She began hermodeling career in South Korea after winning theSBS Supermodel Contest in 2001.[5] Under thestage name Han Ye-seul, she made her acting debut in the popularsitcomNonstop 4 in 2003.[6] Han quickly rose to fame, and sherenounced her U.S. citizenship in 2004 and became anaturalized South Korean citizen to continue establishing herself in Korean entertainment.[7] Her performances inForbidden Love (2004) andThat Summer's Typhoon (2005) received poor reviews,[8][9] with critics dismissing her as primarily a commercial model and not a real actress.[10]
Han proved her detractors wrong withCouple or Trouble (also known asFantasy Couple, 2006), aremake ofOverboard written by theHong sisters. Playing a spoiled heiress who becomes anamnesiac after a yacht accident, Han was praised for her comic timing and the series was a hit.[2][11]
She further embraced thescrewball comedy genre with her first filmMiss Gold Digger (2007).[12] Despite the film's lackluster box office, Han's portrayal of an advertising executive who juggles four different men in order to catch the ideal husband won her several Best New Actress accolades from local award-giving bodies, including the prestigiousGrand Bell Awards andBlue Dragon Film Awards.[13][14][15][16][17]
In 2011, Han was cast as the titular character inSpy Myung-wol, as a North Korean agent on a mission to kidnap a top South KoreanHallyu star, who ends up falling for him.[21][22][23] The series gained notoriety when Han failed to show up for her scheduled filming on August 14–15 and instead flew to Los Angeles on August 16; it was the first instance of a leading actor abruptly leaving in the middle of a Korean drama shoot.[24] Her then-agencySidusHQ cited conflicts withtelevision director Hwang In-hyuk over her hectic working conditions, and that exhaustion had compromised her judgment.[25][26] Han's absence effectively halted production, and theKBS network lambasted her actions as "unilateral, irresponsible and will not be tolerated," while the drama's production companyVictory Contents (then known as Victory Productions) threatened legal action.[26][27] After extensive press coverage, Han returned to Korea and continued filmingSpy Myung-wol on August 18.[28] Upon arrival atIncheon International Airport, she apologized but maintained that her demands had been legitimate, stating "I want to believe that I did the right thing."[29] Han drew harsh criticism from TV industry professionals and viewers, but some fans defended her, saying the stressful Korean drama live-shoot system was at fault.[24][30]
Romantic comedy filmPenny Pinchers was released two months afterSpy Myung-wol finished airing. In it, Han shed her glamorous image to play an extremely frugal woman who considers love a frivolous expense and teaches an unemployed playboy the art of penny pinching.[31][32]
After theSpy Myung-wol fiasco, public backlash forced Han to go on a three-year hiatus from acting.[33][34][35]
In late 2014, she made a successful comeback inBirth of a Beauty, where Han played a warm-heartedajumma who overcomes her husband's infidelity by undergoing a head-to-toe makeover involving plastic surgery and weight loss.[36][37][38] This was followed with leading roles in romantic comediesMadame Antoine: The Love Therapist (2016) where she plays a fake fortune teller,[39] and20th Century Boy and Girl (2017).[40]
In 2019, Han starred in SBS dramaBig Issue, playing a paparazzi journalist who chases after celebrity scandals.[41][42]
In June 2021, Han signed with new agency High Entertainment.[43]
On May 2, 2011, Han hit a man surnamed Do on the hip with the wing mirror of herPorsche while driving into the parking lot of her home in an apartment building inSamseong-dong. Do sustained minor injuries and Han's lawyers offered him ₩5 million in compensation, but Do claimed that she had fled the scene.[44] Her then-agencySidusHQ denied this, saying she had apologized and checked if he was okay, but did not step out of her vehicle.[45] After an investigation, police cleared Han of thehit-and-run allegations.[46][47]
In January 2015, theFSS included Han in a list of people who were found to have violated the foreign currency-related law by failing to report their asset acquisition, such as real estate overseas, to relevant authorities.[51] This referred to a commercial building inKoreatown, Los Angeles that Han had bought in 2011, but her then-agencyKeyEast issued a statement that the omission had been a technical mistake, because Han had transferred the building's ownership to a company in which she was the major shareholder and was unaware that she should report it.[52]
On May 13, 2021, Han revealed through an update from her Instagram that she is currently dating theatrical actor Ryu Sung-jae, who is 10 years younger than her.[53][54] On May 7, 2024, Han announced that she had registered her marriage with her boyfriend.[55]
^Moon, Ji-yeon (May 7, 2024)."[SC이슈] "나 이제 유부녀!"..한예슬, ♥10세 연하 남친 공개→혼인신고 직접 발표" [[SC Issue] "I am now a married woman!"..Han Ye-seul reveals her boyfriend who is 10 years younger than her → Announces marriage registration herself] (in Korean).Sports Chosun. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 – viaNaver.
^Jang Jin-ri (January 11, 2023).[단독]한예슬, 4년 만에 안방 컴백…'서울에 여왕이 산다' 캐스팅 [[Exclusive] Han Ye-seul, home screen comeback after 4 years... Casting for 'The Queen Lives in Seoul'].Spotv News (in Korean).Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2023.
^얼짱 리포터 민송아? 원조는 배우 한예슬.TV Report (in Korean). February 9, 2001.Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 27, 2018.
