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Kim Min-seo’s Singles spread and almost-idol past

Kim Min-seo is currently earning recognition for her portrayal of a queen unraveling at the seams of her sanity in The Moon That Embraces the Sun, and she’s got a magazine spread to go with this fresh wave of visibility, appearing in the next issue of beauty magazine Singles.

The photo shoot skews kinda bridal, but Kim looks fresh and glowy in it. She has the ability to look at home in whatever part she’s playing, which makes her something of a chameleon. Of the four most recent drama roles she’s played, all have been vastly different, and she’s been equally at home in all of them: the sad, wispy dead girl in Bad Guy; the mysterious and charismatic gisaeng in Sungkyunkwan Scandal; the sophisticated, haughty designer in Baby-Faced Beauty; and now as the jealous queen in Moon/Sun.

But more interesting than the Singles spread, I think, is the unearthing of old photos (thanks to those resourceful netizens) of Kim back when she was… part of a pop girl group? That’s unexpected. You think that someone of her acting skills would have gone straight for the acting route, but then again, there’s truth to the efficacy of the acting-via-idol-career route. (It doesn’t mean you won’t get slapped with the “foot acting” label, but it’ll score you roles.)

Apparently Kim Min-seo got her start in the three-member girl group called Mint, which was active in 1999 and 2000, back when she was 16 years old. The group was short-lived, and based on the clip below, their sound was characteristic of that techno-dance stuff that was so popular back around ‘ye old turn of the century. (Think: Diva, Chakra, Lee Jung-hyun.) Thankfully those days are behind us now, and Kim Min-seo turned to acting instead, where she shines.

Via Segye

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She's beautiful, funny how I've seen every drama she's been in!

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she's doing wonderfully as bo-kyung, and i'm glad she chose acting in the end! hope more meaty roles come her way soon.

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She looks so pretty :) I love her acting in Moon/Sun.

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glad she's getting recognition. my favorite of her roles so far is Chosun in SS, but her portrayal of the queen is absolutely perfect. really loved the scene in ep. 16 where she was trying to convince herself that Wol couldn't be the dead Yeon Woon...that mix of confusion, horror, and fear wow!..really excellent scene that.

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Not being mean or anything but how does she look older when she was 16 and look younger now?!! She looks beautiful in the photoshoot though and I'm glad that she's finally gaining some recognition but I still want her to get a main role because she's such a great actress. Fingers crossed that 2012 will be her year, I have a feeling she might be the next Moon Chae Won since they both are known for their saeguk roles and it took a while for MCW to reach her status as a leading lady

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I think it's because she looks older because she wore more makeup and darker makeup in the younger pictures. That usually adds to a persons age appearance.

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yeah, they layered on the makeup pretty thick back then and the hairstyles didn't help. Even Ha Ji Won and Song Hye Kyo looked older at times during the early 2000s than in their recent works.

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I agree with you... its that 90's makeup. Oy vey! *looking thru my high school pictures*

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Skin lightening is a pretty standard thing over there

but she certainly was a pretty girl even back then

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She's done something to her jawline, so without the "jowls" she looks a lot younger now.

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I kinda meant it in a jokey way, I think she looks pretty back then too, I just found it amazing that she looks even better with age :)

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That applies to a lot of people who were teens in the 90s. Back then they liked that dark kind of makeup that makes them look older than they really are.

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Honestly this can apply to everyone in that decade. It's like they all age backwards.

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I was about to say that. She looked quite a lot younger now lol! Also the eyebags suited her.

Maybe she'll get in next time, see Protect the Boss' Wang Ji Hye, she's got some lead lady role this time.

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Wow didn't expect her to be in an idol group (or used to) ! Cool, she's rocking as Bo-kyung ;)

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Her acting is at par with Su Ae and Kim So Yun. Now I expect a lead role for her.

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i think ...su ae is in her own class

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Kim Min-seo is talented no doubt but I would love to see her in a few lead roles first. Su Ae is in a legue of her own with plenty of lead roles under her belt.

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She's very beautiful.
I'm surprised she hasn't gotten a lead role yet, but then again, being known for your main roles is basically the same as being recognized as a leading lady.

Good Luck to her =D

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I wish her much luck now and in the future. She is one of those actors that just managed to shine and standout inspite of limited script/screen time. Makes me really want to root for them.
I'm glad that she is being recognized for her talents and not just another pretty face.

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I love Kim Min-seo~! Ever since I saw her as the most beautiful kisaeng Cho-seon in SKKS. I just knew that once she set her eyes on KYS/KYH, she was destined to a world of hurt, and was most surprsied when she was doing stuff Hongbyeokseo wouldn't have done...dual roles...

Then came TMTETS, and at first I would've never thought poor Bo-gyeong would also be sophisticated Cho-seon. But here she is, still destined in that pitiful world of hurt, but with an added kick reminiscent of dual roles, is now going crazy, still connected with the Moon (going into lunacy; lunacy was once attributed to the powers of the full moon in the Middle Ages; and it seems fitting, since Yeon-woo's personifying the moon, and Bo-gyeong just went totally bat-shit crazy when she saw Wol/slash/Yeon-woo)

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I'm not keeping up with Moon-Sun, but the screencaps of her from the recaps are pretty expressive. And I loved her in SKKS! I hope she gets a lead role after Moon-Sun.

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I loved her in Sungkyunkwan and hate her (or rather, love-to-hate her) in Moon/Sun; she's so versatile that I'm never left unaffected by her performance.

And is it just me, or does she look a bit like Kim Ji-won (from High Kick 3 and What's Up) in that idol pic? Maybe it's just the angle? *tilts head*

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Good to see this talented actress get more recognition because she deserves it. I first saw her as Cho-seon in SKKS and loved what she brought to that small role, so I'm not surprised to see how great she is at bringing her current character, Bo-kyung, to life in TMTETS.

I hope her next role is as the lead because she should be given more time to shine on screen.

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I.Love.her. I have only watched 3 of her 4 dramas, but I love her since Sungkyunkwan Scandal (where her character rocked). In her "evil" characters I cant hate her fully because I love to see her acting those too. I was so happy when she finally started to do somenthing in Moon/Sun. Now that she is in a breakdown, Im totally buying it.
I hope in the future she can get a lead role (it would be better if is not a melo or a makjang. it would be harder for me to watch one of those) because I know she would do it well. Plus, she is very pretty.

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She's great as Bo-kyung. Now I wish, she was Wol instead... ;)

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Hmm, I don't know about this. Kim Min Seo's character in Bad Guy, all noble and self-sacrificing, barely registered with me (truthfully, I can barely remember her in it) but her turn as the mysterious and charismatic Chosun in SKKS was just all kinds of awesome sauce. Now, with how the story is going in Moon/Sun, I can't picture anyone else as Bo-kyung. She OWNS that role. That little twitch in her eyes when she sees Wol's face and biting her lip at the mention of Yeonwoo's name was just ... brilliant. Maybe if Bo-kyung wasn't going crazy, I would wish she played the Wol role instead (which is the very epitome of noble and self-sacrificing, by the way) but I don't know. I really can't picture it anymore after Episode 16.

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Agreed 1000%

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I'm thankful for her presence in METS. I also wish she was Wol. It'd make the drama so much more interesting.

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She looks regal in the second pic!

Loved her as Cho Sun in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. She was almost waste in Baby-Faced Beauty, but thank goodness she was able to bring the deadpan character to "life" (similar to Wang Ji Hye's work of miracle in Personal Preference).

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Bravoo ~ Bravoooo!! I've seen her in that drama "Bad Guy", "Baby-Faced Beauty" and "Sungkyunkwan Scandal". I am glad that she will able to become so shining as a actress now where this world will notice her someday! ^_^

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Wow, she was in Bad Guy? Her role must have been tiny because I don't even remember her. I think I watched Bad Guy and SKKS within a few months of each other, so I should have remembered her.

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yeah she was the dead girl in the beginning sun-young,the girl who committed suicide because she was dumped.

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She's very beautiful and talented!

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She's so beautiful in a classically Korean way, instead of many of the younger idols/actors who look more western than Korean. I wish she'd have a leading role soon!

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I think she looks japanese in her older pictures..

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she looks different back then, but still pretty. She is a good actress regardless. I first saw her in SKKS, and although her role was minor, I care for her. Now I really love her in The Moon. She does a great job of showing different kinds of feeling when she is mad, sad,and freak out. Hope she will be lead actress next time i see her

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i really like her in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, but i totally didnt recognize her in moon sun

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She's gorgeous, but she looks soooo much better with her forehead covered up. In Moon/Sun is kind of... distracting. *pleasedon'tkillmei'mnothatingjuststatingtheobvios*

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she looks so old...not my fav

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Is that her or... is that REALLY HER??!!

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