Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun-hye (Korean: 윤은혜; born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005. Yoon has since moved on to acting, including a role in Princess Hours, as well as The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
1999-2005: Debut with Baby V.O.X
Yoon Eun Hye debuted as a member of Baby V.O.X at the age of 15, replacing an ex-member (Lee Gai) in 1999. Yoon was the sub-vocal in the group, known for her cuteness and child-like traits. Being the youngest member of the group, she received little attention and was often overshadowed by her other four members. Following her replacement, the group released their third album Come Come Come in 1999. This album became their first major success, with their singles “Get Up” and “Killer” reaching the number one spot on the Korean music pop charts. Since then, the group released many hit albums which garnered them not just a large loyal fan base in Korea, but also in China, Thailand and other Asia markets. Yoon was often the prey of anti-fans. One infamous incident was during her debut year, she was shot in the eye by an anti-fan who tried to make her blind with a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar using a water gun. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctors confirmed that her cornea was damaged. Following fellow member Shim Eun Jin, Yoon Eun Hye ended her 6 years activities as a member of Baby V.O.X in July 2005 when her contract with DR Entertainment expired
2005: Acting debut
After her departure from Baby V.O.X, Yoon was left without a management company. However, this did not stop her from establishing her career in the entertainment business. During this period, Yoon continued to appear on many TV shows, doing MC hosting and taking up small role in several sitcoms. Yoon Eun Hye appeared as a regular guest on the variety show X-Man on SBS, in which she was popular with audiences. Due to her astonishing strength in the variety shows, she was labelled as "Young Girl Warrior".While on X-Man, Yoon became involved in a romantic "scandal" with K-pop singer Kim Jong Kook. Though the show raised her public profile, she left the show a year later in order to pursue an acting career. Yoon made her acting debut in the movie Escaping Charisma (also known as The Legend of Seven Cutter). In this movie, Yoon plays a tom-boy high school student, Han Min Joo, who is an ace boxer. It was reported that Yoon only took 2hrs to master the basic boxing techniques which normally takes a person a week to learn. Her athleticism was such that the boxing coach suggested a career in professional boxing. Originally, the movie was planned to be released in November 2005, but it only hit theatres the following year. The success of her first drama Princess Hours aided in ticket sales for this movie.
2006: Princess Hours and breakthrough success
By late 2005 Yoon Eun Hye signed on with a new management company, Eight Peak, when she was offered her first major acting role in Princess Hours. Yoon played the lead role as the crown princess Shin Chae Kyung, which shot her to instant fame throughout Asia. Initially, fans of the Goong manhwa questioned her acting ability, and the manhwa fans sent out petitions against Yoon as the lead role, requesting her to be replaced. They even bombarded her Cyworld minihompy with harsh words. Yoon had thoughts of giving up the role initially but she released a statement not long after stating that she would ultimately do her best, displaying her determination to prove herself. The drama debuted with average ratings, but as it progressed, viewership increased to 28.3% nationally. The popularity led to an extension of additional episodes (from 20 to 24 episodes) and a "Special 1.5" episode on MBC. Although Yoon and the other main casts were invited to work on a second season, only one of them officially agreed. Eventually, a spin-off series with brand new characters was filmed, known as Goong S, which was not the actual sequel planned by the original director and company. Following the success of her first drama, Yoon took on her next leading role in The Vineyard Man which was aired on KBS in July 2006. The Vineyard Man initially suffered low ratings due to strong competition from MBC 45th anniversary drama, Jumong. Nonetheless, the heart-warming storyline and Yoon’s convincing portrayal as “Lee Ji Hyun” gradually won the hearts of audiences, reaching a 15.6% on its finale. Yoon's portrayal in The Vineyard Man won her not only "Best New Actress" in the 2006 KBS Drama Awards, but also “Best Actress” at 2006 Grime Awards along with Song Il Kook as the "Best Actor".
2007: Continued success with Coffee Prince
Yoon Eun Hye’s third lead role was for MBC's Monday/Tuesday drama The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, which started airing in July 2007. She played Go Eun-Chan, an employee at a coffee shop, who was once a master of Taekwondo. With her short haircut and tomboyish manner, the character was presumed to be a boy by the owner of the coffee shop, thus leading to romantic complications. The drama enjoyed high ratings, where viewership ratings hit as high as 32.1% in Seoul and 29.9% nationwide, making it the highest rated show in its timeslot. The huge success of Coffee Prince made Yoon the highest paid actress, MBC paying her 20 million won per episode for the drama. For that matter, Yoon became the youngest actress to join South Korea's A-list of stars, the 20 million Won Club which includes Bae Yong-joon, Kwon Sang Woo, Ko Hyun Jung, and Song Il kook. Yoon successful performance in Coffee Prince, put her in the list of being one of the best actresses in Korean entertainment. From 19–27 November 2007, StarNews carried out their own 2007 Acting Awards, combining all 3 stations. StarNews surveyed a total 17 Chief Producers (5 from KBS, 7 from MBC and 5 from SBS) in nominating and selecting the winners. In this award, Yoon Eun Hye was named “Outstanding Actress” for her role in Coffee Prince. The Chief Producers evaluated Yoon’s acting and assessed her as having great potential for success. The success of Coffee Prince earned Yoon Eun Hye a fan base not only in Korea, but also in other countries. Riding the big success in her dramas, Yoon was crowned as “Drama Ratings Queen” by the media and netizens. Yoon’s growing popularity since Princess Hours and Coffee Prince resulted in many companies requesting her endorsement. Due to the overwhelming invitations, Yoon even had to turn down several advertisement requests. Consequently, Yoon was labelled as the "CF Queen" in South Korea. During filming of Coffee Prince, Yoon suffered symptoms of severe headache and had to be hospitalised. Yoon was later diagnosed with pernicious anemia. Yoon Eun Hye received a personal invitation from Italian fashion house Blufin to attend the Blumarine Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection fashion show in Milan on 25 September. Anna Molinari even personally presented Yoon with a piece of dress as a gift.
