My Take
Lee Mi-yeon is one of those South Korean actresses who quietly earned a reputation as a serious, grounded performer long before the global K-drama wave made that kind of recognition easy to come by. Born in Seoul in 1971 and trained at Dongguk University, she built her career the old-fashioned way — stage work, supporting roles, gradual credibility — before landing the kind of showcase that makes everything click into place. Her turn as Empress Myeongseong in the historical drama of the same name is the role people point to, and rightly so; she brought a real dignity and interior weight to a figure who could easily have been reduced to a tragic icon. What I respect about her is that she never chased the trend of the moment — she just kept working at a high level, and Korean audiences noticed.
Overview
Lee Mi-yeon (Korean: 이미연; born September 23, 1971) is a South Korean actress. Lee is best known for her portrayal of the Empress Myeongseong in the television series of that name, as well as the historical drama The Great Merchant (2010).
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lee Mi-yeon
- Name (Japanese)
- イ・ミヨン
- Reading
- い・みよん
- Born
- September 23, 1971 (age 54)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Boar
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / stage actor / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Sehwa Girls' High School
- University
- Dongguk University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A8%E3%83%B3
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.