Meet Yoo In Young, the Girl You Love to Hate

Oftentimes, an actor pulls us into her character so much that she reminds us more of her various roles rather than the real personality; Yoo In Young is one of these actors. Yoo in Young (born Yoon Hyo Min) made her acting debut in 2005 after getting her start as a CF model for brands such as LG Telecom. Over the course of her career, she has managed to pull off multiple characters, but the ones that many fans remember are her most villainous and tragic. Let’s take a look at some of her most memorable characters.

In 2005, Yoo In Young starred in “Loveholic” as a radio show host who harbored a one-sided crush on the male lead, played by Kangta. Yoo In Young has mentioned before she always thought she’d be typecast as the “bad girl,” and one can assume it’s due to her earlier portrayals of such characters that she pulls off bad so well.

Yoo In Young’s role as the late actress Han Yoo Ra in “My Love From the Star” was brief, but her four episode appearance was memorable and basically set the tone for the main plot. Han Yoo Ra and Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun) were rivals and were known to not get along so when the former was found dead, her rival is suddenly accused of causing her suicide and becomes the topic of scrutiny online and off. What made her such a memorable — and I dare say likable — character is how Yoo In Young portrayed her as someone who wasn’t just a rival to the main character, but a person who had depth and shouldn’t have died in the manner in which she did.

Earlier this year, Yoo In Young starred in “Mask” as Choi Mi Yeon, Joo Ji Hoon‘s older sister who wasn’t above homicide to get what she wanted. Choi Mi Yeon is what I would consider a tragic character; she was very lonely despite her wealth, stuck in an unhappy marriage — and one-sided love. She often drowned her sorrows in alcohol while trying to fix her crumbling marriage even when she knew it was hopeless. In the beginning, you want to hate her, but can’t due to how similar she is to her younger brother. Both had it hard and they coped with their loneliness in different ways, with Choi Min Woo (Joo Ji Hoon) eventually finding someone who loves him enough to help him get through it.

In Yoo In Young’s most recent role in “Oh My Venus,” she plays the top lawyer Oh Soo Jin, who use to be best friends with Shin Min Ah‘s character, Kang Joo Eun. Oh Soo Jin is beautiful, but we have seen her to have low self-esteem that traces back to her college days when she was overweight. Since her appearance, Oh Soo Jin has begun dating Kang Joo Eun’s ex-boyfriend, Im Woo Sik (Jung Gyu Woon), and has made things very difficult for herself. This can be another “bad” role for Yoo In Young, but we see that Oh Soo Jin is so much more than just an antagonist; the writers have shown that she harbors jealousy and an inferiority complex when it comes to her old bestie. Kang Joo Eun still has her ex-boyfriend looking after her as well as a new person who has taken an interest in her. Oh Soo Jin is a complex character who is far from the cookie cutter one-dimensional villains we’re used to seeing.

Apart from these dramas, Yoo In Young has been in many dramas such as “A Man Called God” alongside Song Il Gook and Han Chae Young, “The Three Musketeers” with Lee Jin Wook and Yang Dong Geun, as well as “Empress Ki” alongside Ha Ji Won, Joo Jin Mo, and Ji Chang Wook.

Ten years into her career, she manages to always amaze us with her portrayal of her characters no matter the genre. Currently she’s starring in “Oh My Venus” as Shin Min Ah’s former friend-turned-boss, Oh Soo Jin. As her recognition as an actress continues to rise, we can only wish for her next role to be a main lead. What were some of your favorite roles by Yoo In Young?

LavelyShai is just a simple Californian who happens to have a [slight] obsession with K-Dramas. You can follow her on Twitter to see more of her ramblings.