Arin (Oh My Girl)
Oh My Girl Arin Arin Oh my girl arin

Arin (Oh My Girl)

Choi Ye-won (최예원)
  • Korean Name:Choi Ye-won (최예원)
  • Nickname:Arin (아린)
  • Birthday:June 18, 1999
  • Nationality:Korean
  • Zodiac Sign:Gemini
  • Height:165 cm (5'5″)
  • Weight:48 kg (106 lbs)
  • MBTI Type:ISFJ
  • Blood Type:O
  • Occupation:Idol / Actress
  • Years Active:2015-Present
  • Agency:ATRP
  • Education:School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) Graduated

Biography

Debut and Rise with Oh My Girl

Arin officially debuted as a member of Oh My Girl on April 20, 2015, with the release of their first extended play, Oh My Girl, featuring the lead single “Cupid”. The group made their initial performance of the debut single on SBS MTV’s   

The Show the following day, April 21, 2015. Oh My Girl quickly garnered significant attention, demonstrating their burgeoning popularity when tickets for their first solo concert, “Summer Fairy Tales” in 2016, sold out in an impressive three minutes, setting a new record for a rookie group. The group achieved their first music show win with “Secret Garden” on SBS’s The Show in January 2018, a pivotal moment in their career.

Arin Oh My Girl Secret Garden

Their participation in Mnet’s Queendom in August 2019 further solidified their standing, particularly their acclaimed cover of Lovelyz’s “Destiny,” which earned them first place in the second round. In 2020, their single “Nonstop” marked a significant commercial success, peaking at number 2 on the Korean charts and becoming their first song to receive a Platinum certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).  

A notable development occurred in May 2025, when WM Entertainment announced that while four members—Hyojung, Mimi, Seunghee, and Yubin—had renewed their contracts, Arin and YooA opted not to renew their exclusive contracts with the agency. Crucially, both Arin and YooA committed to continuing group activities as members of Oh My Girl. 

Sub-Unit Activities: Oh My Girl Banhana

On April 2, 2018, Arin expanded her musical footprint by debuting in Oh My Girl’s first sub-unit, Oh My Girl Banhana, alongside fellow members Hyojung and Yubin. The sub-unit released the pop-up album   

Banana Allergy Monkey. Participation in a sub-unit offers a distinct platform for idols to showcase different facets of their artistry and explore varied group dynamics. For Arin, this provided an opportunity to highlight her versatility and adaptability to different musical styles and concepts beyond the main group’s established image, contributing significantly to her overall development as a performer.

Solo Music Endeavors

While her primary musical contributions remain with Oh My Girl, Arin has also engaged in select solo music endeavors. In June 2022, she was chosen to participate in Pepsi’s promotional single “Blue & Black”. Furthermore, she featured in the Oh My Girl unit song “Sway (YOU & I)” with Yubin, included on the group’s 10th mini album Dreamy Resonance in 2024. Fans have frequently expressed a strong desire to hear more of Arin’s solo singing, including original soundtracks (OSTs) for dramas and dedicated solo releases. This consistent demand from her fanbase indicates a recognized vocal potential that could be further explored.

Given her recent transition to a new agency, ATRP, there is an expectation that this move might facilitate more extensive solo opportunities, as specialized agencies often prioritize and support individual member promotions.

Acting Career: From Web Series to Acclaimed Dramas

Arin has meticulously built a commendable filmography, successfully transitioning from minor roles to increasingly prominent leading characters in both television and web series. Her acting debut as a lead occurred in the web drama The World of My 17 (2020), where her performance earned her recognition as a “Next Generation’s Idol Actor”. She garnered significant critical and public attention for her role as Jin Cho-yeon in the highly popular television series Alchemy of Souls (2022–2023), appearing in both parts of the fantasy drama. 

Arin The World of My 17
Arin – The World of My 17

Arin is also set to star in the upcoming Wavve original webtoon drama S-Line as Shin Hyun-heup, a role widely anticipated as her potential breakout performance. In S-Line, her character possesses the unique ability to perceive “S-Lines,” which are red threads connecting individuals who have engaged in sexual relationships. This supernatural element leads to a dramatic transformation, as her character becomes a high school student disconnected from the conventional world.

Arin S line
Arin – S line

Further expanding her acting portfolio, she is cast in the 2025 television series My Girlfriend Is a Real Man as Kim Ji-eun. The director of S-Line lauded Arin’s profound commitment, noting her “determination to throw herself into the character, even into fire if necessary”. This strong endorsement from a director highlights her professional dedication and genuine passion for acting, indicating that her pursuit of acting extends far beyond merely leveraging her idol fame.

Hosting Roles and Brand Endorsements

Arin has also broadened her public profile through various hosting engagements and lucrative brand endorsement deals. She served as an MC for KBS 2TV’s Music Bank starting in July 2020, where her refreshing personality and talents were widely appreciated. Her performance as an MC was recognized with a “Best Couple Award” at the 2020 KBS Entertainment Awards, which she shared with her co-host Soobin of TXT.  

Her marketability is further evidenced by a series of significant brand endorsement deals:

  • She became the brand model for the South Korean clothing brand BYC in March 2020.  
  • In July 2020, she was appointed as a global brand muse for the French beauty brand Clarins, also participating in a tree planting initiative to support bee forest protection as part of her collaboration.  
  • A particularly notable endorsement came in 2021 when she became an advertising model for Kumbokju’s cham soju. This is a significant achievement in the Korean entertainment industry, as soju models are typically considered highly trendy and in-demand celebrities, reflecting a high level of public recognition and appeal.  
  • In June 2022, she was selected to participate in Pepsi’s promotional single “Blue & Black”.

Fun Facts

  1. She was originally left-handed. However, since Arin's grandfather didn’t like her writing with her left hand, she also learned to use her right.
  2. She attended the same elementary school as Jihoon from TREASURE.
  3. There are stories suggesting that she was in the same level-based class as one of the top students in her grade during middle school, indicating she was quite good at studying.
  4. In a V Live "lie-down" broadcast on April 24, 2017, she revealed that she was a part of the disciplinary committee in her first year of middle school.
  5. During her trainee days, she was considered a promising rapper who could potentially follow in Mimi’s footsteps.
  6. Some people mistakenly think Arin’s real name is Choi Arin, but Arin is a stage name her actual name is Choi Ye-won.
  7. She often refers to her fans using affectionate terms like “my other half” or “halvies.”
  8. Though she doesn’t usually speak in dialect, Arin tends to slip into her regional accent when she’s nervous or flustered.
  9. Along with YooA, Arin is considered one of the Oh My Girl members who can’t cook. But unlike YooA, who has some basic skills, Arin is notoriously bad at it. She even takes hours to do the dishes.
  10. Arin is often said to resemble Choi Yena and Lee Yujeong from Produce 48.
  11. She is known to sleep a lot in the car and needs extremely loud alarms to wake up.
  12. Her first roommate after debut was Hyojung, but later it changed to Seunghee.
  13. She moves around a lot in her sleep, so she uses a large bed.
  14. She’s not a strong gamer and tends not to play much except for Halli Galli, which she’s surprisingly good at.
  15. Along with Mimi and Yubin, Arin is sometimes hard to find on YouTube. This is because the name “Arin” also belongs to a BJ on AfreecaTV, Lee Arin, who shows up in searches.
  16. Her alcohol tolerance is reportedly one bottle of soju, but her members say they’ve never seen her drunk not even when she drinks with friends.
  17. A concept she wants to try with Oh My Girl is retro.
  18. She graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) on February 8, 2018.
  19. On March 20, 2020, she became the third Oh My Girl member to open a personal Instagram account, after Hyojung and YooA. She was the first among the group to reach 1 million followers.