Kim So Eun, "Ga Eul ya♥"

Kim So Eun has recently won a lot of popularity after her roles in KBS Iron Empress and most notably Boys Before Flowers. But if Kim So Eun hadn't ventured onto this acting path, she might have been skiing for the Korean national team instead.

"I am really caught offguard by all the attention showered upon me during this short period of time. It was frankly pretty difficult in the beginning, having to film for a modern and saeguk drama at the same time. But as time passes, it became much more easier. Especially for Iron Empress, I had to learn how to speak (in Goryeo era), the expressions, horse riding, fighting scenes, etc for 3 months. Although it was really tough acting as the teen version of Chae Si Ra sunbaenim, it was an opportunity for me to get noticed by viewers, so I put in a lot of effort during filming."
Kim So Eun who is involved with Kim Bum in Boys Before Flowers, was asked whether he was her ideal type in real life, "Guys who have a lot of money and are also talented? Actually, the image of Kim Bum in the drama is not my ideal type. But I have a good relationship with Kim Bum off set and are also classmates in the same year. Compared with Kim Bum, I am closer with Hye Sun unnie instead since we often interact on set. Everytime when I am hungry, it's always unnie (Hye Sun) who would feed me stuff to eat first (smiles)." As for Kim So Eun's ideal type, she expressed that she admires guys who commands respect. The popularity of Boys Before Flowers has also led to a series of CSI investigations by netizens who would go and dig up pictures, etc about the past of the cast members. Naturally, Kim So Eun would be a target. The KTF CF which So Eun did with Kim Kibum in 2005 was thus successfully retrieved and became popular once again. But this time, it was all about Kim So Eun instead of Kim Kibum in 2005. So Eun expressed, "The CF was done in my 3rd year of junior-high and I was just starting out. I wasn't really working towards becoming a star or a famous one. I just worked hard and took baby steps until I finally got to act in dramas and raised my exposure, with more knowing who I really am. I did not just suddenly pop out just because I wanted to be an actress."

When she thinks of her image in the past, for example in the 2005 CF, she feels a bit embarassed seeing herself now back then, claiming that she had a lot of areas where she could have done better. Regarding her family, Kim So Eun currently lives with her parents and has a younger sister. So Eun said, "My parents prefers seeing me in a saeguk drama but my sister likes seeing me in Boys Before Flowers. But actually, she idolizes F4 more than me in the drama so much so that I had to make her agree that she would be on my side. Even my friends, they like F4 more than me. Although they would tell me that they have been watching Boys Before Flowers, they would always end by asking whether F4 are getting along well. Although it looks like I have been getting a lot of attention, indirectly, I feel like I am an outcast (smiles)."

So Eun loves to ski since she was little and she proudly expressed that she is quite a pro at it. If So Eun hadn't become an actress, she would be probably representing Korea as a national skier. "I do not regret my decision (to become an actress). My goal is to become an established actress like Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil. Its not my character to go for plastic to make myself look even prettier. I prefer looking the way that I am now from what my parents gave me."

Kim So Eun is now 21 years old. Compared to loving someone, she prefers to know more friends now. Sincerely wishing that Kim So Eun will remain as humble as she is now and become an even better actress in future.

Actress Kim So-eun is currently pulling double duty with roles in two different KBS productions: On Mondays and Tuesdays, she’s the sassy best friend in the trendy drama Boys Before Flowers, and on weekends she plays the childhood counterpart to Chae Shi-ra’s grown-up warrior leader in historical series Empress Cheon-chu.

The latter has given her the nickname “Little Chae Shi-ra,” which is pretty high praise for a rookie actress given Chae’s respected veteran status. Kim’s performances have been well-received and, following her first appearance on Empress Cheon-chu, Kim’s name shot to the top of online searches.

On an entertainment program on the 17th, Kim said, “At first it didn’t seem real. Thank you so much for supporting me… I don’t even have much experience acting, and I hardly feel like I deserve to be called ‘Little Chae Shi-ra.’” She did, however, spent months training in action school for her role, enabling her to perform her own horseback riding and falling stunts.