Widely regarded as one of South Korea’s greatest and most beloved "Nation’s Mothers," Kim Hae-sook is a legendary actress whose presence has shaped Korean film and television for generations. With unmatched emotional depth and extraordinary range, she has portrayed mothers, queens, villains, mentors, and ordinary women with equal authority-becoming a cultural constant in Korean storytelling.
Kim Hae-sook began her acting career in the mid-1970s after training through MBC’s actor program, making her debut in television dramas at a time when Korean broadcasting was rapidly evolving. From early on, she stood out for her expressive eyes, powerful vocal control, and ability to convey complex inner lives even in limited screen time.
Over the decades, Kim has built one of the most extensive and respected filmographies in Korean entertainment history. She is especially renowned for redefining maternal roles-infusing them with strength, contradiction, vulnerability, and moral complexity rather than sentimentality alone. These performances earned her the enduring title of "the mother of the nation," while also allowing her to continuously reinvent herself beyond that archetype.
Her film work includes internationally acclaimed projects such as Thirst, The Thieves, and The Handmaiden, where she proved her ability to command attention even in bold, unconventional, or morally ambiguous roles. On television, she has remained omnipresent across eras, appearing in historical epics, family dramas, thrillers, and modern romantic series-often serving as the emotional anchor of ensemble casts.
Kim Hae-sook has received numerous major acting awards throughout her career, including multiple Best Supporting Actress honors, and has been formally recognized by the South Korean government for her cultural impact. In addition to acting, she has shared her life experiences through published memoirs, reflecting on longevity, discipline, and the responsibility of representing Korean women on screen.
With a career spanning over five decades, Kim Hae-sook is not merely an actress but a living institution-one whose performances have quietly raised generations of viewers and performers alike.
