Flying Hye

As the K-Wave gathers more momentum and European-based brand Swarovski makes her a global ambassador, Park Shin Hye sits on the cusp of world domination. But while we all know her face, how well do we know her story?

- Claire Starkey

When it comes to celebs from the West, we have intimate access to their lives at the tap of a smartphone. We’re fed a constant stream of selfies. We can follow their stories (literally, on Instagram) as they unfold in real time. They can clear up rumours via the new version of a publicist, the screenshot note.

Compared to their Western counterparts, fandoms in South Korea rely a lot more on traditional channels – press releases, TV appearances and interviews – to find out what their fave celebs are up to. Korean talent agencies are notorious for guarding their stars and their reputations very closely. And as the popularity of Korean stars continues to rise all around the world, it seems to be working for them. We always want to know more.

Park Shin Hye is riding the crest of that K-Wave. At 28, she’s been acting – and in the public eye – for half her life. We know so much and so little about her at the same time.

And so it begins

It was 2003 when a 13-year old Park Shin Hye first appeared on our screens in the quirky music video for Lee Seung Hwan’s “Flower”. Later that year, her breakthrough role arrived: the younger version of Choi Ji Woo’s character in Stairway to Heaven. She then earned praise for her turn in Tree of Heaven before starring in her first film, My Evil Twin, at the age of 19.

Practice makes perfect