Im Yoon-ah

Im Yoon-ah (born May 30, 1990), known mononymously as Yoona, is a South Korean singer and actress.

Yoona was born on May 30, 1990 in Yeongdeungpo-gu of Seoul, South Korea.

Her family consists of her father and an older sister by five years.

In 2002, she was cast in the SM Saturday Open Casting Audition and spent five years "doing nothing but constant training" in singing, dancing and acting.

Prior to debuting, Yoona was introduced to the public through various appearances in music videos and commercials; she first appeared in TVXQ's "Magic Castle" music video in December 2004.

After training for five years, she debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-Oh!GG) in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of South Korea's most popular girl groups worldwide.

She made her official debut as a member of Girls' Generation in August 2007, becoming the "center" of the group.

Apart from Girls' Generation's activities, Yoona has acted in several television dramas.

Her acting career began in 2007 with a minor role in MBC's drama Two Outs in the Ninth Inning.

Apart from her group's activities, Yoona has participated in various television dramas, notably You Are My Destiny (2008), which marked her career breakthrough and earned her the Best New Actress awards at the 23rd KBS Drama Awards and the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards.

She then appeared in MBC's Woman of Matchless Beauty (2008), and was complimented by veteran actress Bae Jong-ok for her cameo performance.

In May 2008, Yoona landed her first leading role in KBS's drama You Are My Destiny, playing the character Jang Sae-byuk.

The drama achieved viewer ratings of up to 41.5%, and Yoona received wider public recognition.

She considered the role a turning point in her career, and won two "Best New Actress" awards at the 2008 KBS Drama Awards and 45th Baeksang Arts Awards.

In 2009, Yoona was cast in MBC's drama Cinderella Man along with Kwon Sang-woo.

Yoona has since achieved further public attention and acting acclaim with a variety of role-types in Love Rain (2012), Prime Minister & I (2013), The K2 (2016), The King in Love (2017), Hush (2020–21), Big Mouth (2022) and King the Land (2023).

In March 2012, Yoona was cast in a lead role alongside Jang Geun Suk in KBS2's drama Love Rain, a fantasy drama about fate where the offspring of an ill-fated couple who met in the 1970s, meet and fall in love with each other in the modern era.

Yoona played two characters: Yun-hee of the 70s and Ha-na of modern times.

Although the drama scored low domestic viewership and was criticized for its failure to relate to the viewers, Yoona's acting received positive reviews.

Yoon Ga-ee of OSEN wrote: "The speed at which her acting is improving is blinding. She has matured to the point where you want to ask, 'When did her acting get so good?' The criticism that trailed behind her during Cinderella Man is now nowhere to be found."

Choi In-kyung of Hankook Ilbo said her acting was continuously improving and "Yoona is completely immersed in her character and has now become 'Hana' herself."

The drama garnered much positive overseas interest and was sold to Japan for $10 million, the second highest price for a KBS drama at the time, partly due to Yoona's popularity.

In December 2013, Yoona starred alongside Lee Beom-soo in KBS2's romantic comedy drama Prime Minister & I.

Loosely based on the musical film The Sound of Music, Yoona played Nam Da-jung, a young and stubborn reporter who falls in love with the prime minister.

The drama received low ratings but Yoona's performance was praised and she won an Excellence Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards for the role.

In March 2016, Yoona released her first solo single "Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway", a collaboration with the South Korean indie group 10cm, as part of SM Station.

The urban-pop song peaked at number 24 on Gaon Digital Chart.

Fuse described it as "breezy and easy-listening" and complimented how "lovely" Yoona delivered the song.

In April 2016, Yoona was cast in her debut Chinese drama God of War, Zhao Yun, based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

She played dual roles–one falls in love with the male lead character but later finds out he killed her father while the other is skilled in martial arts.

The drama's viewership ratings peaked at more than 2%, which was described to be "a huge success" relative to China's large population.

It also recorded more than 10 billion hits through various online videos sites, reflecting Yoona's popularity in China.

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In September 2016, Yoona starred in tvN's action thriller The K2.

Tired of being typecast with a candy-like image and having always been burdened by the idol-actress prejudice, Yoona cast away the public perception and focused on the role as her "personal challenge."

Her effort gained positive viewers' recognition, and earned her acting acclaim from critics.

Her film work includes Confidential Assignment (2017), Exit (2019), her first leading role, and Confidential Assignment 2: International (2022), all of which are among the highest-grossing films in South Korea.

In January 2017, Yoona made her film debut in action film, Confidential Assignment.

On May 30, 2019, Yoona released of her debut extended play A Walk to Remember, charting at number three on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart.

The success of Yoona's music and acting careers have led her to various CF deals, notably long-term collaborator Innisfree, and have established her as a top idol-actress of Hallyu.