Artist Profile
- Full Name: Nam Ji-hyun
- Native Name: 남지현
- Nicknames: Nam Ji
- Birthday: Sep 17, 1995 (30 years old)
- Blood Type: B
- Height/Weight: 165 cm (5’5”) / 49 kg (108 lbs)
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Chinese Zodiac: Pig
- Debut: 2004
- Birthplace: Incheon, South Korea
- Nationality: South Korean
- Profession: Actress
- Language Skills: Korean (Native), English
- Current Agency: Management Soop
- Active Years: 2004–present (22 years)
Nam Ji-hyun (남지현), born on September 17, 1995, in Bupyeong District, Incheon, is a South Korean actress under Management SOOP. She began her career as a child actress in 2004 and has since built a solid presence in both television and film.
Early Life
Nam Ji-hyun showed an aptitude for performance from an early age and made her acting debut before turning ten. Throughout her childhood, she frequently appeared as the younger counterpart of lead characters in major productions, quickly becoming a recognizable face to viewers.
In 2014, she enrolled at Sogang University, majoring in Psychology. Despite her academic commitments, she actively pursued acting during her university years, starring in several notable dramas. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in February 2020.
Career
In 2004, Nam Ji-hyun made her acting debut in the MBC television series Say You Love Me. Prior to her debut, she worked as a magazine model and appeared on MBC’s entertainment program Radio Report. In 2005, she appeared in the film Shadowless Sword, portraying the younger version of the character Yoon So-yi.
In 2006, Nam played the lead role in the television series My Captain, Mr. Underground, portraying Ji-min, a second-grade elementary school student. In the same year, she appeared in SBS’s drama My Love and received the Best Young Actress Award at the SBS Drama Awards 2006 for her role as Kim Min. In 2007, she continued her activities with the SBS Christmas special drama My Love Clementine, in which she played the nine-year-old protagonist Ba-da.
In 2008, she appeared in MBC’s series East of Eden as the younger version of a character portrayed by Han Ji-hye, followed by a supporting role in Our Happy Ending. That year, she received the Best Young Actress Award at the MBC Drama Awards 2008. In 2009, Nam portrayed the childhood version of Princess Deokman in the historical drama Queen Seondeok on MBC, the younger counterpart of Lee Yo-won’s character. She again received the Best Young Actress Award at the MBC Drama Awards 2009 for this role.
In 2010, she appeared in SBS’s drama Giant as the younger version of Hwang Jung-yeon and starred in the film Today as Lee Ji-min. In 2011, she took part in the SBS historical series Warrior Baek Dong-soo, portraying the childhood version of Yu Ji-sun.
In 2012, Nam Ji-hyun played the lead role in KBS2’s drama Girl Detective Park Hae-sol and appeared in MBC’s I Can’t Live Without You. In 2013, she transitioned into more mature roles, including her appearance as Yu-kyung in the film Hwayi: A Monster Boy.
In 2014, she appeared in SBS’s Angel Eyes as the younger version of Yoon Soo-wan and in KBS2’s family drama What’s With This Family as Kang Seo-wool. In 2015, she made a guest appearance in SBS’s Midnight Diner.
In 2016, Nam Ji-hyun starred as Go Bok-sil in MBC’s romantic comedy series Shopping King Louie, marking her transition to leading roles in television. In the same year, she appeared in the films Tunnel and The Map Against the World.
In 2017, she starred as Eun Bong-hee in SBS’s legal romantic drama Suspicious Partner, alongside Ji Chang-wook.
In 2018, she played dual roles as Yeon Hong-sim and Yoon Yi-seo in tvN’s historical romance series 100 Days My Prince.
In 2020, Nam starred as Shin Ga-hyun in MBC’s mystery thriller series 365: Repeat the Year.
In 2021, she appeared in JTBC’s Out of Course and played the lead role of Jung Jin in The Witch’s Diner, which aired on tvN and the streaming platform TVING.
In 2022, she joined the cast of tvN’s drama Little Women, portraying Oh In-kyung, the second of three sisters.
In 2023, she starred in the web drama High Cookie produced by U+ Mobile TV as Choi Soo-young.
In 2024, Nam Ji-hyun starred as Han Yu-ri in SBS’s legal drama Good Partner, alongside Jang Na-ra. The series recorded a peak viewership rating of 17.7%, and her performance earned her the Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards 2024.
In 2025, she was confirmed to star as Hong Eun-jo in KBS2’s historical drama My Beloved Thief, a body-swap–themed series scheduled to premiere in January 2026.
Fun Facts
- She’s known for bursting into uncontrollable laughter on set, and the whole crew usually cracks up with her.
- Loves pulling harmless little pranks on co-stars, instantly lifting the mood.
- Surprisingly clumsy in real life — tripping or bumping into props is kind of her trademark.
- Has a habit of mimicking her co-actors’ expressions or gestures, which always ends up being hilariously cute.
- Can’t handle spicy food, and her over-the-top reactions are pure comedy gold.
- Proud cat mom of three — Tancoo, Mone, and Uyu — who often steal the spotlight from her.
- Fans jokingly call her the “chart-climbing icon” because her dramas’ ratings tend to rise steadily instead of dropping.
- When Little Women aired, BTS’s RM showed support, and she got flooded with congratulatory calls, leaving her super touched.
- International fans often describe her as “adorkable” — a mix of awkward and adorable at the same time.
- Many viewers didn’t realize at first that the heroine from Suspicious Partner and 100 Days My Prince was the same actress — just a hairstyle switch fooled them.
- Her Running Man appearance with Kang Hoon had fans instantly “shipping” the two because of their funny chemistry.
- The drama title The Witch’s Diner had netizens joking it sounded more like a creepy cooking show than a fantasy K-drama.