Where Is Kim Ye Won? The Former Idol Turned Actress Was Once “Canceled” For Lying But Has Since Made A “Shocking” Comeback
Kim Ye Won (also known as Yewon and Kim Yewon) made her debut in the Korean entertainment industry as a member of the K-Pop girl-group Jewelry in 2011.
The idol was well-loved at the time for her bright and honest personality. Kim Ye Won was even paired up with Henry on MBC‘s variety show, We Got Married.
When Jewelry disbanded in January 2015, Kim Ye Won continued her career as an actress but became embroiled in controversy after filming the show Tutoring Across Generations with actress Lee Tae Im.
While filming the show, reports detailed that Lee Tae Im had screamed and cursed at Kim Ye Won, who remained calm during the ordeal. The negative response from netizens led to Lee Tae Im withdrawing from the show and issuing an apology for her behavior.
In Lee Tae Im’s apology, the actress mentioned how “Yewon’s speech seemed informal,” which is what created the conflict.
In her official reply, Kim Ye Won expressed her gratitude for the actress’s apology.
I am sorry to worry those who care and support me with this controversy of Tutoring Across Generations. I understand that Lee Tae Im was not at her best condition with her personal reasons and so she could have misunderstood as we never had an acquaintance before. I feel thankful to senior (Lee Tae Im) who must be going through a difficult time now for reaching out first to apologize.
— Kim Ye Won
Understandably the incident between the two actresses died down until anonymous sources released a video of the incident and the new transcript painted a different picture than netizens had initially believed. After the leak, netizens started to side with Lee Tae Im since the video revealed that Kim Ye Won had actually spoken informally, and as some netizens believed, maybe even antagonistically, first.
Following the video’s release, netizens harshly criticized Kim Ye Won on her social media updates, and some even protested ZE:A‘s Kwanghee becoming a new member of MBC‘s Infinite Challenge, given his ties to Kim Ye Won.
Since the controversy, Kim Ye Won continued to act, starring in dramas like What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim and Feel Good To Die before joining ANDMARQ, home to some of Korea’s big-name actresses, in 2022.
The actress has since stayed active on social media and stunned fans with her dramatic change in appearance after recently appearing in the drama Narco-Saints.
The Netflix-produced drama follows the capture of a Korean drug lord living in Suriname, based on a true story.
Although Kim Ye Won did not have a significant role in the drama, her appearance caught the attention of fans for its drastic shift from her image as an idol. In one of her scenes, Kim Ye Won is in red undergarments and lying in a bed, a far cry from the “clean-cut” image that idols are expected to maintain. Of course, artists often need to expand their repertoire, especially when transitioning into acting.
And Kim Ye Won certainly proved her talent in acting, showing her versatility in the drama while sporting a new hairstyle and darker makeup than she’d previously worn.
Recently the actress interviewed with Rolling Stone Korea where, while she didn’t know what to expect from the rest of her 2022, she admitted that her “life motto is not to be fluctuated between hopes and fears.” Instead, she wants to be prepared for whatever may come her way.
As I said before, I think it’s important to be prepared no matter what happens. Everyone has good things and bad things. I think that’s why it’s a matter of how you take it. My life motto is not to be fluctuated between hopes and fears. When good things happen, I accept good things with joy. Even if something bad happens, I think it’s needed to happen because it’s all an experience, and there might be a reason for it. Bad or good things will all pass by. I think I just accept whatever it is.
— Kim Ye Won
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