Han Ye-seul

Han Ye-seul, born Leslie Kim on September 18, 1981, is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her leading roles in television dramas such as Couple or Trouble, Tazza, and Birth of a Beauty, as well as the feature films Miss Gold Digger and Penny Pinchers. She made her professional acting debut in 2003 on the television sitcom Nonstop 4.

Leslie Kim was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended Cerritos High School and later graduated from Cerritos College with an associate degree in Computer Graphics. She is fluent in both English and Korean.

Her modeling career began in South Korea after she won the SBS Supermodel Contest in 2001. Adopting the stage name Han Ye-seul, she made her acting debut in Nonstop 4 in 2003. To continue her career in South Korean entertainment, she renounced her United States citizenship in 2004 to become a naturalized South Korean citizen. Following early roles in Forbidden Love in 2004 and That Summer's Typhoon in 2005 that drew poor reviews, she achieved her breakthrough with the hit 2006 comedy drama Couple or Trouble. Playing a spoiled heiress who develops amnesia, she was praised for her comic timing.

Han made her feature film debut in the 2007 screwball comedy Miss Gold Digger. Her portrayal of an advertising executive earned her several Best New Actress accolades, including honors at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards. She subsequently starred in the 2008 television drama Tazza, adapted from Huh Young-man's manhwa, followed by the 2009 melodrama Will It Snow for Christmas?.

In 2011, Han starred as a North Korean agent in the television series Spy Myung-wol. During filming in August 2011, conflicts over grueling working conditions led her to briefly halt production by traveling to Los Angeles. She returned to South Korea shortly after to complete the project, apologizing for the disruption while maintaining her concerns. Later that year, she starred in the romantic comedy film Penny Pinchers as an extremely frugal woman.

Following a three-year hiatus from acting due to public backlash surrounding the production controversy, Han returned in late 2014 with the television series Birth of a Beauty. She followed this with leading roles in the romantic comedies Madame Antoine: The Love Therapist in 2016 and 20th Century Boy and Girl in 2017. In 2019, she starred in the drama Big Issue as a paparazzi journalist. She later signed with the agency High Entertainment in June 2021.

In her personal life, Han was cleared by police following an alleged driving incident in May 2011. She dated record producer Teddy Park from May 2013 until October 2016. In May 2021, she announced she was dating theatrical actor Ryu Sung-jae, and on May 7, 2024, she announced that they had registered their marriage.