Profile Yoona: From SNSD Center to Actress – A Look at Her Multifaceted Career (2024 Updated)

Who is Yoona?

Yoona is a top singer and actress in South Korea. She is also a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation and its subunit Girls’ Generation-Oh!GG, where she takes on roles such as vocalist, visual, center, and the face of the group. In addition to singing, she has appeared in various acting roles in films and television dramas such as “Prime Minister and I” (2013), “The K2” (2016), “The King Loves” (2017), “Exit” (2019), and “Hush” (2020).

Yoona’s biography:

• Full name: Lim Yoon-ah
• Native name: 임윤아
• Date of birth: May 30, 1990
• Age: 33 years old (as of 2023)
• Hometown: Yeongdeungpo-gu, Daerim-dong, Seoul, South Korea
• Occupation: Singer, Actress
• Years active: 2007 – present
• Height: 168 cm
• Weight: 48 kg
• Group: SNSD
• Instagram: yoona__lim
• Youtube: Yoona’s So Wonderful Day | 임윤아 오피셜

More Information

Yoona was born in Seoul, South Korea. She grew up in a family with her father and an older sister who is 5 years older than her. From a young age, she dreamed of becoming a singer. In 2002, Yoona became a trainee at S.M. Entertainment through the SM Saturday Open Casting Audition system. Before her debut, she appeared in some music videos such as TVXQ’s “Magic Castle.”

In 2009, Yoona graduated from Daeyoung High School. Then in 2014, she and Seohyun, another member of Girls’ Generation, graduated from Dongguk University and were awarded lifetime achievement awards.

Yoona’s Career Progression

A Start with Girls’ Generation

Yoona officially debuted to the public as a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation in August 2007. In 2009, marked a major turning point for Girls’ Generation with the release of the hit song “Gee,” the first Korean song in history to surpass 100 million views on YouTube, earning the group the title of “national girl group” in South Korea.

With 8 members including Yoona, Taeyeon, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Seohyun, Girls’ Generation achieved considerable success, with Yoona emerging as a prominent figure. Additionally, Jessica, a former member, was also part of the group.

After many years of activity, Girls’ Generation has now become an insurmountable wall that few can surpass, always remaining an integral part of Yoona’s life.

Acting and International Projects

Not only successful in singing, but Yoona also ventured into acting with a supporting role in the drama “You Are My Destiny,” which achieved a viewer rating of 41.5%, significantly boosting her popularity.

In 2009, Yoona took on the lead role in the drama “Cinderella Man” alongside actor Kwon Sang-woo. Her performance earned her the Favorite Television Actress award at the 46th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Afterwards, she gained favor from directors and appeared frequently on the small screen, captivating audiences with roles in dramas such as “Love Rain,” “Prime Minister and I,” “The K2,” “The King Loves,” and “Cooperation.”

In addition to domestic roles, Yoona also starred as the female lead in the Chinese historical drama “God of War, Zhao Yun,” which received high viewer ratings and positive responses from audiences in both countries.

Not only has Yoona dominated the small screen, but in the realm of cinema, it’s even harder to find any female idol surpassing her. Over the past 5 years, Yoona’s appearances in films have consistently achieved impressive box office results. From 2017 to 2022, Yoona took only 5 years to become the highest-grossing female idol actress in the history of Korean cinema, with a total of 23.9 million tickets sold across 4 films she starred in.

Dating News/ Rumors

Lee Seung Gi:

Since her debut with the SNSD girl group until transitioning to acting, Lim Yoona has only publicly acknowledged her romantic relationship once.

The actress officially dated Lee Seung Gi starting from September 2013. By early 2014, the management companies of both confirmed the relationship to the media.

The connection between the two stars began when Yoona appeared on the show “Strong Heart,” where Lee Seung Gi was the MC. The singer and the actor had intimate gestures and playful interactions when they met. Since then, the couple became each other’s ideal match and didn’t hesitate to share this on television.

When they publicly announced their relationship, the public expressed enthusiastic support for Yoona and Lee Seung Gi due to their compatibility. However, some fans of the actor voiced opposition, claiming that Yoona wasn’t famous enough to stand next to the “national son-in-law.”

After two years together, in August 2015, SM Entertainment and Hook Entertainment simultaneously announced Yoona and Lee Seung Gi’s breakup.

According to their management company’s statement, the couple decided to part ways due to their busy schedules, leaving them with little time to nurture their relationship. However, the two artists remain good friends, supporting each other on their career paths.

Lee Jun Ho:

On July 3, 2023, the newspaper PROOF exclusively reported that Lee Junho (2PM) and Lim Yoona were dating in real life. A source in the entertainment industry revealed: “Both of them developed a romantic relationship before filming ‘King The Land.’ That’s why they collaborated on this project.”

However, shortly after the news was released, the management companies of both artists denied the rumors. SM Entertainment stated: “Yoona is close with Junho, but they are not dating.” JYP Entertainment also responded: “Although they are close, after verifying with Junho, we found the dating rumors to be baseless.”

Scandals/ Controversies

Rumor of having an affair with Psy:

The first controversy arose in 2012 when rumors spread about her having an affair with Psy, circulated by a Chinese website. Specifically, QQ posted an article alleging that Yoona was dating Psy, accompanied by photos as evidence. However, those images were taken behind the scenes while Yoona participated in the Running Man program earlier that year. This misunderstanding inadvertently dragged Yoona into an unnecessary scandal.

Got drunken in Hongkong

Another scandal involved allegations of drunken revelry at a bar in Hong Kong. At that time, SNSD was on tour in Hong Kong. Reporters released a series of unclear photos showing two unidentified women, presumed to be Yoona and Taeyeon, along with Tyler Kwon, a friend of Jessica, stumbling out of the bar. They based this assumption on the silhouette and hair color.

Immediately, the scandal went viral on social media. Given Yoona’s pristine and gentle image, her appearance at a bar, seemingly out of control due to intoxication, contradicted her public persona. Although the management company denied any connection between Yoona, Taeyeon, and Tyler Kwon, the rumors persisted. This scandal significantly affected Yoona’s image.

It wasn’t until two years later when a photo of Jessica, Tyler Kwon, and his cousin in a car was released that this scandal was clarified. It turned out that the two girls in the photo that night were Jessica and Tyler Kwon’s cousin. Given Jessica’s close relationship with Tyler Kwon, it was more plausible that Jessica and his cousin went out together instead of Yoona and Taeyeon. Only then was the most serious scandal in her career finally clarified.