South Korea.

In April 2008, Premiere Elle published a list of the "Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential People in The Korean Entertainment Industry", where Yoon Eun Hye was ranked 44th. Interestingly, Yoon was one of the only 5 actors (following behind Bae Yong Joon, Rain, Jeon Do Yeon and Song Kang Ho) ranked among the top 50, which compromised mainly of film directors and writers, CEOs or presidents of media stations and entertainment companies. In 2009, Yoon Eun Hye collaborated with Korean fashion house JOINUS to design a series of clothes named Yoon Eun-Hye for JOINUS. Yoon was involved in the designing process whenever a new season came along until the end of 2009, and the clothes were sold as part of JOINUS catalogue. On 30 April 2009, Yoon Eun Hye was presented with the "2009 Best Jewelry Lady" award. This award was recommended by representatives from top brands, as well as famous designers and professionals in the jewelry industry. Yoon was awarded a plaque and a set of jewelry designed and dedicated especially to her. Concurrently, Swarovski took a deep interest on Yoon Eun Hye and was chosen as the actress who best suited Swarovski. Nathalie Colin, Swarovski's Creative Director, personally designed the "Swarovski Nirvanna Yoon Eun Hye Ring" and presented the ring to the actress as a gift. On 21 July, Yoon Eun Hye graced the Daniel Swarovski 20th Anniversary event where she was presented the "Yoon Eun Hye Nirvana Ring” personally by Colin. Yoon is the first Asian star to have the honour of her very own Swarovski rings.

In January 2010, Yoon kicked off her first charity project by working with visually impaired children to create a unique line of hand painted bags. This special project was sponsored by ELBON, a chic boutique that carries branded goods, to whom Yoon was the brand ambassador. These bags were displayed in the store on ELBON opening day, to create public awareness about the visually impaired children. In February 2010, Yoon Eun Hye became a goodwill ambassador for the "Pink Wings Campaign" by Vogue Girl Korea. This charity campaign was designed to help female teens that are head of their household, where profits from the sales will go towards scholarships and spending for these teens in need. In May 2010, The House Company introduced its first groomed artist, Do.U. Yoon was also secretly involved in the production of the mini album entitled Do You Know Me? In this album, Yoon’s vocals could be found on the last track, entitled "AM 5:00 Do.U-reul Mandeun Saramdeul (Outro)" (AM 5:00 Do.U Production Crew (Outro)). She is also the backup vocal for the first track of the album. Another song on the EP, "Gomdoli" (Little Bear), was featured in the official soundtrack of Personal Taste, in which Yoon Eun Hye made a cameo appearance. It was announced on June 28, 2010 that Yoon would be starring in Love Song, a drama remake of the 1996 Hong Kong film Comrades: Almost a Love Story. In the drama, Yoon will portray Yu Chae-hwa, a woman who moves from China to live in Korea. Yoon explained her decision to star by stating that the script accurately portrayed the feelings in the original film and hopes that it will become a big present not only for Koreans, but for all the fans in Asia.

On 22 August 2010, Yoon together with her former Baby V.O.X members performed on stage for the first time in 6 years since they disbanded. The five members of the original Baby V.O.X made a special appearance on SBS Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate where they belt out a medley of hit songs. Yoon got emotional during the recording, expressing her gratitude towards her fellow members for their enduring support and understanding after she goes solo as an actress. The emotional reunion on stage brought much attention among the music fans, being one of the most searched word on Nate. Yoon returned to the big screen after 5 years with the movie titled My Black Mini Dress, based on the same titled chick lit novel by Kim Min Seo that was participant in the world literature competition. Yoon plays the main character “Yoo Min” who’s 2% lacking in appearance, financial means and men. The movie which deals with 4 'Generation 88' girls who ran into the wall of reality after graduation became a hot topic even before opening in theatres, being No.1 searched word on various internet portals. The movie which opened in theatres on 24 March starts off in 2nd place at the box office. It attracted over 200,000 viewers within 6 days of its opening. On 7 April, SBS announced Yoon return to the small screen after 2 years since KBS drama My Fair Lady. This drama entitled Lie To Me will see Yoon portraying “Gong Ah Jung” who is bubbly, most off-the-wall but determined 5th level government official of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The character was caught in a swirling scandal with a nobleman from an elite family after a most ridiculous lie. This drama is scheduled to be air on 9 May