Lee Hye-ri (
Korean: 이혜리; born June 9, 1994),[2] better known mononymously as Hyeri, is a South Korean actress, singer, and television personality. She rose to fame as the youngest member of girl group
Girl's Day, and was named as the "
Nation's Little Sister" by the South Korean media due to her immense popularity after appearing as a fixed cast member on Real Men (2014).[3][4][5]
Hyeri was born in
Gwangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea.[13] She has a sister, Hye-rim, who is two years younger.[14] Hyeri grew up in poverty, staying with her grandmother in the countryside while her mother was working in a factory.[15][16]
In September 2010, Hyeri was announced as a new member of Girl's Day alongside
Yura when Jiin and Jisun left the group, just two months after the group debuted.[19][20] The revamped group released a single titled "Nothing Lasts Forever", and went on to become one of the most popular and commercially successful musical quartets of its era.[21]
In January 2014, Hyeri fainted on stage during a
Girl's Day live performance and had to be carried off-stage by
M Countdown staff. She was later diagnosed with
swine flu.[22]
After her exclusive contract with
Dream T Entertainment ended in 2019, Hyeri joined a newly set-up agency Creative Group ING.[23] Although all four members joined separate agencies, they have stated that the group has not disbanded.[24][25]
2012–2014: Acting debut and rising popularity
In 2012, Hyeri made her acting debut in the
SBS weekend drama Tasty Life, where she played the youngest in a family of four daughters.[26]
After her 4-day long appearance on Real Men in August 2014, a brief clip of her showing
aegyo at her instructor went viral in South Korea, reaching one million views in a day, an unprecedented feat at the time.[27][28][29][30] She consequently shot to stardom overnight, and later won Best Female Newcomer award at the
MBC Entertainment Awards for her
Real Men appearance.[31]
In November 2014, Hyeri was cast as one of the main characters in teen drama Schoolgirl Detectives, which began airing on cable channel
JTBC in December.[32] In late 2014, she was also cast in the mystery rom-com drama Hyde Jekyll, Me, which began airing on
SBS in January 2015.[33]
In 2017, it was announced that Hyeri would be making her
big screen debut as the female lead in Monstrum; filming began in April.[44]Monstrum premiered in September, 2018.[45] In 2018, Hyeri was cast in My Punch-Drunk Boxer, a boxing comedy drama film.[46] The film premiered at 20th
Jeonju International Film Festival in September, 2019; its general release followed in October, 2019.[47] In 2019, Hyeri also starred in
tvN's office comedy drama Miss Lee.[48]
Besides acting, Hyeri frequently guests on variety shows. She has been described as a "blue chip" in the entertainment industry due to her "frank and easy-going charms, bright energy and flexible chemistry with other cast members".[49][50] Since 2018, Hyeri had been a regular cast member of DoReMi Market, a weekly television program airing on
tvN.[51] In late 2020, she left the show to focus on her acting career.[11]
In 2021, Hyeri starred in
tvN's fantasy-romance drama My Roommate Is a Gumiho alongside
Jang Ki-yong, produced by
iQIYI.[52] The series was a commercial success, amassing more than 100 million views on the online video platform and becoming its most-watched original drama series of the year.[12] Later that year, Hyeri starred in
KBS2's historical drama Moonshine alongside
Yoo Seung-ho.[53]
Hyeri was appointed as the ambassador for 'Free Semester Program' by the
Ministry of Education in September 2016.[55] In February 2017, Hyeri was appointed as one of the ambassadors for the Count Every Child birth registration campaign as part of her
NGO partnership with
Plan Korea.[56] In 2018, Hyeri participated in a Plan Korea fundraiser for children born without birth registration and wrote a letter to fans asking for potential donors.[57]
At 25 years old, Hyeri became the youngest member of
UNICEF's Honors Club, having donated more than ₩100 million "to run educational programs for underprivileged children and AIDS-prevention campaigns in underdeveloped nations in Asia". A membership ceremony took place on July 26, 2019.[58][59]
In 2022, Hyeri donated ₩50 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in
Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to
Samcheok, Gangwon.[63] That same year, Hyeri donated ₩50 million to the
Save the Children emergency relief in order to help Ukrainian victims during the
Russian invasion, stating that she "wants to give a little help to the suffering children who are powerless in times of war" and that she hopes "a world without war and fear will come one day".[64]
In 2023, Hyeri donated 50 million won to help
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, by donating money through UNICEF's emergency relief program to help children affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.[65]
In the media
Endorsements
The success of Reply 1988 combined with Hyeri's status as an icon of
aegyo led to her becoming one of the most in-demand advertising models in South Korea.[66][67][68] By the start of 2016, she had shot over 30 advertisements for brands such as
Puma,
Lotte Confectionery's
Ghana,
Bohae,
Amore Pacific's Happy Bath, and was consequently given the title of "₩10 billion girl (
ko: 100억 소녀)" by the South Korean media.[69][70][71]
Following her appointment as the model for Albamon (
ko: 알바몬), a part-time job recruiting site, Hyeri was awarded with the plaque of appreciation by the
Ministry of Employment and Labour for "promoting minimum wage awareness and compliance" in March 2015.[72] In January 2017, Albamon received "Consumer Choice Best Brand Award" for "its efforts to improve the rights of the public by providing high quality part-time job announcements" after an ad featuring Hyeri and
Im Chang-jung reached over 10 million views in just a month after its release.[73]
The sales of products such as
7-Eleven lunch boxes and
Nongshimramen increased by 78% and 50% respectively after Hyeri's endorsement.[71][74] Similarly, the page views of Dabang (
ko: 다방), a
real estatemobile app that Hyeri has endorsed since 2015, grew from 5 million to 15 million, and weekly active users increased from 600,000 to 1.5 million after a new ad featuring Hyeri as
Harley Quinn was released in 2017.[75] In July 2017, she received the Female Commercial Film Star Award at MTN Broadcast Advertising Awards Festival.[76]
Social media
In July 2019, Hyeri unveiled her personal
YouTube channel, where she began posting
vlogs,
mukbangs, and behind the scenes footage from filming sets. A month later, she received
The Silver Creator Award for surpassing 100,000 subscribers.[77] In 2020, she was awarded the "Celebrity YouTuber of the Year" prize at the Brand of the Year Awards.[78]
In March 2020, Hyeri criticised
Nth room-related
cybersex trafficking on her
Instagram account and urged her followers to sign a petition to reveal the identities of the perpetrators, stating that she hopes that "they face harsher punishment for what they did".[79][80]
Personal life
Hyeri was in a relationship with actor and former co-star
Ryu Jun-yeol. The two met on the set of Reply 1988, where they played each other's love interest, and began dating in late 2016.[81] On November 13, 2023, the couple announced their break-up after 7 years of dating.[82]
In March 2016, Hyeri was hospitalised after being diagnosed with
meningitis due to busy schedules and lack of rest.[83][84][85]
^
abYoo Na (December 3, 2020).
"장기용X이혜리 tvN '간 떨어지는 동거' 주연 확정 "웹툰 싱크로율 200%"[공식]" [Jang Ki-yong x Lee Hye-ri confirmed the lead role of tvN's'Live with Fall' "Webtoon synchro rate 200%" [Official]]. Sports Chosun (in Korean).
Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
^
abKim Jin-seok (February 16, 2021).
"[단독]혜리의 첫 사극… '꽃 피면 달 생각하고' 주인공" [[Exclusive] Hyeri's first historical drama... 'When flowers bloom, I think of the moon']. Daily Sports (in Korean).
Naver.
Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
^Lee, Yoon-young (September 20, 2016).
걸스데이 혜리, 자유학기제 홍보 나선다 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency.
Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
^걸스데이 혜리, 아이들의 권리 보호에 앞장 서...'아동 출생등록 캠페인' 참여 [Girls' Day Hyeri takes the lead in protecting children's rights]. Seoul Daily (in Korean). February 21, 2017.
Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^Hwang Hye-jin (March 6, 2022).
"혜리, 산불 피해 지원 위해 5천만 원 기부(공식)" [Hyeri donates 50 million won to support wildfire damage (official)] (in Korean). Newsen.
Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via
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^Han Hae-sun (March 8, 2022).
"이혜리, 산불 피해 기부→우크라이나 5천만원 기부[공식]" [Hyeri Lee, donated to damage from forest fires → Donate 50 million won to Ukraine [Official]] (in Korean). MT Star News.
Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Yoo Jun-ha (February 9, 2023).
"튀르키예·시리아 지진 피해에… 한지민·혜리·이용진 등 기부 물결" [Earthquake damage in Turkey and Syria... A wave of donations such as Han Ji-min, Lee Hye-ri, and Lee Yong-jin] (in Korean). E-Daily.
Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via
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^Lee, Ji-hyun (November 13, 2023).
"류준열·혜리, 공개 열애 7년 마침표 "결별 맞다, 이유는 사생활" [공식]" [Ryu Jun-yeol and Hyeri, 7-year public relationship ends, "It's true they broke up, the reason is private life" [Official]] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^Cho Ji-young (January 24, 2024).
"[공식] 우도환X장동건X이혜리 하드보일드 액션 '열대야' 캐스팅..25일 첫 삽 뜬다" [[Official] Woo Do-hwan X Jang Dong-gun X Lee Hye-ri Hard Boy Action 'Fever' Casting... The first shovel will be released on the 25th] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
^Baek, Seung-hoon (August 31, 2022).
"이혜리→이준영, MBC '일당백집사' 출연…10월 첫방 [공식입장]" [Lee Hye-ri → Lee Jun-young, appearing in MBC's 'One Hundred Butlers'... First episode in October [Official Admission]] (in Korean).
iMBC.
Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Park Yoon-jin (January 31, 2023).
"혜리·미연·리정·최예나·김채원·파트리샤…새 예능 '혜미리예채파'로 뭉친다" [Hyeri·Miyeon·Lijeong·Choi Yena·Kim Chaewon·Patricia... Together with the new variety show 'Hye-mi-ri-ye-chae-pa'] (in Korean). My Daily.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Hong, Se-young (November 22, 2023).
이혜리→에스파 카리나, 넷플릭스 ‘미스터리 수사단’ 출연확정 [공식] [Lee Hye-ri → Espa Carina confirmed to appear in Netflix's 'Mystery Investigation Team' [Official]] (in Korean). Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Min-ji (December 27, 2022).
"'2022 KBS 연기대상' 전현무 정용화 이혜리 MC 확정 [공식]" ['2022 KBS Drama Awards' Jeon Hyun-moo Jung Yong-hwa and Lee Hye-ri confirmed as MCs [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen.
Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via
Naver.
^"2021 올해의 브랜드 대상 수상 기업" [2021 Brand of the Year Grand Prize Winner]. kcforum (in Korean). August 19, 2021.
Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
^Noh Yi-seul (May 2, 2022).
"2PM 이준호·유재석·태연·아이유·강다니엘 등, 2022 브랜드 고객충성도 1위" [2PM Lee Jun-ho, Yoo Jae-suk, Taeyeon, IU, Kang Daniel, etc., Ranked No. 1 in Customer Loyalty in 2022] (in Korean). Sports W.
Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
^디오★혜리, 우리가 '2015 라이징 연기돌'이라 전해라[진짜 상주러 갑니다] [D.O. and Hyeri win Daum "2015 Rising Idol Actor" Award]. Newsen (in Korean). December 25, 2015.
Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
^Choi, Hye-jin (January 1, 2023).
"이준·강한나·이혜리, 우수상에 울컥 "많은 생각 스쳐가" [2022 KBS 연기대상]" [Lee Joon·Kang Han-na·Lee Hye-ri, "Many thoughts pass by" at the Excellence Award [2022 KBS Drama Awards]] (in Korean). MT Star News.
Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via
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^2022 KBS 연기대상 > 연기대상 투표하기. 디지털 KBS (in Korean). December 13, 2022.
Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
^Jeong, Han-byul (December 30, 2022).
"이종석, 'MBC 연기대상' 6년 만 대상 "20대 때와 다른 느낌" [종합]" [Lee Jong-suk, 'MBC Drama Awards' grand prize in 6 years "Feels different from when I was in my 20s" [Comprehensive]] (in Korean).
Hankook Ilbo.
Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Choi Na-young (December 19, 2022).
"이종석X임윤아→박주현X김영대..'2022 MBC 연기대상' 베스트커플 후보 공개" [Lee Jong-suk X Im Yoon-a → Park Joo-hyun X Kim Young-dae...'2022 MBC Drama Awards' Best Couple Candidates Revealed] (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via
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^Kim, Ji-won (December 25, 2013).
"[단독인터뷰] 송강호, 2천만 돌파 소감 "설레고 겁난다"" [[Exclusive interview] Song Kang-ho says, "I'm excited and scared" about 20 million hearts.]. OBS (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.